San Jose’s Joe Thornton scores in over-time, eliminating Los Angeles Kings in Game Six – NHL Update
The Los Angeles Kings put up a good fight against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference quarter-finals, as they were able to hold off the Sharks until finally losing in over-time 4-3 during game six at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Monday
night.
After being on the verge of elimination after San Jose took a 3-1 lead in the first-round series, the Kings were able to bounce back and stay alive after a stunning victory in game five. They were close to pulling out of game six to force a final game seven
but eventually lost in over-time after Joe Thornton scored the game-winner.
A 51 save performance by Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick in game five gave them hope of continuing in the National Hockey League post-season. He managed to block 31 of 35 shots while away goalie Antti Niemi rejected 26 of 29 attempts.
Hockey legend and Hall of Famer, Wayne Gretzky was in the arena during the match, but even as their former captain watched on, the Kings fell short but still managed to tie it up in the final moments. After a scoreless first period, the Sharks attacked and
Kyle Wellwood scored his first of the play-offs within the opening three minutes of the second. Justin Williams capitalised on San Jose’s first penalty of the match-up and levelled the score nearly 10 minutes later. With a little over three minutes remaining,
Jason Demers silenced the erratic crowd when he gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead entering the final period.
It was a repeat of the second period, but in favour of the Kings this time. Ryan Smyth fired the equalising shot for his second goal of the series in the first 18 seconds. Dany Heatley took the puck from centre ice and made the tie-breaker unassisted. The
crowd was on the edge of their seats at this moment with half of the period remaining. Jason Demers was sent to the benches at the 9:43 mark on the clock for interfering which gave Los Angeles a 5-on-4 man advantage. Trevor Lewis took advantage of the extra
man and tipped in the final goal which forced over-time as regulation time ended in a 3-3 tie.
Over-time during the play-offs is always a hectic time for players as it is anyone’s game. Joe Thornton narrowly escaped two Los Angeles defensemen and shot the puck through an open left side in the net and went sliding on the ice in celebration as they
eliminated the Kings.
Playing against a healthy roster, Los Angeles still played extremely well and beyond expectations. San Jose can use this time to rest and prepare themselves for the next round of the play-offs as Vancouver and Chicago have one game left to go on Tuesday.
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