LOS ANGELES _ The San Jose Sharks got away with slow starts or a lack of energy in some other games in December and still found a way to come alive at the right time and puck up two points.
Saturday was a different story.
The Sharks found their legs a tad too late, as third period goals by Brent Burns and Kevin Labanc weren't enough in what ended up as a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center.
Burns scored on the power play just 12 seconds into the third period to cut the Kings' lead to 2-1, and after Jeff Carter scored at the 3:57 mark to restore Los Angeles' two-goal lead, Labanc scored with 6:03 to play to again give the Sharks some life.
But the Sharks weren't able to beat Kings goalie Peter Budaj a third time as their four-game win streak was snapped. The Sharks finished with 20 shots, matching their season low from games against Tampa Bay on Nov. 12 and Carolina on Dec. 10.
The Sharks had just six shots in each of the first two periods as the Kings controlled play and looked every bit like the desperate team that coach Pete DeBoer thought they would be after three straight losses.
The Kings were 0-2-1 in their last three games with four goals, as they entered Saturday one point out of the Western Conferences' second wild card spot and nine points back of the Pacific Division-leading Sharks.
"They're still one of the best possession teams in the league, they're still one of the biggest, hardest teams in the league," DeBoer said of the Kings on Saturday afternoon.
"We know there's no easy nights in here and they're desperate. Their record lately isn't where they want it and they've talked about that. We're going to see a desperate team here tonight."
The Sharks fell behind just 4:17 into the game.
Tanner Pearson picked up a loose puck inside the Sharks' zone that had squirted toward the middle of the ice. His shot from between the circles might have glanced off Justin Braun before it got past Jones for a 1-0 Kings lead.
With Burns in the penalty box for tripping early in the second period, Drew Doughty's slap shot got past a screened Jones for a 2-0 Los Angeles lead .
The Sharks had beaten the Kings in nine of 12 meetings, including playoffs, since the start of the 2015-16 season.
One of the few pieces of good news the Sharks had on Saturday was that it appeared the facial injury Marc-Edouard Vlasic suffered Friday would not keep him out of the lineup long term.
DeBoer said before Saturday's game that Vlasic was "day-to-day" after the 29-year-old defenseman caught a puck to the area above his upper lip and his nose.
With less than a minute left in Friday's game against Philadelphia, a slap shot from Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostsibehere appeared to deflect off Joel Ward's stick before it came up into Vlasic's face. Vlasic immediately fell to the ice with players from both teams motioning for the Sharks to bring their trainer onto the ice.
DeBoer said Saturday afternoon that the last report he received indicated that Vlasic, while suffering a sizable gash, did not lose any teeth and would not need oral surgery.
"It looked really scary, and it even sounded scary on the ice," DeBoer said. "You knew as soon as it hit him it could have been really bad. Today, I think we're optimistic that he was fortunate that it wasn't closer to his eye or there wasn't more damage done."
Saturday, Vlasic's spot in the lineup was taken by Dylan DeMelo, who had a goal and an assist in nine games this season. DeMelo played alongside Brenden Dillon on the Sharks' third defense pair, and David Schlemko was slotted beside Justin Braun.
DeMelo has played seven games this month, including three straight for the Sharks in wins over Calgary, Edmonton and Anaheim as he took the lineup spot of a healthy Schlemko.
"Just happy to play, really," DeMelo said. "Every game I'm playing, just keep on getting more comfortable and hopefully can string some games together and stay in the lineup. Hopefully (Vlasic) isn't out too long, though."
