The Los Angeles Kings will continue their defense of the 2012 Stanley Cup tonight at 10:00 p.m. when the puck drops at the Staples Center for Game 1 of the Kings' second round matchup with the San Jose Sharks on NBC Sports Network, which can be live streamed here for free. Kings fans can listen to the action at KHTS AM 1220, while Sharks supporters should tune in to KFOX 102.1 FM.
The fifth-seeded Los Angeles Kings should count their blessings that the Sharks were able to upend the Vancouver Canucks in the first round; that is not meant as a slight toward the Sharks, rather, the Kings were an exceptionally good home team in 2013, and this matchup gives them home ice. The defending champs were 19-4-1 at home, and just 8-12-4 on the road. Their goaltending and defense have been stellar through one round, averaging 1.67 goals against per night.
They might need to up their scoring from the current playoff rate, two goals per game, in order to top the Sharks no matter what the home record says. The Sharks are netting 3.75 goals per game in the postseason, while allowing just slightly more scoring than the Kings.
The Sharks home and road splits are a near-mirror image to the Kings'; the Sharks were 17-2-5 at home as opposed to 8-14-2 on the road. Any road wins in this series will likely be momentum swinging occasions.
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said he thinks that the Sharks present a different challenge than Los Angeles' previous opponent, the St. Louis Blues. "I don't know if it will be as physical," Doughty said. "They have some guys that will be physical, but I don't think they have as many guys that will work as hard as guys that were on St. Louis. At the same time, I think this team has a lot more skill and a lot more high-profile players, so it will be just as tough to win this series, too."
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