Akil Thomas scored his first goal in the NHL, and David Rittich made 15 saves as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Thursday night, strengthening their position for the playoffs.
“It was a great feeling,” said Thomas. “I just wanted to start well in the first period. Scoring early in the game helped me relax and feel more comfortable.”
Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who have been performing strongly against the Sharks lately, with a record of 7 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie in their last eight games against them. With six games left in the season, Los Angeles is now seven points ahead of St. Louis for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
The Kings are also trailing Nashville by just one point for the top wild card position, and are only one point behind Vegas for third place in the Pacific Division.
“We’re aware of our position in the standings,” Thomas added. “Every game is important, and we’re focused on getting the win.” Klim Kostin scored for the Sharks, who have been struggling lately, losing 11 out of their last 12 games. Mikael Granlund contributed with an assist, extending his point streak to six games.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves for San Jose. The Sharks’ coach, David Quinn, wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance in the first period but acknowledged improvement in the following periods.
Kempe opened the scoring for the Kings with his 25th goal midway through the first period, followed by Thomas’s goal just 18 seconds later, putting Los Angeles up 2-0.
Kostin managed to get the Sharks on the scoreboard with less than two minutes left in the game after Blackwood was pulled for an extra skater.
Despite being outshot 27-16, the Kings managed to secure the win. Rittich’s standout moment came in the first period, when he denied Filip Zadina on a partial breakaway.
