SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings were mostly pleased with their first road game of the season. Kopitar scored twice, Dustin Brown and Nick Shore also scored and the Kings beat the San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings were mostly pleased with their first road game of the season.
Kopitar scored twice, Dustin Brown and Nick Shore also scored and the Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Saturday night.
“That’s a good indication of what we want to accomplish and how we want to play,” Kopitar said. “We didn’t score on the power play but we moved the puck around and if we continue to move it like that, we’ll create a lot of opportunities.”
Jonathan Quick stopped 24 of 25 shots to earn the victory for the Kings, who won their road opener for first-year coach John Stevens.
“I thought we created a lot and didn’t give up much,” Stevens said. “That was a scenario for a good start. Johnny again, his leadership was solid. He got out and handled a lot of pucks. He steered pucks away, got whistles. He just was a calming force back there whenever they did get some momentum.”
Mikkel Boedker scored for the Sharks, who have lost their first two home games. Martin Jones, a former Kings goalie, turned back 25 of 29 shots before he was replaced by Aaron Dell with 5:55 left in the second period.
“We really weren’t in the game,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “There were some stretches where we kidded ourselves that we were in the game but we weren’t in the game.”
The teams traded goals in the first 6:14 of the contest. Brown took a pass from Kopitar and flipped a shot off Jones’ left shoulder pads and into the net.
“We’re just trying to get up the ice quicker,” Brown said. “My goal was the result of just transitioning from a turnover deep in our zone and getting up the ice and just attacking the net.”
Boedker redirected a shot by Brenden Dillon in front of the net to get it past Quick. The goal was set up by Jannik Hansen’s steal near the net. Hansen got it out to Dylan DeMelo to start the scoring sequence.
“That was just horrible. You can’t make excuses because that was a very poor effort,” the Sharks’ Logan Couture said. “From the first minute to the 60th minute, from the power play to the penalty kill, that was just garbage hockey from us tonight.”
It was all Los Angeles afterward. Kopitar scored with eight seconds left in the first period after Drew Doughty knocked down a lazy clearing pass and got the puck to Jake Muzzin. Kopitar took the pass and sailed the puck low, beating Jones to the stick side.
“I knew there was not a lot of time left and I saw a little opening,” Kopitar said. “I figured it I’d shoot it and see what happens.”
Kopitar scored again midway through the second period, this time shooting over Jones’ right shoulder and into the net.
The Kings added an own goal, credited to Shore. Jones came out to challenge a shot but was unable to control the puck. Shore got it and sent a slow shot toward the net.
Melker Karlsson tried the clear the puck but sent it into the net instead.
NOTES: Neither team has swept a season series in the rivalry. … Sharks C Joe Thornton has 75 career points against the Kings. … Shore is the only player to record a point in the Kings’ first two games.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
Sharks: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
