So far, the Sharks’ Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings is giving hockey nuts everything they could ask for: drastic momentum swings, rock’em, sock’em play, a controversial suspension, a wounded hero and dazzling performances from two of the game’s best goalies. In one corner, we have the defending champs and in the other, a veteran club that might be making its last push to finally capture Lord Stanley’s Cup. And all the action is wrapped up and packaged in a heated NorCal-SoCal division rivalry. Read More

Captain Dustin Brown tied it with 1:43 left and Trevor Lewis scored the tiebreaking power-play goal 22 seconds later, propelling the Los Angeles Kings to a stunning 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night and a 2-0 series lead. Read More

Raffi Torres spent the past year in San Jose trying to shake his reputation as a dangerous player. His hit on Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll might have erased much of that work and put both players’ postseason futures in doubt. Stoll is likely to miss Game 2 of the Kings’ second-round playoff series against the Sharks tonight. The valuable two-way forward didn’t return to the series opener after a hard hit from Torres late in the second period of Los Angeles’ 2-0 victory. Read More

Although Joe Thornton and Dustin Brown might not agree on much else over the next two weeks, both captains believe hockey has never been bigger or better in California, from the thriving youth game all the way to their state’s three winning NHL clubs. The Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings are eager to highlight this renaissance in their second-round playoff series. It’s the fourth postseason meeting between Golden State teams, but the first beyond the opening round. Read More