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Kings-Sharks Preview

Apr 18, 2016 - 2:11 AM Since a 3-0 series lead wasn't safe against the Los Angeles Kings two years ago, the San Jose Sharks know a two-game advantage means there's still a long way to go to oust their nemesis from the playoffs.

The Sharks look to begin proving the lesson has been learned Monday night when they try to beat the Kings again in this opening-round series.

San Jose led Los Angeles 3-0 in the first round in 2014, but the Kings stormed back to take the series, outscoring the Sharks 18-5 in Games 4 through 7. They went on to win their second Stanley Cup in three years.

The Sharks, on the other hand, were left licking their wounds after adding the worst chapter to their underachieving history in the postseason. It was also the second straight year they were eliminated by Los Angeles in seven games.

They're nearly in the same position after winning 4-3 in Los Angeles in Game 1 on Thursday and 2-1 in Game 2 two days later. Teams that have won the first two games on the road have an all-time series record of 65-18, but don't tell San Jose the odds.

"What's happened in the past, it's in the past," captain Joe Pavelski said. "You take those lessons. You try to become a better teammate from those, better player. We're still trying to win four games in this series and we got two. It's a good start for us, and we realize there's more work."

Moving the series to San Jose may be a problem since the Sharks went 18-20-3 at home during the regular season, the worst home record for any 2016 playoff team.

Pavelski, though, has been hot over the past four weeks, getting nine goals and seven assists in 14 games - including three and one in this series. He's got a four-game goal streak, totaling five after finding the net on San Jose's first shot Saturday.

The center also owns nine goals and eight assists in his last 11 overall meetings with the Kings.

While Pavelski's scoring isn't much of a surprise, Martin Jones' stellar play in net has been unexpected since he hadn't previously started a playoff game. He's stopped 47 of 51 shots, including 26 saves in Game 2.

"He comes from a good program. I mean, jeez, they got 98 points or whatever. He played most of the games for 'em, so I don't think anybody's surprised by him," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.

Sutter has also simplified the Kings' path to get back into the series.

"Just think, if you can cut it in half, it's two-one. It's not that hard to figure out," he said.

That's easier said than done unless Los Angeles gets some production from Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli, who have one point among them after getting at least 50 each during the regular season.

"We've got to stop playing with frustration and start using our emotion in the right way, because frustration is a waste of emotion," left wing Milan Lucic said. "We've got to go out there with determination and start playing our game."

Jonathan Quick is looking to be more of a force in net after making 21 saves in Game 2, two more than he managed in the series opener. However, he lost all three regular-season meetings with a 4.40 goals-against average, stopping 26 of 30 shots in a 5-2 defeat at San Jose on March 28.

These teams will meet in Game 4 on Wednesday in San Jose.