Sharks force Game 7 with 2-1 win over Kings

FINAL - Sharks 2, Kings 1

THIRD PERIOD

Kopitar takes a screened shot with a teammate in front of the net, but a Sharks defenseman knocks the shot away.

Timeout San Jose, 2:35 to go, Sharks lead 2-1.

The Kings move the puck toward Niemi, Sharks defenders stay strong, less than two minutes remaining.

The Kings’ Scuderi, Richards and Voynov take dangerous shots, none past Niemi.

Just 1:12 left. The Kings empty their net.

The Kings can’t get a great shot at Niemi, the seconds dwindle.

Game over, Sharks win, 2-1. Best of seven series tied 3-3.

Game 7 is Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Check in throughout the night/morning for full coverage.

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Burns tries a blue-line shot at Quick, no chance.

The Sharks are definitely prioritizing defense in this final period and Coach Todd McLellan has preached the importance of rotating lines quickly to keep legs fresh.

Galiardi gets in a shot that Quick deflects.

A dump-in pass shot by Williams bounces in front of Niemi at the goal, but the goalie still grabs it.

Quick impressively stops Marleau on a breakaway following a face-off, now 4:41 left in regulation.

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The Sharks have a 4-1 shot advantage this period.

Burns tries a shot that Quick kicks out.

The Sharks’ Boyle got hit in the chin with a puck and left the ice after 16:41 of ice time.

Mike Richards and Robyn Regehr take shots that can’t evade Niemi.

Less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation, still a 2-1 Sharks lead.

A Voynov shot is gloved by Niemi.

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Dwight King takes a shot that Niemi grabs.

San Jose’s Bracken Kearns takes a better shot at Quick that is denied.

Brad Stuart of the Sharks fires from near the blue line, can’t get it past Quick. More Sharks pressure can’t penetrate, and Quick grabs a Couture shot after Quick was knocked down by Couture.

Less than 15 minutes remain in regulation.

SECOND PERIOD

Now Dustin Penner and Jeff Carter pressure Niemi. No goal, though.

The Kings’ revived energy is noticeable. They’d love to steal this from behind and get some rest with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings still playing.

Brent Burns of the Sharks tries a wraparound on Quick but is denied. A second icing by the Kings’ line, and Sutter calls a timeout to address the fatigue with 3:25 remaining.

San Jose’s Thornton fires a shot wide right. Doughty knocks down a Burns shot.

Two Slava Voynov shots for the Kings blocked by defensemen.

Penner passes from behind the net, Galiardi slaps it away with the dangerous Carter close by.

Doughty tries to follow a shot that bounced off Niemi, but it can’t get past the goalie.

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Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said despite the penalties, he’s pleased with the team’s penalty killing efforts.

The Kings score on a pass centered by Dustin Brown, that caroms off a Shark with 6:07 left in the second.

It’s 2-1 Sharks, the key being Matt Greene moving the puck up ice for the Kings.

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The goal that made it 2-0 Sharks was TJ Galiardi’s first career playoff goal.

San Jose gets a steal, but Gomez’s shot, with just more than 13 minutes left in the period, is denied.

Niemi saves a shot. Another faceoff is won by San Jose, but a high-sticking penalty is called on the Kings’ Justin Williams.

That’s a four-minute double-minor with San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic cut on the lip due to the episode.

The Kings’ penalty killing unit is performing well, as the first two minutes have evaporated without a Sharks’ goal. Defenseman Dan Boyle blasts a shot that can’t beat Quick. Another minute off the power play, but off the game clock, too.

The best save of all during the successful four-minute kill was by Quick on Tommy Wingels with 11 secponds left in the advantage. Even strength again.

Niemi falls on the puck with less than seven minutes remaining.

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The Sharks didn’t get a shot off in the final 13 minutes of the first period, and trail total shots, 9-8, after one.

More than 2:30 into the second before San Jose’s Adam Burish finally takes a shot.

The Kings’ Trevor Lewis is near Niemi, but can’t poke a shot past him.

San Jose pressures Quick, he’s up to the challenge.

Then, TJ Galiardi uses a screen to fire a wrist shot past Quick with 15:50 left. It’s 2-0 Sharks.

FIRST PERIOD

Sharks Coach Todd McLellan tells NBC Sports his team is not tight, playing “much better” than in Game 5.

The Kings defense swarms Thornton as he tries to weave in for a shot.

The Kings’ Dwight King just missed a goal, hitting the post for a second time behind Niemi after the goalie saved a Brown shot with his right leg. There is a penalty on San Jose, hooking on defenseman Scott Gomez with 6:48 remaining.

Patrick Marleau of the Sharks sweeps the puck to the opposite end.

Kopitar struggles to find a shot or make a pass. A hard slapshot by Doughty at Niemi misses. Kopitar hits the post, a third such incident for the visitors.

The power play is dead, but Justin Williams of the Kings had a good chance stopped by San Jose’s Boyle.

Marleau rushed down ice to threaten Quick, but no goal.

Clifford had a great chance up close at the crease stopped by Niemi. Kings definitely not waving white flag with the security of Game 7 out there.

Brown knocked down by Gomez, no penalty.

The Sharks have won 11 of 13 faceoffs. Shots even 8-8.

Colin Fraser of the Kings had a good look at Niemi, puck stopped. No follow.

No shots in late-going.

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Before the second power-play ends, Sharks center James Sheppard Tommy Wingels puts a strong shot on Quick. It’s stopped.

The Kings’ Kyle Clifford sneaks a shot on goal, but it pales in comparison to the power-play-boosted pressure San Jose is getting on Quick.

Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan is cut above the left eyebrow due to contact with a stick.

A penalty is called on San Jose’s Dan Boyle for shoving Dustin Brown in the back near the boards, a high-sticking whistle with just less than 12 minutes left in the first.

The Kings are 4 for 15 on the power play this series.

Jake Muzzin of the Kings had a quality shot denied. Again. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty follows with a shot that hit a post.

Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis pressure Niemi, but can’t score. Brown tries again, Niemi stops it as the power play expires much to the home crowd’s delight.

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San Jose’s defenseman Justin Braun is down, holding his back during a delay and very slow to walk off with assistance. The Kings’ captain Dustin Brown has also previously left the ice with an unknown injury.

The Kings are penalized again after Mike Richards committed hooking, knocking first-line wing Brent Burns to the ice with just more than 15 minutes left in the first.

The Kings are now up against it, a 5-on-3 opportunity after Kopitar committed a delay penalty flipping the puck out of play with 15:02 left. The two-man advantage could last 1:46.

After shots by Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton and Couture, Thornton scores his first goal of the series, to Quick’s left after the goalie vacated the area to tend to his right. There’s 13:46 left now, it’s 1-0 Sharks.

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Another battle of goalies seems apparent, given that the Kings’ Jonathan Quick has given up just seven goals in the five prior games and San Jose’s Antti Niemi has a 1.95 goals-against average in the postseason.

Quick’s GAA is even better: 1.50.

The Kings’ Kyle Clifford is hit with as charging penalty, knocking down Logan Couture just 1:14 into the game.

Couture had previously taken a good shot at Quick, the Kings’ Anze Kopitar returning the favor at Niemi seconds later.

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The Kings attempt to move on to the NHL Western Conference final tonight when they visit the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion.

The defending Stanley Cup champions will likely need continued strong play from goaltender Jonathan Quick, who was in net for Game 5’s 3-0 victory at Staples Center and Jeff Carter, who has eight points (five goals) in the postseason and has lifted a strong penalty killing unit.

Quick’s goals-against average is 1.40, with two shutouts in the series.

Earlier today, The Times’ Helene Elliott reported the Sharks, who won Games 3 and 4 at home, could lean on Sharks winger Adam Burish, who was asked if he expected to return to the lineup for the first time since he broke a hand on May 7.

“The plan is I’m going to play,” Burish said, “unless something changes. Unless I eat some bad chicken, I’ll be good to go.”

Elliott reported: Presumably he had something other than poultry for his pregame meal.

Burish scored even bigger points when a reporter tried to ask about Burish’s style and suggested that the broken hand wouldn’t be a huge factor because he’s not a finesse player. The question was awkwardly phrased, but Burish gamely stepped in to respond.

“I’ll say it: My hands aren’t the most important part of my game. I’m realistic about that,” said Burish, who won the Stanley Cup in 2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“To me, playoffs -- and especially a game like this -- it’s about attitude, and that’s what it comes down to, whether it’s an attitude on winning a faceoff, killing a penalty, scoring a goal. You can’t just go out there and play, just kind of waiting and seeing what happens. You have to have an attitude. You have to have the determination. When we play like that, everybody has seen how this team can play. When it’s not there, it’s not as good.

“But we’ll come with an attitude. That’s how I’m going to play. My hands aren’t going to make a difference tonight. It will be an attitude.”

If necessary, Game 7 is Tuesday night at Staples Center.

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