Goaltender Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save, as Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks pursues in the third period of Game One of the Western Conference semi-finals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California. The Kings defeated the Sharks 2-0. (AFP)
Reuters/Los Angeles
Jonathan Quick stonewalled the San Jose Sharks with a 35-save shutout as the streaking Los Angeles Kings grabbed a 2-0 win in the opener of their Western Conference semi-finals series on Tuesday.
Quick recorded his second shutout of the post-season as the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings won their fifth straight game. They won four consecutive contests against St Louis in the first round after falling into a 2-0 hole.
Game Two of the best-of-seven set is also in Los Angeles today.
In the first standoff between the Pacific Division rivals, Slava Voynov scored in the first period and Mike Richards netted in the second for the Kings, who needed very little offense to seal the victory.
Los Angeles took just 20 shots against Antti Niemi, who made 18 stops.
After running through the playoffs as an eighth seed a year ago, the Kings have home ice advantage in a playoff series for the first time in 21 years.
Fifth seeded Los Angeles has been especially lethal at the Staples Center, where they have won 11 straight.
Conn Smythe Trophy winner Quick was at his best in the opener as his team handed the Sharks their first loss of the playoffs.
San Jose swept Vancouver in the first round.
Elsewhere, Pittsburgh’s Tomas Vokoun picked up his third straight win since replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in net as the Penguins beat Ottawa 4-1 in their second round playoff series opener on Tuesday.
Vokoun was given his chance after the New York Islanders beat the Penguins 6-4 in Game Four of the first round.
The Czech netminder has repaid the faith shown in him by coach Dan Bylsma, winning two in a row to eliminate the Islanders and making 35 saves on Tuesday to repel the Senators.