Following an 82-game schedule that began with the San Jose
Sharks in Stockholm, Sweden six months ago, San Jose will spend the
first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Pacific Time Zone
against the Los Angeles Kings.
”
It’s going to be a fun series to play, an exciting series,
”
San Jose captain Joe Thornton said after Monday’s practice.
”
(Los Angeles) is a very stingy defensive hockey club.
”
SAN JOSE
Following an 82-game schedule that began with the San Jose Sharks in Stockholm, Sweden six months ago, San Jose will spend the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Pacific Time Zone against the Los Angeles Kings.
“It’s going to be a fun series to play, an exciting series,” San Jose captain Joe Thornton said after Monday’s practice. “(Los Angeles) is a very stingy defensive hockey club.”
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Coach Todd McLellan, in his third year leading the Sharks, directed the club into the Western Conference Finals last spring, earning series wins over Colorado and Detroit before falling to eventual champion Chicago.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” McLellan said of the matchup. “(Los Angeles) is a big, strong team. They play very well defensively, their goaltending is good and their penalty killing is good.”
The Kings, playing without injured stalwarts Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar over the weekend, dropped two games to Anaheim and fell to seventh in the tightly bunched conference standings.
San Jose, the second seed in the conference, earned the Pacific Division crown for a fourth consecutive year with 105 points. Anaheim and Phoenix each netted 99 points, the Kings 98. Dallas, at 95 points, lost a postseason bid by failing to defeat Minnesota in the season finale Sunday.
“We expect Williams to play,” McLellan said when reviewing the Los Angeles roster. The right winger posted 22 goals and 35 assists before the late-season injury.
Kopitar is out for the season after suffering a broken ankle two weeks ago. Kopitar led the Kings with 73 points in 75 games.
Calling Kopitar “a dominant player in the National Hockey League,” McLellan cautioned that “whenever you lose a player of that caliber, others tend to pick up the slack.”
Patrick Marleau paced the Sharks offense with the same 73 point total while skating in all 82 games.
“(The Kings) still have tons of great players,” Marleau said about the loss of Kopitar for the series.
San Jose also has issues with injuries heading into the postseason. Forward Ryane Clowe sat out the last two games of the season because of a lower-body injury.
“My legs felt pretty good,” Clowe said after skating for the first time in five days Monday. “I hope to keep improving.”
McLellan added that Clowe reported he “felt fine” after the morning practice.
“We expect him to play,” McLellan said. Along with his toughness, “(Clowe) has the ability to play the game in a finesse way. He’s a very good passer and he protects the puck well.”
Defenseman Kent Huskins was “involved in a full-contact practice,” added McLellan. “If we needed him, we’d be looking at the middle of the series.”
The Kings, with goaltender Jonathan Quick playing 61 games, gave up 198 goals during the season. San Jose, with Antti Niemi called on 60 times, gave up 213. The Sharks did fashion a 248-219 edge in goals produced for the year.
Clowe called Niemi, who served as netminder for the Blackhawks last spring, “a real workhorse. We love the way he competes.”
McLellan offered that Niemi’s experience on the way to hoisting the Stanley Cup last year should help the Sharks this spring.
“I’m sure he feels a little more comfortable, knowing that he’s gone through it; he knows how long the marathon goes. He knows there will be some ups and downs.”
Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven series are set for 7 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday this week at HP Pavilion. The Kings host the next two games at Staples Center on Tuesday and Thursday of next week — both at 7 p.m. A fifth game, if needed, would be on Saturday, April 23, in San Jose.
