Martin Jones, Sharks end Kings winning streak

Kevin Labanc, Logan Couture and Ryan Carpenter scored in the first period, and the San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 at Staples Center on Wednesday, ending the Kings winning streak at five.
Sharks goalie Martin Jones made 26 saves to win his second game in as many nights. He had 18 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
San Jose (14-9-1) has won five of its past six games and leads the Pacific Division with 29 points.

Couture got his ninth goal when he scored into an empty net at 18:43 of the third period. He also had an assist.
Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said it was "huge" to get goals from rookies Labanc and Carpenter.
"We needed some contributions tonight," DeBoer said. "It's a tough situation. Back-to-back, playing last night at home, L.A.'s rested. We look at their home record, we knew this was going to be a really tough game. We challenged the group to have contributions from everybody."
WATCH: All Sharks vs. Kings highlights
Dustin Brown scored in the second period for the Kings (12-10-1), who had won six straight at Staples Center. Peter Budaj made 20 saves.
Labanc gave San Jose a 1-0 lead 3:32 into the game when he scored his second NHL goal on an odd-man rush.
The Sharks scored two goals in 30 seconds late in the first period to extend their lead to 3-0. Couture knocked in a rebound from close range at 19:05, and Carpenter scored his first NHL goal on an odd-man rush with 25 seconds left.
"The first period wasn't nearly as intense as it needed to be," Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. "They scored two 2-on-1 goals. Giving odd-man rushes against a team like that, it's certainly not the way to win."

The Kings cut the Sharks lead to 3-1 on Brown's power-play goal at 3:01 of the second period. He lifted a loose puck over Jones from close range into the top of the net just inside the crossbar for his fourth goal.
Play continued after Brown's goal before a stoppage was initiated at 3:24 after video review determined the puck crossed the goal line.
Jones made 19 saves in the second and third period, including seven over the final 4:06.
The Sharks, who eliminated the Kings in five games in the 2016 Western Conference First Round, have won the first two games against them this season.
"This is how we played last year down the stretch and in the playoffs," Couture said. "When we get up on teams, it's hard for teams to come back."

Goal of the game

Labanc, whose 127 points led the Ontario Hockey League last season, flashed his offensive skill on his first-period goal on a 2-on-1 rush with Couture. Labanc received a cross-ice pass from Couture, and he elevated a wrist shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle inside the left post.

Save of the game

With the Sharks leading 3-1, Jones got his left pad on a slap shot from forward Tyler Toffoli with 3:54 remaining.

Unsung moment of the game

Los Angeles had cut the San Jose lead to 3-1 early in the second period on Brown's goal and had a chance to pull closer, but forward Trevor Lewis' shot hit the goal post at 3:42. The puck was loose in front of a wide-open net, but before the Kings could tap it in, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns dove and poked it with his stick before clearing it away with his glove while he slid through the crease.

Highlight of the game

Carpenter banked the puck off the right boards and chased down the carom on the way to his first NHL goal in his third game. He carried the puck to the right circle on a 2-on-1 rush and beat Budaj with a wrist shot. "You probably never know if you're going to score one or not, so it's nice to get one," Carpenter said.

They said it

"Both teams give up the fewest [goals] in the league, so, generally, give up the first goal and you're going to chase a little bit because the other team is going to check really well, and we weren't as prepared to do that as we should have been tonight." -- Kings coach Darryl Sutter
"He's a legitimate starter, and for me, he's one of the top goalies in the League. He's just getting better. You're just seeing the tip of what he's capable of." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer on goaltender Martin Jones

Need to know

Kings defenseman Matt Greene returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. ... Sharks forward Matt Nieto was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. ... Brown scored his 222nd NHL goal, all with Los Angeles, moving him into a tie with Charlie Simmer for eighth place on the Kings' all-time list. … Los Angeles is allowing the fewest shots on goal per game in the NHL (25.4), and San Jose is second-stingiest (25.9).

What's next

Sharks: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday (10 p.m. ET; CSN-CA, RDS, SNE, NHL.TV)
Kings: At the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A, FS-W, NHL.TV)