National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Los Angeles 4, San Jose 1
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 19, 2013
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees: Francis Charron, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Don Henderson, Kiel Murchison
Attendance: 18118


Kings 4, Sharks 1: Martin Jones came within 2:10 of his second straight shutout as host Los Angeles cruised past San Jose.

Rookie Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Carter and Dwight King each recorded a goal and an assist for the Kings, who have outscored their opponents 7-1 over the first two contests of their four-game homestand. Alec Martinez also scored and fellow defenseman Robyn Regehr notched two assists as Los Angeles skated to its eighth win in nine games this month.

Jones finished with 31 saves and registered his first career assist as he improved to 7-0-0. The 23-year-old, who shares the league lead with three shutouts, missed out on his fourth when Patrick Marleau scored on a shot from the high slot.

Antti Niemi turned aside 28 shots for the Sharks, who completed a 1-2-0 road trip.

After a scoreless first period, Los Angeles got on the board at 5:26 of the second. Toffoli's backhanded pass from behind the net slided through the slot and banked off the left-wing boards to Martinez, who blasted a one-timer past Niemi from the point.

Jones got into the action less than six minutes later. He dished the puck to defenseman Slava Voynov for a long pass from the bottom of the left faceoff circle in his own zone to Toffoli, who accepted it at San Jose's blue line and fired a shot inside the left post from the right circle for a 2-0 lead.

King set up Carter at the right side of the crease after skating to the doorstep from the left-wing boards 36 seconds into the third before burying a loose puck in front at 6:16 to give Los Angeles a four-goal advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Martinez has scored all three of his goals this season over his last six games. ... San Jose rookie C Tomas Hertl left the game late in the first period after a knee-on-knee hit from Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown and did not return. Brown received a five-minute major and game misconduct. ... Marleau played in his 1,200th career game. ... Jones will tie Bob Froese for the most consecutive victories to start a career should he win his next decision. Froese started 8-0-0 with Philadelphia in 1982-83.
Top Game Performances
 
San Jose   Los Angeles
Patrick Marleau 1 Points Jeff Carter 2
Patrick Marleau 1 Goals Jeff Carter 1
Martin Havlat 1 Assists Robyn Regehr 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Antti Niemi .875 Save Percentage Martin Jones .969
Antti Niemi 28 Saves Martin Jones 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
San Jose 32 1 0-4 1-1 4 32
Los Angeles 32 4 0-1 4-4 21 26
Upcoming Games
  • Los Angeles will play their next game at home against Colorado. The Kings have a W/L % of .609 after a win and .769 after a loss.
  • San Jose will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Sharks have a W/L % of .682 after a win and .462 after a loss.