We theorized in our preview that this one could be high scoring, and seven goals is probably about right for these two teams.
However, on Thursday night the Kings ended up on the wrong side of the 4-3 score in the series opener against the San Jose Sharks.
It was a game which we saw the Kings fail at several key elements of the game, something they are not used to very often. Los Angeles lost the corsi/fenwick battle, they gave San Jose a total of four powerplay opportunities (Another key in which we mentioned), lost the faceoff battle 54-46, and (for what it is worth in the NHL.com statkeeping) had 20 giveaways to San Jose's eight.
Alec Martinez, who was a game day decision seemed to struggle on the evening, coming up as the worst possession defenseman on the Kings. He also did not take a shift in the third period and logged a total of 11:43 time on ice. Is Martinez still injured? Or did he have a poor game?
The update via Jon Rosen on LA Kings Insider on Martinez?
“He didn’t play in the third period,” Sutter said when responding to a question about Martinez’s absence. “He didn’t play most of the second period, either.” There were no other updates after the game.
As always, this time of year you are not going to get much from coaches in terms of player health statuses.
The pairing of Scuderi and Martinez, which barely played together during the regular season, were run aground in the first two periods by the Sharks bottom line forwards. It is not often you see Alec Martinez beat handily on the outside like this
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The question remains, is Martinez 100%?
In particular, the Sharks line of Matt Nieto, Nick Spaling, and Melker Karlsson had a strong overall performance.
Elsewhere in terms of matchups, which is something we were looking at in the series preview, the top line of the Kings drew to evens with the top line of the Sharks. Special teams also drew to evens, with each team scoring one.
While there were positives in the game, this is still a worrying way for the Kings to lose Game 1 given the way they finished the year. While it is only one game in the series, and anything can happen, the Sharks powerplay was incredibly threatening, the Kings bottom pair/and middle two lines were definitely outplayed, and they gave up a number of quality chances in front of Quick.
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The ultimate momentum swing on the game may have been at the end of second period, when San Jose's Tomas Hertl tied the game back up after a great Trevor Lewis shorthanded goal.
While this goal wasn't a powerplay goal, it came right as the powerplay expired, and the Kings scrambling in ugly fashion to cover a net front opportunity.
If the series continues to trend like this it could be very coin flippish from here on out. However, that was almost expected going in. While the Kings have an edge in a lot of categories, it is not by much. If the overpowering Sharks top line continues to produce and possess the puck against the Kings, with the secondary scorers also chipping in, this will be one nasty nasty series to handle. The Sharks got what they needed in Game 1, three of their four lines contributing in a positive way. This should be a game the Sharks walk away from very happy. They played a strong game overall, got big numbers from their captain and key players, got strong play from their second line, and did an excellent job managing the game.
For the Kings, the positives remain the top line, and the play of the Brayden McNabb/Drew Doughty pair. On the evening they were strong, and got the most difficult matchups and minutes of the Kings players. The rest of the Kings lineup needs to be sorted out by Game 2 or Game 3 though, otherwise this could go back to San Jose with a lot on the line. If you were a Kings fan with a lot of worries coming into this series, Game 1 did not relax any of those questions/concerns. The second half play of Jeff Carter continues to be enigmatic, while the defense remains a question mark. The health of Alec Martinez and the play of Schenn and Scuderi could shape how this series goes. Also, how effective can the Kings third and fourth lines be against a Sharks bottom six that looked to have an extra bite last night?
It is one game, obviously, and no one should be yelling that the sky is falling. However, that game was much more of the second half/last 10 games LA Kings, than the dominant possession powerhouse many fans were used to seeing throughout most of the year. Game 2 is Saturday night, and the Kings best be geared up for another high intensity game. From a neutral standpoint, you are going to see some entertainment. That is for sure. For Kings fans that one will be nail-biting.
More breakdown of the Kings/Sharks series to come later on. Game 1 is in the books.
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