• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Aubin shines as Kings trounce Sharks

Nov 3, 2007 - 6:07 AM By Michael Duca PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Jean-Sebastien Aubin made the most of a rare start for the Los Angeles Kings.

Aubin made 45 saves, Michael Cammalleri scored his 11th goal of the season and Matt Moulson netted the first if his career as the Kings skated to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.

Dustin Brown scored twice and Ladislav Nagy also tallied for Los Angeles, which has won six of its last eight games.

The Kings have not made the postseason since a first-round exit in 2002. They believe this season will mark their return to the playoffs thanks to numerous offseason additions and the strong play of several youngsters, including Cammalleri and Brown.

Playing in the Pacific Division might make the task a bit easier. Despite entering Friday with a 6-7-0 record, Los Angeles exited atop the division, one point ahead of San Jose.

The Kings' offense was greatly assisted by Aubin's sterling effort. Aubin faced an onslaught of 21 shots in the first period, four more than Los Angeles had allowed in any session this season, and kept the Kings' deficit at just 1-0.

"He played well," Los Angeles coach Marc Crawford said. "We needed him in the first period. I thought we got better in the second, and I was really pleased with the way the entire team played in the third. We kept them outside and contained them behind the net, where they like to generate their chances."

Aubin had been pulled from his most recent start on October 18 against Calgary.

"That game is in the past now," Aubin said. "Barb (Jason LaBarbera) has been on fire, and it was good for me to see that from the bench."

Patrick Marleau scored the game's first goal for San Jose on a display of gritty determination. The captain wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle that Aubin deflected.

Steve Bernier got the rebound and poked a second shot, which deflected behind the net. Marleau dug it out of the base of the net and wrapped it around the left goalpost with 4:38 remaining in the first period with defenseman Jaroslav Modry hanging all over him.

"We had a great first period," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "Actually, there were lots of good moments in the second period, too. Again, though, we faced a little bump in the road and a bunch of tires fell off."

Cammalleri, who also had two assists, tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period. After a scramble in front of the net, the puck slid to Cammalleri behind the end line on Nabokov's stick side.

Seeing Nabokov sprawled in the net, Cammalleri jammed the puck off the prone goalie's leg from behind the goal line at 1:43 to climb within one tally of Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg for the league lead.

Making his NHL debut, Moulson scored at 14:36 to give the Kings the lead for good. Recalled from the minors on Thursday, Moulson took a centering pass from Michal Handzus high in the slot and snapped a hard shot that beat Nabokov to the glove side.

"I was just trying to think about calming my nerves down," said Moulson, who turned 24 on Thursday. "After that first shift when (Joe) Thornton was in our zone for a solid minute, it got easier."

Crawford said when Moulson was sent down in the preseason, "Matt was probably one of our better players in camp at left wing."

With 80 seconds to go in the period, Brown took a feed from behind the net by Anze Kopitar and beat Nabokov for his fifth goal of the season and a 3-1 advantage.

Los Angeles extended the lead just over six minutes into the third on an odd-man rush created when San Jose's forwards were caught behind the play.

Alexander Frolov beat defenseman Craig Rivet to the puck on the right wing boards and found a streaking Nagy, whose shot easily beat Nabokov low to the glove side.

"We are not a team that is abundantly accustomed to playing with a lead," Crawford said. "I believe we are getting better at it."

Thornton tallied late for the Sharks, but Brown sealed the victory with an empty-netter in the final minute.

The teams complete their home-and-home series Saturday at Los Angeles.

"We've got to lick our wounds and come back with a more determined effort and find the mental toughness," Wilson said.