LA Kings: Three things you must know ahead of matchup with Sharks
By Ryan Sikes
The LA Kings and Sharks will renew their rivalry for a two-game set. Here are three things to know ahead of Tuesday’s series opener.
Entering Tuesday’s matchup with the San Jose Sharks, the LA Kings are riding a three-game losing streak and have yet to win in the month of February. The Sharks have lost three of their last four and had a couple of games postponed with the Golden Knights due to COVID cases within the Knight’s organization.
The Sharks lost a big staple in their organization when Joe Thornton signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending a 15-year run with the club. Other notable offseason moves included the acquisition of goalie Devan Dubnyk and forward Ryan Donato. The club also signed two veterans in Matt Nieto and Patrick Marleau. The latter was traded to the Penguins last season but decided to return home for his 21st second with San Jose.
Both the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks are bottom feeders in the West Division, and on paper, these two clubs are evenly matched. The Kings enter Tuesday night’s matchup with a -139 money line, per our friends at the Action Network.
Here’s how these two teams match up on paper.
The Sharks lead the all-time series 96-79-7 and have won the last 8-of-12 in this series, including a surprising 7-4 record at Staples Center in the last three seasons. Patrick Marleau had a season-high four points (two goals, two assists) and a +5 rating against the LA Kings last season.
Here are three things you should be aware of heading into the matchup.