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Karlsson facing suspension as Sharks lose to Kings in OT

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Ilya Kovalchuk shined in his return from ankle surgery as he scored two goals, including the game-winner in OT, to give the Kings a win against the Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks rallied to force overtime with a pair of third period goals on Saturday afternoon but still end up falling to the Los Angeles Kings by a 3-2 margin.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored a pair of goals in the win for the Kings, including the overtime winner just 2:29 into the extra period. This was Kovalchuk’s first game since Nov. 29 and snapped what had been an 11-game point drought before he was sidelined. It was his first multi-goal game in the NHL since March 9, 2013.

With the overtime loss the Sharks have now earned at least one point in eight of their past 10 games, collecting 15 out of a possible 20 points during that stretch to maintain a top-three spot in the Pacific Division. So that’s the good news.

The bad news, aside from failing to get the extra point on Saturday, is that defenseman Erik Karlsson could be facing some discipline from the NHL for a hit to the head on Kings forward Austin Wagner in the second period.

There was no penalty called on the play. Wagner exited the game and did not return.

It is pretty clear that there was head contact there, but this seems like one of those players that is going to get an extra long look from the Department of Player Safety to determine whether or not that the head was the main point of contact and if it was targeted.

Overall it was an extremely eventful game for Karlsson as he played more than 27 minutes, recorded two assists, and attempted 14 shots. He also may have earned himself a suspension.

The Kings, meanwhile, have won consecutive games for just the third time this season and have a chance for their first three game winning streak of the season when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

UPDATE: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Saturday evening that Karlsson will have a disciplinary hearing on Sunday for an illegal check to the head.

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.