San Jose Sharks

Even-strength statistics Player TOI Corsi For Corsi Against Corsi +/- Chances For Chances Against Chances +/- Brad Stuart 17.3 26 18 +8 1 2 -1 Joe Pavelski 16.5 21 17 +4 5 2 +3 Martin Havlat 4.0 1 7 -6 1 0 +1 Andrew Desjardins 10.8 10 10 +0 3 2 +1 Patrick Marleau 15.0 19 18 +1 5 2 +3 James Sheppard 10.8 6 9 -3 1 4 -3 Joe Thornton 15.7 37 12 +25 6 0 +6 T.J. Galiardi 14.7 32 15 +17 4 0 +4 Dan Boyle 16.1 17 21 -4 5 0 +5 Scott Gomez 15.2 11 22 -11 1 3 -2 Scott Hannan 13.9 23 14 +9 1 2 -1 Bracken Kearns 9.5 6 7 -1 1 1 +0 Logan Couture 13.1 14 14 +0 3 1 +2 Marc-Edouard Vlasic 18.9 23 22 +1 6 4 +2 Matt Irwin 16.2 20 15 +5 5 0 +5 Tommy Wingels 12.2 12 20 -8 1 3 -2 Justin Braun 20.2 25 21 +4 6 4 +2 Brent Burns 14.3 30 12 +18 4 0 +4 Team 51.2 67 55 +12 13 6 +7 Logan Couture will receive a lion's share of the glory for last night's win, and rightfully so after returning from injury to score the overtime winner. But that was a performance for the ages by Joe Thornton. While his line didn't register on the scoreboard (although he did record an assist on Couture's goal), they ravaged the Kings territorially every single time they were on the ice. L.A. simply didn't have an answer for Jumbo. After a productive Game 2, Scott Gomez and Tommy Wingels struggled while going up exclusively against the Kings' bottom six. That probably had more than a little to do with Martin Havlat's injury forcing the coaching staff to shuffle the deck at left wing on that line but the Sharks need a stronger effort from Gomez in particular if he's going to be playing sheltered minutes as the team's third-line center. Speaking of Havlat's injury, he appeared visibly hobbled even in the few minutes he did play. I'd be surprised if he returns to this series but I'm also not really convinced Bracken Kearns and Tim Kennedy should both draw into the lineup. I wonder if rolling the dice on Freddie Hamilton or Sebastian Stalberg wouldn't be the worst idea. They still trail in the series but the Sharks have been the better team in every game. This just isn't the same Kings team we saw a year ago, who I'm pretty confident would have just about dusted the Sharks off by now. San Jose really doesn't have to change anything in order to have a very good shot at completing the comeback here with Jonathan Quick the only thing standing in their way. Head-to-head scoring chances(Click to enlarge) Mike Richards has historically struggled against Joe Thornton but last night's matchup was as one-sided as it gets. Not only does the Thornton line dominating Richards have the obvious effect of generating scoring opportunities for the Sharks, it also renders Richards and Jeff Carter complete non-factors offensively as they were at evens last night. Marleau and Pavelski were able to hold Kopitar in check by both the scoring chance and possession data (as well as, of course, on the scoreboard). If this is repeatable, it's a similar formula to what the Sharks used to beat Vancouver; have the Marleau line saw off possession with the opposition's big guns and have Thornton run roughshod over their second line. For more information on what these numbers mean, head here for an in-depth explanation of Corsi and here for more details on scoring chances.

If the plot lines of the Sharks playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings weren't already intriguing enough, Game 3 threw in a few more twists and turns to spice things up. Fresh off the travesty that was the officiating blunder in Los Angeles on Thursday night, the officiating played a major role in the outcome of Saturday night's contest, which marked the first game at HP Pavilion in the series. This time it was the Sharks who had the luxury of a two-man advantage to end the game.

Sharks top Kings 2-1 in OT of Game 3 Logan Couture's power-play goal at 1:29 of overtime gave the Sharks a 2-1 win over Los Angeles in Game 3 on Saturday night at HP Pavilion. The victory cut the Kings' lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series to 2-1. The teams played a high-energy third period that was scoreless, but the Kings committed two penalties late in regulation that set up a 5-on-3 power play for the Sharks. First Los Angeles defenseman Robyn Regehr hooked Tommy Wingels at 19:18 as the San Jose forward was cutting in front of the net with the puck. Defenseman Scott Hannan spun and hit his head on the end boards after diving in anticipation of a shot during the late stages of a Kings power play that carried over from the first period. Martin Havlat, appearing for the first time since getting injured in Game 1 of San Jose's sweep of Vancouver, didn't return for the second period after skating six shifts and 4:52 of the opening period. The Sharks converted an early power play, but went into the first intermission knotted 1-1 after a giveaway at mid-period led to the tying goal.

The visiting team was called for two penalties during the final moments of regulation Saturday night, leading to the winning goal by the home team. Sound familiar? The Sharks earned a measure of redemption Saturday, registering a power play ...

I love hearing HP Pavilion during the playoffs. You could tell immediately how pumped the fans were before game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings, and it seemed to translate to the Sharks early on. Before the fans could even get settled in, the Sharks gave them a reason to stand right back up. In a hilarious turn of events, Jake Muzzin shot the puck out of play for a delay of game penalty 90 seconds in. And about 3 seconds after that, Dan Boyle scored off the faceoff. 1-0 Sharks – Boyle from Marleau and Pavelski at 1:34 of the first period. You can’t overlook the play of Joe Thornton screening in front of the net on that play. Great play set up by the entire team. Later in the first, Jeff Carter gets called for a trip at 7:52. Although it was a strong powerplay, the Kings did kill it off. Soon after, Tyler Toffoli picked off an errant pass by Brad Stuart in the defensive zone. 1-1 tie – Toffoli from Stuart unassisted at 10:08 of the first period. That’s a play Stuart should not make. Hopefully Jason Demers can return soon to give that pair a legitimate puck mover for the sake of the breakout. Another great chance for Boyle about 15 minutes in with the Thornton line out there. After a faceoff, Joe Thornton had a chance at the side of the net, but put it off the side of the cage. Good to see Todd McLellan expoiting the Thornton-Richards match-up. Jumbo’s been getting the better of him in this series. As we mentioned on Twitter, the Sharks outshot the Kings 7-1 in the first period on that matchup. Late in the first, there was a HUGE hit along the boards by Brad Stuart on Justin Williams. It was a beautiful, clean hit by Stuart. Insert suspension joke here. Also, INSERT THE .GIF!!! Very early in the second period, Scott Hannan was shaken up as he slid to the ice to try to block a shot. He would get checked out in the dressing room. He would return later in the period. But injuries were the story of the middle frame. After Hannan left, Havlat went missing from the bench as well, and Logan Couture appeared to get injured as well. If Logan missed any number of games, this series would be over. Luckily, Couture would return by the end of the period. Frustration did start showing on Marc-Edouard Vlasic as he took a roughing penalty for a couple slashes, and about five crosscheks to Dustin Brown into boards. The Sharks were able to kill the penalty, thus making it pretty hilarious. Pickles is such a goon. The Sharks temporary line of Marleau, Pavelski and Desjardins combined for a phenomenal chance that Quick was somehow able to stop. In a related story, Jonathan Quick is wanted in about a dozen states and a few provinces for highway robbery. Despite the makeshift lineups, you can’t say the Sharks didn’t hold their own. In fact, they probably outplayed the Kings in the second period. They outshot Los Angeles 14-7, and seemed to limit the Kings chances while getting a few mad scrambles in front of Quick. Joe Thornton nearly started the third period with a wraparound off a bad Kings turnover, but he couldn’t put it past Quick. The Sharks did get quite a few pucks to the net early, while the Kings only seemed able to tie up the Sharks along the boards when the puck was in the San Jose zone. After about five minutes of play, the Kings did start getting into a rhythm. Dustin Penner, in particular had a very strong chance, but was robbed by Antti Niemi. While Niemi hasn’t been as frustrating to opposing players as Quick has been in this series, he has been very solid in net. San Jose had a huge opportunity late as Dustin Brown gets called for a slash on Joe Pavelski with just 5:16 left in regulation. Unfortunately, they could not convert, and it would remain 1-1. In the final minute, as Gomez was behind the net and trying to feed a crashing Tommy Wingels. Wingels is able to draw a key penalty as Robyn Regehr goes to the box for hooking. Only 41.7 seconds left as the Sharks take

After a heart-breaking loss in game 2, the Sharks try for their first win in the series as they host the Los Angeles Kings tonight at 6:00 pm. I love hockey. It's something I say pretty often after watching a great Sharks' victory, but it's just as evident after a devastating loss. And I know I'm not alone. The fact we can put so much passion into following a team, and have so much riding on the bounce of a puck is beautiful. The power it has is almost magical. Personally, I know I've never been more sure about spending my career covering this sport. Wins can turn even the crappiest days a bit brighter. And the losses can hurt just about as much. And game 2 hurt. A lot. It may have hurt more than any game since the quadruple-overtime thriller in Dallas back in the 2008 playoffs. Game 2 was able to turn bright to dark in about 22 seconds. It was quite the punch to the gut. But did a loss like that make me want to stop watching? No. Quite the opposite, in fact. After watching game 2, game 3 couldn't come soon enough. I couldn't wait for another opportunity. I would have watched another game that night, if I could. Bring on another gamble. Bring on another rush. Bring on game 3. Game 3LA leads 2-0 Projected Sharks Lineup T.J. Galiardi - Joe Thornton - Brent Burns Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Martin Havlat* Andrew Desjardins - Joe Pavelski - Tommy Wingels James Sheppard - Scott Gomez - Tim Kennedy Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun Matt Irwin - Dan Boyle Brad Stuart - Jason Demers* Antti Niemi Thomas Greiss *If we all close our eyes and wish really hard, maybe both of them will be cleared to play. If one of you doesn't believe hard enough, then just refer back to the lineup for the last game. Projected Kings Lineup Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams Dwight King - Mike Richards - Jeff Carter Dustin Penner - Brad Richardson - Trevor Lewis Jordan Nolan - Colin Fraser - Tyler Toffoli Robyn Regehr - Drew Doughty Rob Scuderi - Slava Voynov Jake Muzzin - Alec Martinez Jonathan Quick Jonathan Bernier With Adam Burish hurt for the series, and Raffi Torres suspended for the series, depth has become an issue for the Sharks. But they might be getting some reinforcements soon. According to Kevin Kurz, Martin Havlat may be very close to returning. From the sounds of things, it wouldn't be surprising to see Havlat skating in warm-ups tonight whether he'll be playing tonight or not. But let's hope he does. Bringing Marty back into the fold gives the team so many more options. And he may provide the spark the team needs to finally put them over the top against this strong Kings team. Prediction: Sharks win 3-2. Goals by Havlat (x2) and Shepard. Meanwhile, 17,562 Sharks fans blow the fucking roof off the Tank. Go Sharks.

SAN JOSE -- Just minutes after the San Jose Sharks' morning skate ended Saturday, coach Todd McLellan got the news he had been waiting for regarding injured forward Martin Havlat. "He came to see me and said he's ready to go," McLellan said. "S...

The Sharks Live Blog for the May 18, 2013 game between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings on NBCSN and KFOX 98.5/102.1 FM.

SAN JOSE, California -- The San Jose Sharks have been in this situation before, trailing 2-0 in a Stanley Cup Playoffs series -- just as they are now against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Semifinals. Nine times to be exact. Th...

I love hockey. It's something I say pretty often after watching a great Sharks' victory, but it's just as evident after a devastating loss. And I know I'm not alone. The fact we can put so much passion into following a team, and have so much riding on the bounce of a puck is beautiful. The power it has is almost magical. Personally, I know I've never been more sure about spending my career covering this sport. Wins can turn even the crappiest days a bit brighter. And the losses can hurt just about as much. And game 2 hurt. A lot. It may have hurt more than any game since the quadruple-overtime thriller in Dallas back in the 2008 playoffs. Game 2 was able to turn bright to dark in about 22 seconds. It was quite the punch to the gut. But did a loss like that make me want to stop watching? No. Quite the opposite, in fact. After watching game 2, game 3 couldn't come soon enough. I couldn't wait for another opportunity. I would have watched another game that night, if I could. Bring on another gamble. Bring on another rush. Bring on game 3. Game 3LA leads 2-0 Projected Sharks Lineup T.J. Galiardi - Joe Thornton - Brent Burns Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Martin Havlat* Andrew Desjardins - Joe Pavelski - Tommy Wingels James Sheppard - Scott Gomez - Tim Kennedy Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun Matt Irwin - Dan Boyle Brad Stuart - Jason Demers* Antti Niemi Thomas Greiss *If we all close our eyes and wish really hard, maybe both of them will be cleared to play. If one of you doesn't believe hard enough, then just refer back to the lineup for the last game. Projected Kings Lineup Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams Dwight King - Mike Richards - Jeff Carter Dustin Penner - Brad Richardson - Trevor Lewis Jordan Nolan - Colin Fraser - Tyler Toffoli Robyn Regehr - Drew Doughty Rob Scuderi - Slava Voynov Jake Muzzin - Alec Martinez Jonathan Quick Jonathan Bernier With Adam Burish hurt for the series, and Raffi Torres suspended for the series, depth has become an issue for the Sharks. But they might be getting some reinforcements soon. According to Kevin Kurz, Martin Havlat may be very close to returning. From the sounds of things, it wouldn't be surprising to see Havlat skating in warm-ups tonight whether he'll be playing tonight or not. But let's hope he does. Bringing Marty back into the fold gives the team so many more options. And he may provide the spark the team needs to finally put them over the top against this strong Kings team. Prediction: Sharks win 3-2. Goals by Havlat (x2) and Shepard. Meanwhile, 17,562 Sharks fans blow the fucking roof off the Tank. Go Sharks.