For the San Jose Sharks, the Los Angeles Kings are like horror movie villains, no matter what gets thrown at them - they just won't die.
The Kings scored early and often on Saturday night, chasing Sharks starter Antti Niemi on their way to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Sharks in Game 5. The series now shifts back to Los Angeles with San Jose leading 3 games to 2, and barely hanging on to what was once a 3-0 series vice-grip.
The puck drops on Game 6 Monday at 10 p.m. ET.
Star performer
Kings goaltender and former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick looked lost in the first two games of this playoff series. He's been impenetrable since, however, and capped off his run of hot puck-stopping with a 30 save shutout on Saturday night.
Quick was calm, quiet, collected and on point all game long. Here's a good example of how he held up when pressed:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
Turning point
The Kings added a third goal just 22 seconds into the second period. Jeff Carter's early second period tally ended Antti Niemi, and put this game out of reach for the home side:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
More troubling for the Sharks was their lack of any sort of response. As the shot attempt chart shows, San Jose managed little in the way of pushback after Carter's second period back-breaker:
[Courtesy extraskater.com]
Highlight reel
Tyler Toffoli's first period wrist shot was so, so pretty:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
Series at a glance
Game 1 Recap: Sharks 6, Kings 3
Game 2 Recap: Sharks 7, Kings 2
Game 3 Recap: Sharks 4, Kings 3 (OT)
Game 4 Recap: Kings 6, Sharks 3
