It took a few tries, but the San Jose Sharks will have a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
The club officially clinched a playoff berth Monday night when the Arizona Coyotes lost to the Calgary Flames, but San Jose also took care of business on its own. The Sharks registered a 5-2 win over in-state rivals the Los Angeles Kings in a hard-fought game that felt a lot like a postseason encounter.
After missing the playoffs last year, and parting ways with head coach Todd McLellan, the Sharks are headed back to the dance for the 11th time in 12 seasons, and 18th time in franchise history.
Monday night's win was only the Sharks' 17th at home. Peter DeBoer's troops have been road warriors all season, their 25 wins away from the SAP Center tying them with the Washington Capitals for most in the NHL.
The win was goaltender Martin Jones' 36th, in a season in which he's proven he's a No. 1 goalie.
Now the hard part: 16 more wins in the postseason.
