Sharks Give Kings First Shutout of the Season

When it comes to the rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks, it's always a great series. Very close, very tight, very competitive, and everyone is into it. But for the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, it was a tight game that ended up being in their favor, as well as coming with a shutout.

Sharks goalie Martin Jones managed 28 saves for his third shutout of the season and his 18th overall in his NHL career to lead the Sharks past the Kings 2-0 on Saturday night at SAP Center at San Jose.

The Sharks managed to eke out the win, thanks in part to the goal scorers in Marcus Sorensen and Joe Pavelski, and have now won two games in a row, and are sometimes right in the middle of the pack of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.

It was a big victory too, not just for the Kings, but also for Jones, who is now 8-3-2 against his former team in the Kings, and this was the first shutout that he put up against them in his career. And hey, that's a record that should make every Sharks fan happy, huh?

In terms of the Kings, goaltender Jonathan Quick didn't exactly have a pretty game. Yes, he also made 28 saves against the Sharks shooters and did play well for a lot of this game, particularly in the first period. But it was the second period goal by Sorensen that seemed to deflate him in this particular game. It seemed after that goal, he tried to do all he could, but it didn't feel like him before that goal. That doesn't make him a bad player. It just means that somehow that goal demoralized him for the rest of the game and even the rest of the team as well.

Good news for the Kings is that they're still tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with the Vegas Golden Knights. But this was also the first time that the Kings were shut out this season. I already mentioned Quick not playing well, but I would also say that Kopitar and Gaborik, the two main guys for that team, didn't necessarily come through. The only guy who really did try to put this team on his back on this game was defenseman Drew Doughty because not only did he play like he was the most important guy there, but he also got into a fight and had a bunch of chances on goal that didn't pan out. So that was a big plus for this team, and it's definitely something they could look on going into the Christmas break.

For the Kings to lose this game is not important, but it is demoralizing when you lose to a rival of this caliber and especially a former player of yours, who seems to know how to beat you in different ways. Martin Jones did that again tonight with a shutout and that's why he's the star of the game. But that's then and the Kings are still tied for the top spot, and I'm hoping they come out of the Christmas break ready to tackle the rest of the season.