LOS ANGELES – It's only mid-January, but the Sharks have already concluded the five-game season series with their biggest rival. That could be a good thing, as Sharks-Kings games are rarely for the faint of heart.
"I'm glad to be done with them. If we don't see them again, I'll be alright with that," Pete DeBoer quipped.
On the other hand, Wednesday's latest and final head-to-head matchup resulted in perhaps the Sharks' most rewarding win of the season, 3-2 at Staples Center.
San Jose got contributions from up and down its lineup. Despite being without several key players (including Logan Couture, who missed the game due to illness), the Sharks worked hard and smart all over the ice and put some distance between themselves and Los Angeles, which is fighting to remain in playoff position.
"It was a good feeling in this [dressing] room when we came in here [after the game]," said Joe Pavelski, who scored one of the Sharks' three goals. "Just felt like you put a complete effort out there."
DeBoer said: "A little bit of a thin lineup, and I thought we competed our asses off. Played hard. This isn't an easy building to win in. They play a physical game. We stood in there, and I thought played a real complete game."
Sports
Special teams was key, as the Sharks got a power play goal from Pavelski and held the Kings to no goals and just one power play shot on four chances. Martin Jones was his typical solid self, even throwing in a highlight reel save on Dwight King in the third period to preserve the one-goal. Brent Burns continued to dominate, getting yet another goal in the first period (his 19th), and Joe Thornton notched a pair of assists.
And, the fourth line got in on the action, too. Micheal Haley was one of the team's best forwards of the evening, beautifully setting up Tommy Wingels on a two-on-one, who gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish with less than five minutes to go in the first period.
"Just tried to make an early pass so [Wingels] had enough time to have a good look, and he made a great shot," Haley said.
DeBoer said: "Big goal from those guys."
Defensively, Los Angeles was held to just 24 shots, as the Sharks kept the Kings' stars at bay. That includes Jeff Carter, who was the best player on the ice in the most recent meeting on Jan. 3, and has been far and away Los Angeles' most valuable player this season.
"He's a world class player and he's having a world class season," DeBoer said of Carter. "He's dangerous every time he's on the ice."
The Sharks played a committed and detailed game in their own end, though, not giving Carter or anyone else much room to operate in their offensive zone. Los Angeles' scoring chances were few and far between.
Last week, the Sharks failed to put some distance between themselves and another division rival nipping on their heels, the Flames. They didn't want that to happen again with the Kings, who could have pulled to within four points of San Jose with a regulation win.
Instead, the Kings are now eight points back of San Jose after losing three of the five meetings. And they don't have any more of those four-point games left on the schedule.
"You always want to win a season series," Pavelski said. "It was just important because I think we all know it was pretty tight in the standings. It goes [to] four or eight [points], you know?"
Haley said: "We want to make that distance farther and farther. They're always in the back of our head."
