Brent Burns has all the makings of a star, and probably would be one anywhere else. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

By Allan Muir

It might have been the most impressive period yet of these 2013 playoffs. Led by their captain, Joe Thornton, the San Jose Sharks pinned the Los Angeles Kings in their own zone virtually from the opening face-off, outshooting the champs 15-3 and dominating in every facet of the game. If not for the heroics of Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick, this one might have been a rout.

But at the end of 20 minutes, the Sharks had mustered just a one-goal lead on Brent Burns’ second tally of the postseason. And that set up a white-knuckle ride for the fans at HP Pavilion who watched as a furious rally by the Kings fell just short, allowing San Jose to escape with a 2-1 win. The series is headed back to L.A. tied up at two games each.

If the storyline sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this one before. For the third game in a row, the Sharks dominated the first period, swapped chances in the second, and then held on for dear life as the Kings fought back with everything they had in the third. The formula has worked twice now for the underdogs, but it’s going to take more than a 20-minute effort to eliminate the champs.

Some thoughts and observations from tonight’s contest:

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Logan Couture scored the winning goal in OT to cut the Kings’ series lead to 2-1. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

Two nights ago, the Los Angeles Kings scored twice when given a late five-on-three advantage to beat the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of their series.

Tonight, the Sharks were handed the same two-man advantage, and in overtime, no less. The Kings killed off the first penalty, but Logan Couture made them pay for the second, scoring the clincher 1:29 into the extra frame to earn San Jose a 2-1 win in Game 3.

The win cuts Los Angeles’ series lead to 2-1, and gives the Sharks new life with Game 4 coming up Tuesday night in San Jose.

Here are some observations from Saturday night’s thriller:

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The Kings scored two goals within 22 seconds to take Game 2 and secure a 2-0 series lead. (Evan Gole/Getty)

If we’ve learned anything from watching hockey this week, it’s this: No lead is safe in the 2013 NHL playoffs.

Three days after the Boston Bruins pulled off a miraculous three-goal Game 7 comeback against the Maple Leafs, the defending champion Los Angeles Kings worked some last-minute magic of their own, scoring two power play goals 22 seconds apart to earn a stunning 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.

It’s fair to wonder after this one if the Sharks can recover. The visitors were on the verge of evening up the series, riding three unanswered goals to a 3-2 lead when the thrill ride began. Energetic rookie Tyler Toffoli was hauled down by San Jose’s Brad Stuart while driving the net, drawing a penalty at 17:19 of the third. Seconds later, Marc-Edouard Vlasic joined him in the box after clearing the puck into the crowd, putting the Kings on a five-on-three. And just like that, it was over. Dustin Brown pounced on a rebound of a Mike Richards shot and shoveled it behind Antti Niemi to tie the score. On the next shift, Trevor Lewis drove the net and buried another rebound, this one off a Toffoli shot, to seal the win with just 1:21 remaining.

For Los Angeles, this was a statement game. There’s more than one way the Kings can win.

As for the Sharks? They made a statement, too, only it was less flattering. They were the better team for much of the night. They scored three on Jonathan Quick. But in the end, they let the Kings take it away from them.

And their chance at winning the series may have gone with it.

Here are some more observations from Game 2:

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Jonathan Quick was stellar for the Kings, but was aided by the defense in front of him. (Chris Williams/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

It’s safe to assume that Jonathan Quick will be called upon to steal a game or two if the Los Angeles Kings hope to hold onto their title as Stanley Cup champs. But don’t be fooled by Tuesday’s 35-save performance: The series-opening 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks was not one of those stolen wins.

That’s not to diminish Quick’s efforts as much as it is to give credit where it’s due.

While Quick was a model of poise and efficiency, stopping everything he faced with a minimum of motion, his teammates’ efforts made it all look so easy. For all the time of possession, for all the opportunities the Sharks had to let fly, the Kings never allowed them what they really needed: control of the puck in the middle of the ice or on Quick’s doorstep. Held to the outside all night, San Jose racked up shots but few real scoring chances.

Rebounds? Deflections? Not a chance. If a puck eluded Quick’s control off the original shot, it was quickly swept into a corner or up and out of the zone by a someone in a black sweater.

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Sharks defenseman Brent Burns, now a forward, had great success against the Kings this season. (Ben Margot/AP)

By Allan Muir

Snapshot

The Sharks barely broke a sweat in sweeping the Canucks in the first round, while the Kings outslugged the Blues in a grueling and physical six-game series that left L.A. battered and bruised. San Jose comes into this meeting with fresher legs and three lines, anchored by Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski, that are capable of carrying the offense on any given night. Los Angeles had to peck and scratch for goals against St. Louis, but the Kings have gotten their defensive swagger back. The defending champs look like a very tough out.

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Jonathan Quick made 21 saves in Game 6, and was tremendous for the Kings. (Noah Graham/Getty Images)

By Adrian Dater 

I wasn’t the only one who asked the question after this year’s NHL trade deadline. Yeah, the St. Louis Blues did well to boost their defense with the acquisitions of veterans Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold, but what about the offense? Did the team’s management really think it had enough in that department for a long playoff run?

If it did, the front office had to be thinking differently while watching the Blues pass through the handshake line after their 2-1 loss on Friday night.

The Blues never needed as much help on their back end as they did up front, and management’s failure to realize it played a significant role in the team’s frustrating six-game, first-round exit at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings.

After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead against a team that many (hand raised here) thought looked too hungover to repeat as champs, the Blues’ inability to generate goals (they scored a total of 10 in the six games) proved fatal, especially with Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick rounding into his Conn Smythe form after gift-wrapping two wins in St. Louis.

Some thoughts and observations from Game 6:

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The largely unheralded Slava Voynov has now notched two game-winning goals in the series. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

By Allan Muir

This was the one that got away.

Not that the St. Louis Blues really deserved to win Game 5 Wednesday night. If anything, the Los Angeles Kings played better in a contest in which they never trailed while the Blues struggled–again–to cash in on enough of their premium scoring chances to get the job done. But by coming back from a goal down not once but twice — including a last-minute game-saver by Alex Pietrangelo that sent it to overtime — it just felt like maybe this was the one that was destined to fall the way of a team that always seems to come up short this time of year.

And then Slava Voynov, who already had one game-winner in the series, ended those hopes with a wicked wrister in OT, giving the Kings a 3-2 win and a 3-2 series lead.

The Blues once led the Kings 2-0 in this series, but failed to put the champs on their backs by losing a pair of very winnable games in Los Angeles. Now, after letting this one get away from them, they face the daunting task of winning at the Staples Center, where they’ve lost seven straight, just to force a Game 7.

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If Anze Kopitar builds on Monday’s goal and raises his game, the Kings might recover. (Chris Williams/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

It wasn’t long into Game 4 before the Los Angeles Kings felt the boots of the St. Louis Blues pressing down hard on their throats. After allowing two goals in the first five minutes, the defending champs faced the likelihood of a 3-1 series deficit and a return to the road, where they have lost eight straight.

But it turned out that adversity suited them. With nearly a full game to play, they found another gear and took the game to a level that the Blues couldn’t match. And for the first time in the series, L.A.’s offense finally got on track, powering two comebacks in a thrilling 4-3 win that sends the series back to St. Louis knotted at two games apiece.

Here are some quick observations from the series-tying win for the Kings:

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Kings goalie Jonathan Quick redeemed himself after two sloppy outings vs. the Blues. (Chris Williams/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

No doubt that Jonathan Quick’s teammates appreciated him stepping up to take the blame after his miscues led to the winning goals by the St. Louis Blues in the first two games of their series. But all the Los Angeles Kings really needed from him was one of those gritty, never-say-die performances that were a staple of the team’s run to the 2012 Stanley Cup.

Quick came through with a gem on Saturday night, stopping 30 shots to earn his fifth career postseason shutout as the Kings snatched a 1-0 win a trimmed the Blues’ series lead to 2-1.

Here are some observations from Game 3:

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Goalie Jonathan Quick made a key mistake in the Kings’ Game 2 loss to the Blues. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

At a glance, the play of Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick over the first two games of this series against the St. Louis Blues has lived up to the legacy of his Conn Smythe run.

After a 40-save performance Tuesday night’s opener, he was at it again in Game 2. He made sliding saves, kick saves, glove saves and flopped around, Hasek-style, doing everything he could to keep the Kings in it.

But for the second game in a row, it was Quick who let his mates down at the worst possible moment. And now the Kings find themselves in a 2-0 hole after a crushing 2-1 loss in Game 2.

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