Game 76 Preview: Los Angeles at San Jose

Los Angeles Kings (45-25-5) at San Jose Sharks (41-28-6)
Monday, March 28, 2016, 7 p.m. PT
SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Referees: #4 Wes McCauley, #6 Francis Charron
Linesmen: #73 Vaughan Rody, #58 Ryan Gibbons
NBCSN, KABC 790 AM, I Heart Radio

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Jonathan Quick
2015-16: 62 GP (62 GS) / 38-20-4 record / 2.21 GAA / .918 Sv% / 4 SHO
Career vs San Jose: 28 (28) / 14-8-5 / 2.55 / .908 / 3
Last Game vs San Jose: 12/22/15 / 60 MP / 18-22 shots / 5-3 L
2015-16, Away: 27 (27) / 16-9-2 / 2.11 / .930 / 3

San Jose Projected Starting Goaltender – Martin Jones
2015-16: 61 GP (61 GS) / 35-21-4 record / 2.25 GAA / .918 Sv% / 5 SHO
Career vs Los Angeles: 4 (4) / 2-1-1 / 2.70 / .906 / 0
Last Game vs Los Angeles: 1/24/16 / 64 MP / 29-32 shots / 3-2 OTL
2015-16, Home: 29 (29) / 13-14-1 / 2.30 / .910 / 2

2015-16 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (25-43=68)
Goals: Tyler Toffoli (29-24=53)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (25-43=68)
Plus/Minus: Tyler Toffoli (+33; 29-24=53)
Penalty Minutes: Brayden McNabb (88; 2-9=11)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (28:04; 14-34=48)
Corsi-For Percentage: Nick Shore (60.9%; 3-7=10)

2015-16 San Jose Leaders
Total Points: Joe Thornton (17-55=72)
Goals: Joe Pavelski (35-36=71)
Assists: Joe Thornton (17-55=72)
Plus/Minus: Joe Thornton (+26; 17-55=72), Joe Pavelski (+26; 35-36=71)
Penalty Minutes: Roman Polak (63; 1-14=15)
Time On Ice: Brent Burns (26:03; 26-41=67)
Corsi-For Percentage: Joe Thornton (56.7%; 17-55=72)

Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – 13 / 2.72; SJ – 3 / 2.88
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 1 / 2.31; SJ – 14 / 2.57
Power Play: LAK – 8 / 20.5%; SJ – 4 / 22.1%
Penalty Kill: LAK – 15 / 81.4%; SJ – 23 / 79.9%
Shots/Game: LAK – 3 / 32.1; SJ – 11 / 30.4
Shots Against/Game: LAK – t-3 / 27.5; SJ – 2 / 27.4
Faceoffs: LAK – t-9 / 50.4%; SJ – t-9 / 50.4%
Save Percentage: LAK – 9 / .916; SJ – t-21 / .906
Corsi-for Percentage: LAK – 1 / 56.2% / SJ – t-7 / 51.8%

Los Angeles Projected Lines

Tanner Pearson – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Milan Lucic – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Vincent Lecavalier – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Nic Dowd – Andy Andreoff

Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Alec Martinez
Rob Scuderi – Luke Schenn

Jonathan Quick
Jhonas Enroth

Notes and milestones: Los Angeles is 62-59-19 all-time against San Jose, a record that includes an away mark of 24-34-12. The Kings are 2-2-0 in the season series, with all four games having been won by the visiting team. Home teams are still 26-9-2 in the last 37 regular season games in the series. … Los Angeles is 25-16-2 against the Western Conference and 15-9-0 against the Pacific Division. … With 45 wins, the Kings are one win shy of the franchise record for wins in a season (46; four times, most recently 2013-14). Tyler Toffoli leads the NHL with a +33 rating, while Anze Kopitar and Chris Kunitz are tied for second place at +31. With 29 goals, Toffoli is one goal from becoming the first King with 30 goals in a season since Anze Kopitar scored 34 in 2009-10. … Jeff Carter has points in two straight games (2-2=4) and has scored at least 20 goals in eight consecutive seasons. … In 30 games since January 24, Drew Doughty has seven goals, 24 points and a +11 rating. Tonight will be his 600th career game. He is in a tie with Steve Duchesne for second place all-time amongst Kings defensemen with 315 career points (80-235=315). … With 38 wins, Jonathan Quick is one win from tying his career-high of 39 wins, which is also the team’s franchise record of wins by a goalie, set in 2009-10.

San Jose Projected Lines

Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Melker Karlsson – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Patrick Marleau – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward
Micheal Haley – Dainius Zubrus – Tommy Wingels

Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Dylan DeMelo – Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon – Roman Polak

Martin Jones
James Reimer

Notes and milestones: Lines via Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea.com … Via Kurz, San Jose is expected to be without Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body), Matt Nieto (hand) and Matt Tennyson (concussion). The Sharks are 2-5-1 without Vlasic in the lineup this season. … San Jose is 21-17-5 against the Western Conference and 13-8-3 against the Pacific Division. … The Sharks can clinch a playoff spot by winning tonight in any fashion OR if Arizona loses to Calgary in regulation OR if San Jose collects one point AND Arizona loses to Calgary in any fashion. … The Sharks are 7-2-0 in their last nine games against teams that currently hold a playoff spot. … Patrick Marleau has played in 535 consecutive games, dating back to April 9, 2009. Joe Pavelski had played in 407 consecutive games, and Brent Burns 218. … With 67 points, Brent Burns now holds the franchise record for points by a defenseman, surpassing Sandis Ozolinsh’s 64 points in 1993-94. With 26 goals, Burns has tied Ozolinsh’s single-season franchise record for goals by a defenseman, also established in 1993-94. Burns’ 324 shots on goal represent a franchise record, regardless of position. … Joe Thornton ranks second in the NHL with 45 points (10-35=45) since January 9 and has recorded at least one point in each of San Jose’s last 28 wins. … Martin Jones appeared in 34 games with Los Angeles from 2013-15, going 16-11-2 with a 1.99 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and seven shutouts.