Game 57: Sharks 4, Kings 2

I apologize for the lateness of this recap, but my car is on the fritz, and I've spent over $1,500 fixing it today. So back off, man.

If you look at it logically, the Kings were going to lose Thursday night. The Sharks are the best team in the Western Conference, and could be considered the top team in the league. The Sharks have only lost twice at the HP Pavilion. The Kings haven't beaten them yet this season. The Kings were coming off a hard-fought victory over the Ducks Wednesday night. There were so many factors going against the Kings, why bother to watch?

Well, that's exactly what the geniuses over at Fox Sports decided by not airing the game. Problem was, the storyline coming in was so compelling, why wasn't it put elsewhere on the dial? Sure, if you have the ability to watch streaming video on your computer, like I do, you didn't have to miss a second of the action. Yahoo had a feed from the San Jose point of view. So fans had that option, but how many bothered?

Well, if you missed it, look past the score. The Kings battled back to tie it in the second, and played the Sharks close to the vest. But... they once again let the other team score first. Need we be reminded that the Kings are 3-17-6 when their opponent's score first? And that habit of waiting until late in the game to turn on the power cost them tonight.

Even alternate captain Anze Kopitar thought the team came out flat. From the AP story: “I don’t think we played as good as we did last night,” Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar said. “We didn’t compete hard, we didn’t win one-on-one battles, and that’s the result of the game. We’re fighting for a playoff position right now, and we’re desperate for points. We need to play with a lot of energy every night. We can’t look for excuses at this time of the year.”

Keep in mind, the Kings don't respond well in the second of back-to-back games. Only once in nine tries this season, the Kings have only been able to muster one set of consecutive wins in a back-to-back situation. Not many teams can say they are very successful in the same situation. They have four more sets of back-to-back games left on their schedule.

However, they didn't go down without a fight. They played the Sharks pretty even, keeping with their mantra this season of Pride=Passion=Power. They were close in hits and faceoffs, and spent more time in the sin bin. It was a solid effort and a pretty accurate guage of where the Kings need to be to really compete in the playoffs.

• AP: Sharks double up on Kings for 25th home win

''These are teams that are fighting to get in and fighting for playoff spots,'' Sharks defenseman and former King Rob Blake said. ''We want to compete at that level, so it's good for us to play this way.''

• Yahoo: Team report

The Kings have allowed 40 or more shots on goal in a game only five times this season. Two of those games have been against the Sharks.

• LAKings.com: Royal road report

In 33 home games, Los Angeles is 13-12-8, but is 12-11-1 in only 24 road games. Entering tonight’s contest, the Kings average 2.78 goals for on the road compared to 2.61 goals for in their home building. But, they are more effective on the power play at STAPLES (33-161 or 20.5 percent) than in enemy territory (18-for-96 or 18.8 percent).

They said it

“The problem is that everyone is still in it. There aren’t many sellers, period. There are a few out there that are fairly obvious, but not a lot. Nobody in our conference is out of it, and you’ve got a few in the East. Things can shake out a little more as you get to the deadline.”—Kings GM Dean Lombardi on the lack of action leading up to the trade deadline

Looking through purple-hued goggles

• A Queen Among Kings: Not terrible

If they could just start games with the same energy they have at the end of games, fans could most likely watch these contests without fear of the inevitable semi-meltdown that arrives in the third period.

• The Royal Half: Move on

There will probably be a lot of outcry on the BlogOSphere about Gauthier's elbow on Patrick Marleau last night. I'm never one to defend Mr. Gauthier, but if Marleau wasn't bent over slightly, that would have been a clean check. Suspension worthy? Probably not... although Gauthier is a repeat offender.

• Press Box Perspective: Don't Stop Believin'

Playoff experience is always good for a team. He thinks if they just barely make it into the playoffs the Kings will be knocked out by the Sharks or Red Wings in the first round. So? The Penguins were knocked out in the first round in 2007 and went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008. Their first playoff run with Sid the Kid lasted only 5 games. The next one got them within a couple wins of the Stanley Cup. Would any Penguins fan wish that the Penguins had missed the playoffs in 2007 instead of getting in them only to be sent home after five games? I don’t think so, but I can’t imagine how anyone who claims to love the Kings could want them to fail this year.

From the other side of the ice, the San Jose view

• Mercury News: Sharks top Kings, 4-2

The physical nature of the game didn't bother McLellan.
 "It's hockey. It's supposed to be physical," he said. "I have no concerns at all."

• Fear the Fin: http://www.fearthefin.com/2009/2/19/765167/game-wrap-up-los-angeles-s

Two points against a Los Angeles Kings team that looks solid as hell. Two nights in a row where the Sharks are on the short end of some questionable hits, two nights in a row where they stand up for their teammates and buckle down in the third period.
Only thing I want to see more of is McLellan up on the bench screaming at the officials- he could be a little more vocal in those situations.

Peeping the dailies