Quick’s Kings look to even series with Sharks
Do the Kings and Sharks actually value home ice? It’s a perfectly valid question given how their first-round playoff series has started.
Tonight, San Jose will at least attempt to hold serve in its own building. Game 4 between the Pacific Division rivals will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET, with Peter DeBoer’s club listed as a 1.5-goal favorite by online sports book Bovada.lv.
Los Angeles kept from falling into an 0-3 series hole by prevailing in overtime, 2-1, on Monday. While the Kings still find themselves in quite the predicament as a result of dropping back-to-back games at Staples Center, they can take heart in the Sharks’ recent woes at the SAP Center. San Jose has lost six of the last eight contests there.
As always, Jonathan Quick will be at the forefront of the visitors’ efforts this evening. The two-time Stanley Cup champion made 29 stops in Game 3 and has reeled off three consecutive postseason victories in the Shark Tank while posting a 0.65 GAA and .980 save percentage. Maybe it’s asking a lot, but DeBoer needs Joe Pavelski (four points) to perform at an even higher level if Quick is to stumble at all.
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On the other side, San Jose goalie Martin Jones carries a commendable 5-2-1 record vs. the Kings this year. Nonetheless, we can’t side with him over Quick in a mano-a-mano duel. Los Angeles figures out a way to knot it up in an ever-unpredictable tussle.
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