Sharks feeling at home on the road in playoff series against the Kings

San Jose Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer graciously credited his predecessor, Todd McLellan, for constructing a potent power play, which was a key asset to the team during the regular season and produced one goal in the Sharks’ 4-3 victory over the Kings on Thursday in the opener of the teams’ first-round playoff series.

The Sharks ranked third in the NHL with a 22.6% efficiency rate during the season, and they connected on one of four chances on Thursday.

“It’s not just this season. This power play has been good for a decade. Todd McLellan and his staff get a ton of credit for that,” DeBoer said Saturday, after the Sharks completed their morning skate in preparation for Game 2 against the Kings on Saturday night at Staples Center.

“I think the fact that you’ve got five or six components there that have been together for five or six years is a great luxury to have. The core of that power play has been working together for five or six years. Really, when our staff came in it was, ‘Let’s not screw this up.’ I think [assistant coach] Steve Spott has done a great job ... but adding some things that I think have helped.”

The Sharks also had an edge over the Kings in the faceoff circle in Game 1, winning 32 of 59 draws (54.2%). Over the 82-game season, the Sharks ranked fifth in the NHL at 50.7%. The Kings ranked 11th during the season by winning 50.5% of their draws.

“I think we’re a good faceoff team. For me, it’s always an indicator of our compete level that night,” DeBoer said. “If we’re good in the faceoff circle, usually our compete level is in a good place. It’s more of an indicator for me than anything.”

The Sharks’ road victory on Thursday was in keeping with their regular-season performances. They earned the most road points in the NHL — 59 — on a record of 28-10-3, but the bad part for them is that they had one of the league’s worst home records, at 18-20-3 for 39 points.

Winning at Staples Center again on Saturday takes on additional importance, then, for a team that hasn’t capitalized on its home-ice advantage at SAP Center in San Jose. The series will shift there for Games 3 and 4, on Monday and Wednesday.

“Every game you play in the playoffs is a big opportunity,” DeBoer said. “We’re going to throw our best game out there. I think we’re ready to play. It would be great if we’re up 2-0, but if we come out 1-1, then we’ll regroup and go again.

“This is about just re-setting after every game and trying to put your best game out there. You’re not going to win every single game, but if we can do that hopefully at the end of the series, we’re standing.”

DeBoer said he planned no lineup changes for Game 2. He also said he was pleased with the Game 1 efforts of three forwards who made their respective playoff debuts on Thursday — Joonas Donskoi, Melker Karlsson, and Chris Tierney.

“They were all good,” he said, “and I know I’m making a little bit light of it. Again, we’ve tried to be business as usual from the regular season so we didn’t make a big deal out of this being the first game of the playoffs, and I think they handled themselves like it was another game.

“Obviously, we know everything’s up another notch, but you wouldn’t know it from those guys. All three of those guys are very consistent players. I don’t think anything was different or anything changed because the playoffs started the other night.”

Follow Helene Elliott on Twitter: @helenenothelen