San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Jonathan Quick made 24 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season, and the Los Angeles Kings scored four times in the third period to defeat the San Jose Sharks, 4-0, at HP Pavilion. Dustin Brown had two goals for the Kings, who have won four in a row. Marco Sturm and Trevor Lewis also lit the lamp. It was Sturm's first goal in a Kings uniform. Antti Niemi turned aside 33-of-37 shots for the Sharks, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Niemi was dominant over the first two periods, making 16 saves in the first and 14 in the second. Quick turned aside 14 shots over the first two frames. The Kings, though, beat Niemi four times in the third stanza. Lewis was the first to score at the 2:08 mark. Brad Richardson won a battle for the puck at the bottom of the left circle and slid a pass to the slot for Lewis, whose wrister beat Niemi.
Sturm, who spent the first seven-plus seasons of his career with the Sharks, made it 2-0 over a minute later. His wrister from the top of the left circle snuck past Niemi. Brown gave Los Angeles a 3-0 lead at the 6:49 mark. A one-timer from the right point bounced off the pad of Niemi and right to Brown, who jammed home the rebound.
A nifty play with two minutes remaining resulted in Brown's 16th goal of the year. Anze Kopitar, who was near center ice, flipped the puck high in the air over a San Jose defender and to a streaking Brown, who went in on a breakaway. Brown's backhander beat Niemi. The Sharks had won three straight over the Kings...San Jose wrapped up a three-game homestand on Monday...The Sharks were trying to win five in a row for the first time since January 16-23...Each team went 0-for-3 on the power play...Kopitar had three assists.
For more Kings news and analysis, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Jewels From The Crown.