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San Jose Sharks vs LA Kings finals: Kings are overthrown in 4-0 shutout

By Catherine Silverman

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The Los Angeles Kings return to Staples Center with a devastating 4-0 loss to San Jose

After an overly-drawn out championship banner ceremony, the Los Angeles Kings struggled to find their footing on home ice, being shut out by the San Jose Sharks in Wednesday night’s home opener.

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The captain-less Sharks were the dominant team from start to finish, but it didn’t take much to earn that title. Key Kings players were practically useless on the ice for the entire game, and that, combined with a spectacular showing from number one San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi, enabled the Sharks to hold court on Los Angeles ground.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick posted the lowest SV% of any netminder on opening night, allowing a grand total of four goals on 27 shots for a .852 SV% until he was taken out of the game in the third period.

Quick wasn’t alone in his abysmal showing, though. Kings center Anze Kopitar missed the mark time and time again, winning only 39% of his face-offs throughout the entire game.

The Kings failed to make an appearance in the night’s three stars; instead, the honors were given exclusively to members of the San Jose squad. The game’s first star, Tommy Wingels, caught more than a few eyes tonight- he had a 100% SH%, netting two goals in two attempts, and supplemented his goals with three hits and zero PIM. He was honored alongside Brent Burns, who pitched in with two assists throughout the course of the night, and the team’s netminder Niemi for his 1.00 SV%.

The two teams are always regional rivals, but this game served as more than just a rough-and-tumble match up. The Sharks arrived in Los Angeles determined to prove to the Kings that San Jose’s blown 3-0 lead during the Stanley Cup playoffs wasn’t something that the Kings should think of as a new team habit.

Possibly the most intriguing line of the night was the Hertl-Pavelski-Thornton line for San Jose, as fans got to watch the vets develop their chemistry with 20-year old Hertl. The most disappointing line of the night was the Carter-Pearson-Toffoli line for Los Angeles, as the normally explosive trio failed to impress.

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