The San Jose Sharks Look For Revenge Against LA
The Sharks take on the Los Angeles Kings tonight at Crypto.com Arena
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Welcome back Sharks fans! The Holiday break is now over and the NHL is back after three days off. The San Jose Sharks are back in action tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, this time in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Kings have been a bit streaky lately, but are coming off a 5-3 win against the Calgary Flames on the 23rd.
The Sharks on the other hand have been struggling again, prior to their three-day break they were in the middle of a five-game losing streak. They’re certainly hoping that a little time off will be exactly what the doctor ordered to get back on track.
The Kings are certainly a beatable team at home despite their impressive play on the road this season. At home, they have a record of 6-6-3 while they’ve been unstoppable away from Crypto.com Arena, with an impressive 13-1-1 record away from home.
Keys to Success
Help the Goaltender
The Sharks have struggled with this for a majority of the season. They’ve had strong goaltending in most games, but they still give up quite a few goals simply because they give up high-danger opportunities. Clearing the front of the net to prevent tips, breaking down passing lanes across the slot, and blocking shots will be key. Kaapo Kahkonen faced 39 shots in the last meeting between these two teams, and whether he gets the start or Mackenzie Blackwood does, that cannot be the case tonight.
Get Shots on Goal
It’s pretty simple, you can’t score a goal unless you’re shooting the puck on the net. The Sharks struggled with that in the last meeting between these teams, as they got only 16 shots on goal. David Rittich seemed like an all-star goaltender in his first appearance of the season for the Kings. They don’t have a superstar goaltender, however Cam Talbot is certainly playing like one these days. As a result, if you get enough shots on goal, something will get through. If the Sharks aren’t able to put more than 20 shots on net though, they’re almost certainly going to walk away with another loss.
Lineups
Los Angeles Lines From Previous Game vs Calgary
Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe
Fiala-Danault-Moore
Laferriere-Dubois-Kaliyev
Grundstrom-Lizotte-Lewis
Anderson-Doughty
Moverare-Roy
Englund-Spence
Cam Talbot
David Rittich
Sharks Lines From Previous Game @ Vancouver
Eklund-Hertl-Zadina
Duclair-Granlund-Zetterlund
Labanc-Kunin-Hoffman
Bailey-Studnicka-MacDonald
Ferraro-Burroughs
Okhotiuk-Rutta
Vlasic-Thrun
Kaapo Kahkonen
Mackenzie Blackwood
Game Notes:
Former second-overall pick Quinton Byfield is having an incredible start to the season, he’s becoming a key part of the Kings’ offense.
The Sharks are on the first leg of a back-to-back, as they’ll face the Edmonton Oilers at the SAP Center tomorrow night.
The Sharks are going to be a rollercoaster this season, there will be ups and there will be downs. Right now, they’re in the middle of a down but they have a strong opportunity to start working their way back up tonight.