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Discuss: Kings dominate Game 5, one win away from Western Conference final

Kings-Sharks

The L.A. Kings are one win away from a berth in the Western Conference final.

The Kings, defending Stanley Cup champions, were by far the better team in a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal. The Kings now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.

Here are some talking points.


  • Every game in this series has been won by the home team. So, Game 6 is in San Jose. Either the Kings buck the trend, or there’s a Game 7.
  • Speaking of home ice advantage: the last time the Kings lost a playoff game at home was Game 4 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. That’s seven straight post-season victories on home ice for L.A.
  • Anze Kopitar scored the game winner. It was also just his second goal in the last 27 games. Quality over quantity, at least in this case.
  • Jason Demers returned to the Sharks lineup, playing his first game since April 18. His excitement may have got the best of him. He was called for boarding after running Kings’ defenseman Robyn Regehr into the boards. We would’ve also accepted charging as a call.
  • Jonathan Quick now has three shutouts in these playoffs. Returning to Conn Smythe form. Oh, and he also passed Kelly Hrudey for most playoff wins in franchise history with 27.
  • Sharks couldn’t generate much offensively. Eleven shots through two periods, 24 in total. Quick didn’t have to do anything extraordinary in this one, say for the stop on Joe Pavelski with 40 seconds remaining in the third period.