2 studs, 1 dud from the LA Kings resilient win vs. San Jose

Yesterday was ugly, but the Los Angeles Kings (5-3-3) came out of a matchup against the San Jose Sharks (2-6-2) with two points and another win in the standings in the Pacific Division on Tuesday night (Oct. 28). The Kings reeled in nine out of a possible 10 points on this five-game Western Conference road trip this past week in late October.

Brandt Clarke notches his first game-winning goal of the season for the Los Angeles Kings to beat the San Jose Sharks

Jim Hiller and the Kings couldn't be much happier with the way this road trip went in terms of the success in the win column and the boost in the standings in the Western Conference this week. The Kings went 4-0-1 in a very successful early-season five-game road trip this past week.

This win for the Kings against the Sharks didn't come easy. The Kings had to battle in the third period to reclaim a one-goal lead on the scoreboard, while Darcy Kuemper gave the team a chance to still win the game in the crease.

The Kings jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the middle frame in the second period. But the Sharks scored three straight goals late in the second period and early in the final frame to tie the game up at 3-3.

Brandt Clarke scored the eventual game-winning goal for the Kings on a nice shot from the circle on the outside late in the third period last night.

Here are two studs, and one dud, following the Kings' hard-fought 4-3 win over the Sharks on the road on Oct. 28.

Stud: Brandt Clarke, D

I thought this was the best game Clarke has played for the Kings' defensive group this season in the win over the Sharks in San Jose. Clarke took advantage of a huge opportunity to give the Kings the boost the team needed in clutch time late in the third period.

Clarke sniped a shot past Yaroslav Askarov in net to help the Kings reclaim the lead late in the third period, and ultimately lift the team to a win against a division foe and an in-state rival on the road yesterday.

In the past three games, Clarke has been productive in the offensive zone from the blue line for the Kings. He's riding a three-game point streak. And he has multiple points in two of the past three games for the Kings in the West on this road trip.

"What I really liked about it was, he came up the wide side, Juice delayed just a little bit, Clarkie read the ice, took the ice, and got himself available and those are the moments that he has to go. He’s got the green light, he just has to make the read and he saw the opportunity, he went and probably surprised us all a little bit with that shot. That’s not normally what he’s known for, the shot, but that was just an unbelievable shot."

Jim Hiller on Brandt Clarke

Not only did Clarke score the game-winning goal in the third period in clutch time for the Kings yesterday against the Sharks, but he also registered the primary assist on Corey Perry's goal in the first period.