April 21--A few more takeaways before the Kings prepare for an elimination Game 5 on Friday in Los Angeles. The Sharks lead the best-of-seven series, three games to one.
The Kings' best players need to step it up
So far, the Sharks' Big Three -- Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Brent Burns -- have been the dominant offensive forces in the series, while the players the Kings rely on to score -- most notably Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter -- have been mostly silent.
At their best, the Kings don't need a lot of goals to win games, especially in the playoffs, but they cannot continue to rely on the likes of defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Trevor Lewis if they plan to advance. "Our goal is to go back and establish our game and just start playing a lot better -- and be a little tougher on their top guys," said Kings forward Dwight King. "They're obviously making a difference now -- and we've got to find a way to neutralize them."
Discipline needs to be sharper
Carter was guilty of taking an unnecessary roughing penalty early that led to the first Sharks' goal in Game 4. Unusually, Carter let his temper get the better of him. Against a power play as strong as San Jose's, that's a major no-no. San Jose was a sharp three-for-four with the man advantage, the difference in the outcome.
Importance of the Jones impact
King Coach Darryl Sutter was discounting history when asked if the Kings' ability to come from behind against the Sharks would have any bearing on the outcome of Friday's fifth game. No, replied Sutter defiantly, for two reasons. One, the Kings are only down 3-1 in the series (two years ago, the deficit started at 3-0).
Secondly, these are far different teams from 2014, when the Kings won four elimination games in a row against the Sharks. One of the biggest changes is the Sharks' goaltending, which is in the hands of the Kings' former backup, Martin Jones. Jones exudes a certain calmness -- his resting heart rate must be off-the-charts low.
He doesn't seem to get flustered, even in moments when the Kings are making contact with him. His calm has steadied the Sharks from the back end.
