The San Jose Sharks held on in a must win game to edge the Kings 2-1 in game six of the series continuing the trend that has seen the home team win every game.
It was a game that had little surprises with the Sharks receiving a goal from Thornton on the power play and T.J Galiardi scored his first ever Stanley Cup playoff goal which ended up being the game winner.
It was a due or die game for San Jose Sunday night and they were a confident group playing in the confines of the HP Pavilion. And why shouldn’t they be considering the home team has won 14 of the last 15 meetings between these organizations and all the games in this series.
“It’s followed the script, the home team wins back and forth it’s time for us to get there and try and change the story” was how Todd McLellan responded when asked about winning in LA.
“Obviously we are going to have to play better than we did last time in that building. They earned the right for home ice it’s our job to take it away from them.”
Regardless of the team’s records anything can happen in the playoffs which is why the home crowd appeared nervous especially in the first period where the Sharks held on to a one goal lead, but the Kings had their chances to bulge the twine hitting three posts.
“It’s ugly hockey, that’s what it takes (to win) this time of year” said Dan Boyle after the game.
The Kings put the petal down after Dustin Brown scored from a bad angle in the second period with just over six minutes left. They threatened to score on numerous occasions, but they were unable to carry the momentum over to the final frame.
The Sharks deserve a lot of credit for neutralizing the Kings attack in the last twenty and really shutting them down letting only eight shots on net with the first quality scoring chance coming in the final minutes when the Kings goalie was pulled.
“I thought we played a solid third period” commented coach McLellan after the game.
“We took some of their strengths away from them.”
Once again the Shark’s defense was the difference in game six only letting one goal in, which has been the case in all three Sharks victories; in fact all three games at the Tank have finished with a 2-1 score.
The Sharks opened the scoring with a two man advantage that almost didn’t seem fair to the Kings because the way San Jose’s top five were moving the puck it was inevitable they were going to score.
The second goal came from Galiardi and even though he plays on the top line he is still considered a depth player and the Sharks need some output from players not named Couture, Pavelski, Thornton, Marleau, or Boyle.
The turning point in this game was the way San Jose didn’t allow the momentum created from Brown’s goal to carry over into the third period. That was a pleasant surprise, but the guys on the ice did a good job of taking time and space away and it looked as though they were playing to win instead of playing to lose.
Contenders & Pretenders
Contenders
T.J Galiardi – scored the game winner and what a goal it was. He sniped one the way a fifty goal scorer does and looked as though he does it all the time.
Joe Thornton – not only scored a goal, but he was solid in all aspects of the game. Jumbo makes the list for playing the way the captain should.
Antti Niemi – makes the list for once again playing the role of quiet leader back there and getting the job done when his team needed it, he also earned an assist on the game winning goal.
Slava Voynov – was great for the Kings Sunday night taking away scoring chances and doing an admirable job against the big guys Joe Thornton and Brent Burns.
Pretenders
Dustin Brown – is on the list for drawing the diving similarity from soccer to hockey. Brown drew a minor on Dan Boyle and he was half way down on the ice before Boyle love tapped him. Brown fell a notch in my eyes on that one.
The Sharks second power play – unit have to step up and take some initiative. They played like they are scared of the puck.
If the Sharks are going to win game seven they are going to need somebody other than the stars to step up and make a difference in the game.
Game seven will be held Tuesday night at 6 pm at the Staples center in LA.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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