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Kaspar, Boucher propel Sharks past Kings

Oct 13, 2008 - 5:03 AM By Jonathan Raber PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The San Jose Sharks looked like a team playing its third game in four nights. Fortunately, two of them came against the downtrodden Los Angeles Kings.

Lukas Kaspar scored his first career goal and Brian Boucher stopped all 21 shots he faced as Sharks defeated the Kings for the second time in as many nights with a 1-0 triumph on Sunday.

"By no means was it pretty," Sharks first-year coach Todd McLellan said. "There were a lot of things we could have done much better, but the test for us was the fatigue factor - playing three in four early in the season. I'm not sure we passed with flying colors, but we found a way to win."

The Sharks (3-0-0) remained unbeaten under McLellan, who inherited a team that won the Pacific Division a season ago.

The game also marked Rob Blake's first as a member of the Sharks in Los Angeles, where he played for more than 13 seasons.

Blake signed a one-year deal with the Sharks in July in hopes of joining a title contender as his former team continues to go with a youth movement.

"I'm still real good friends with a lot guys over there, and they're going to be a good team," Blake said. "They have some great young kids that are coming into their own. (But) for me, it doesn't matter. We want to shape our team into a playoff-type team and we have to do it early in the year."

The defenseman was booed by the Kings' faithful during player introductions and each time he touched the puck, but remained unfazed by the reception.

"I've done it before with Colorado," said Blake, who had previously left to play with the Avalanche in between stints with the Kings. "But I was excited for the opportunity (to come back)."

Kaspar recorded the lone goal midway through the second period after Patrick Marleau found him streaking down the right wing. His hit the left post and bounced past goaltender Jason LaBarbara.

The 22nd overall pick of the 2004 draft, Kaspar appeared in three games as a rookie with the Sharks but didn't record a point.

Boucher, who was making his first appearance of the season in goal, got some help in earning the win.

"Obviously, the adrenaline's going, first game, and you want to get off to a good start and make a good first impression," Boucher said. "It's nice to get that first one out of the way, nice to get the first win and it just so happened to be a shutout - which is also nice."

After San Jose scored its goal, the Kings remained aggressive and scored potential game-tying tallies on two occasions in the period, only to have both overturned.

On the second of the two, Matt Moulson rebounded his own shot in front of the net and kicked the puck in with his right skate in the process. After a review, the referees took the goal off the board.

Boucher stopped six shots in the first, 12 in the second and three in the third to record his first shutout of the season and 15th of his career.

"He was probably our best player tonight," McLellan said. "You need that when you're playing ugly, so we're real proud of him."

A night after managing just 13 shots in goal in a 3-1 loss to the Sharks, the Kings outshot the Sharks, 21-19, on Sunday. LaBarbera finished with 18 saves.

Kings first-year coach Terry Murray is already seeing improvement in a club that finished last in the division last season.

"I really liked the way we played, especially in the second half of the game," Murray said. "The third period was tremendous."