(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– The Los Angeles Kings had the first goal, but San Jose had the final say, as the Sharks beat the Kings 4-3 Thursday at Staples Center.

San Jose is three for three at Staples Center this season. When facing Los Angeles in the first round, the Sharks have won all Game 1’s. This was the first Game 1 in the first round at Staples.

San Jose’s Joe Pavelski scored twice for the first time since February 29 and netted the game winner 17 seconds into the third period. He also had the game winner in Game 1 of the 2011 series between the teams.

It was the first win by the Sharks in 34 games without Joe Thornton having a point.

It was a physical first period as expected. Both teams combined for 38 hits. The Kings’ Jeff Carter led with four hits.

Los Angeles scored first for the third time in the three games at Staples this season.

Tanner Pearson got the puck from the boards and passed it to Milan Lucic at the top of the right faceoff circle. Lucic then passed it to Jake Muzzin who came up from behind. Muzzin neared the right of Jones and an early reaction by Jones had him away from the net. This allowed Muzzin to put the puck in behind Jones. The puck then went in off Tomas Hertl’s skate at 2:53.

San Jose then got a power play off interference by Anze Kopitar.

The Sharks took advantage, with Pavelski scoring another power play, this one on their first shot. The play went from faceoff circle to faceoff circle, as the puck went from Logan Couture to Brent Burns behind him to Pavelski, who one-timed it at 6:25. It was Pavelski’s third straight goal in as many games and San Jose’s 14th power play goal in 18 games.

Muzzin led with two shots in the first period.

The back-to-back went to new heights in the second period thanks to penalties, as both teams scored two goals apiece.

The Sharks were at a 33% to 67% faceoff disadvantage after the first period, but off Joel Ward’s faceoff win, Burns scored at 6:50. Then two seconds later, Ward was called for interference.

The Kings would score on that second power play opportunity of the period and the game. It was another deflected goal in the same area as the first. Jeff Carter was against two defenders. The puck hit Burns’ stick, then goalie Martin Jones’ shoulder on its way into the net at 7:30. Lucic and Kopitar got the assists.

The major controversy came when Hertl had a goal waved off for high sticking. Sportsnet’s Mike Johnson was between the benches and said: “Kevin Pollock the referee comes over and says ‘we missed it. What can we do, we missed it.'” San Jose then got their first power play opportunity of the period at 9:47.  

Despite that, the Sharks nearly scored again but were denied twice. Pavelski hit the post, Patrick Marleau got the rebound and was denied by Drew Doughty in the net.

Los Angeles drew another power play at 13:27. 20 seconds after it expired, San Jose got another power play, but the Kings ended up scoring shorthanded. Singlehandedly, Trevor Lewis got the puck in his end, went the other way, Burns dove and Lewis scored at 17:18.

30 seconds later, one second after the Sharks’ power play expired, Hertl ended up getting his goal after a spin-o-rama by Ward. Joonas Donskoi also aided on the play.

Pavelski’s second goal of the game came as a wraparound. Los Angeles outshot San Jose 10-3 in the final stanza.

Game notes: Jones made 21 saves in his first postseason start. The Kings had 20 giveaways to the Sharks’ eight. San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Matt Nieto returned since almost exactly a month ago, after missing a dozen games. Respectively, Vlasic finished a +2, with a team-high 23:23 of ice time, one shot, one hit, one giveaway and three blocked shots and Nieto finished with one shot and three hits. Alec Martinez returned for Los Angeles, finishing with two blocked shots, but was off the ice the final period. San Jose has now won their last four road games.    They will go for five when they return to Staples for Game 2 Saturday, with the puck dropping at 7:30pm again.