Kings Vs. Sharks, Game 1: Kings Get The Breaks And A 2-2 Tie After Two Periods

The Los Angeles Kings have had trouble getting momentum in Game 1 of their Western Conference Final series with the San Jose Sharks, but at times the Sharks have seemed perfectly willing to hand it to them. That and the play of Jonathan Quick are the reason why the game is tied at 2 after two periods at HP Pavilion in San Jose. By the time the period was over, the Kings had momentum on their own, and cut the shot deficit down to 23-19 Sharks, despite being out-shot 14-3 in the first.

It all started at 6:10 when Nicholas Wallin flipped the puck into the stands and took the dreaded delay of game penalty. The Kings power play started fairly unsuccessfully. Logan Couture found himself with an odd-man break down the wing, though he missed the net wide, to the point where it bounced all the way out to Justin Williams. The just-returned forward carried it in a head of steam in a 3-on-1. He quickly fed it to Dustin Brown, who ripped a one-timer past Niemi to tie the game at 7:25. The Kings are now 1-for-3 on the man advantage.

Couture made up for it minutes later with a goal of his own. He made a rush through the neutral zone, and then undressed Drew Doughty. He scooted by and took it short side to Jonathan Quick. It just escaped through the Kings’ goaltender, and the Sharks had the one-goal lead back at 10:23. It was the first real big mistake of the night for Quick, who had been stellar for the first half of the game. It was Ryan Clowe’s second assist of the game.

The Kings continued to be dominated through most of the rest of the period, but a gift brought them back to life. A three-man skirmish behind the net saw the puck bounce right to Williams. Antii Niemi was out of position, and had no idea where the puck was. Williams backhand-wraparounded it to the short side, and tied the game at to with 3:40 to go in the period. A gift, for sure, but a huge emotional boost to the Kings. They ended the period hounding the Kings and having control of the offensive play on a 4-on-4 late in the second.