The view from San Jose

Including last season’s first-round playoff series, in the last eight meetings between the Kings and Sharks, the Sharks have scored at least four goals five times. Not surprisingly, the Kings didn’t win any of those games, including last night’s 4-2 loss. Here are some postgame quotes from the Sharks’ locker room…

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COACH TODD MCLELLAN
(on the game…) “It’s one of our more complete games. There were still segments in our game; it’s hard to paint the perfect picture. I thought we recovered when we were pushed. We found ways to get back into the game when we were behind. Everybody got a chance to contribute, so it was a complete game, or as close as we’ve come to one.’’

(on Antti Niemi’s play…) “(Niemi’s) looking sharper every night, isn’t he? He’s getting comfortable in there. He’s starting to feel good. His timing, his reads of rushes, and plays are getting better all the time. So, I think we’re getting there.’’

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JOE THORNTON
(on the game…) “We played well. It’s two good teams. It was kind of battle of special teams, and I’m not sure how it ended up. I think we had one goal on special teams. We had a good game for 60 minutes, good effort.’’

(on passing Pat LaFontane in points…) “Pat was my favorite player growing up. I had a chance to get his autograph when I was about 10 years old. I was always the one playing road hockey. He was my guy; he was a force back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so it’s a big honor.’’

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DAN BOYLE
(on his goal…) “I felt like I’ve been playing with a tennis ball most of this year so far; the puck’s been bouncing a lot. With an open net like that, everybody in the building expects you to put it in, but sometimes, the puck’s bouncing around. It was nice to get rewarded, finally, for putting the puck on net.’’

(on the game…) “We had that second goal, I didn’t like, the penalty goal, we weren’t in the right spots. So, that’s not a goal I like to give up. Otherwise, we didn’t give them much. We had that huge fourth goal, which needs to be talked about a little bit more. If we don’t get that goal, it makes for a pretty interesting finish. That fourth goal gave us a little extra breathing room.’’

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LOGAN COUTURE
(on the game…) “Our team’s so interchangeable; guys play with each other all the time. Different lines are expected to step up every night, and that’s what makes teams good teams. Any given night, we’ve got four lines we can throw out there, and they’re going to produce. It’s nice to see different guys get different goals.’’