The San Jose Sharks will be on the hunt at Staples Center in Los Angeles tonight, as they will try to dethrone the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings in a deciding Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. The puck drops at 9:00 p.m., and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Network as well as live streamed here for free. Sharks fans can listen to the game at KFOX 102.1 while Kings fans can tune in to 1220 KHTS for their listening pleasure.
The Sharks and the Kings have played right up to their regular season profiles in this hotly contested second round series. Both teams entered the Western semis with sparkling home records; through six games the home team has yet to lose. That portends a poor outcome for the Sharks, who will be looking to buck a well-entrenched trend.
The home ice advantage will not make the Kings complacent, however. The Kings won the Stanley Cup as an eighth seed just a season ago, so they are familiar with scrappy road foes. Kings center Anze Kopitar had this to say when asked if he thinks the home ice will be a determining factor: "I guess the odds are on our side, but we know anything can happen. Everyone wants to win these types of games, and you want to be the hero."
The Sharks have won three of the last four games in the series, all by a score of 2-1. Sharks veteran center Scott Gomez has tons of playoff experience, and has won big games both at home and on the road. "The main thing is that you can't change your game," Gomez said. "Do what got you here. Obviously, emotions are going to be running high. Family, friends, everyone -- all eyes are on it. The team that can control (emotions) the most, and it sounds easier than it is, usually that's the team that has success."
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