Wins it at 1:13; Sawchenko makes 33 saves for first NHL victory
LOS ANGELES - Tomas Hertl scored 1:13 in overtime to guide the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings at the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.
Hertl scored his 23rd goal on a wraparound after Kings goalkeeper Jonathan Quick overcommitted on the near post.
"It's great because until recently, chances are, I couldn't bury them and help the team," Hertle said. "This one, in overtime, definitely felt really good, and hopefully I can go on and on a little bit more."
Brent Burns and Nick Bonino each scored on the power play, and Zack Sochenko made 33 saves for his first NHL win for the Sharks (25–25–7), who went 0–3–1 in their last four games. . Erik Carlsson made two assists in his first game since January 20 as an arm injury requiring surgery. He lost 15 matches.
"I think when we do the things we're good at, we're a good team just like any other team in this league," Carlsen said. "The margin isn't as big as people think. I think we have to learn a little bit how to keep it at a consistent level."
Sochenko reacted favorably after allowing two goals from his left glove side in the first period, including a saving shorthand shot by Adrian Kempe at the 2-on-1 break at 8:53 of the third period.
"He rebounded and found a way to organize himself and make some saves when he needed to, so I thought he played real solid in the second and third rounds," said San Jose coach Bob Boffner.
Trevor Moore had one goal and two assists, Andreas Athanasiou and Philippe Danault had one goal and one assist each, and Quick made 26 saves for the Kings (32–19-8), who won three straight.
"Given how slow we played, that's a good thing," said Los Angeles coach Todd McClellan. "It's a point of a night where we probably didn't deserve a point, so let's move on. Let's fix a few things, a lot of things, and get ready to play again."
Alexander Barbanov drew 3-3 at 1:21 of the third period with a tip-in from the slot set up by Carlsen.
"I just did it blindly," joked Carlsen when asked about his 20th assist. "No, we had a similar situation at the end of the second, I think, and he kind of peeled off. I told him, 'Just go out there, and if it hits you...' I like to shoot it hard. I'm going, never know you.' And we connected right after, so it was good."
Moore scored a shorthand to put Los Angeles up 3-1 at 10:40 of the second period on a wrist shot from the slot.
Bonino cut it 3-2 at 12:13, reaching with his stick to tap into the bouncing rebound.
San Jose was 2-for-6 (33.3 percent) on the power play. Los Angeles was 0-for-4.
"Six minors, when was the last time we took six minors? Four in the offensive zone," McClellan said. "We played in their hands. Their special teams are great, and so it wasn't a good night for us."
The Kings took a 2–1 lead after the first period on goals from eight seconds apart from Danault and Athanasio.
Danault held it 1-1 at 5:58, scoring in an open net after Savchenko failed to clear Athanasiou's shot and Moore collected a loose puck.
Athanasio beat Savchenko over his left hand at 6:06 to level 2-1. It was his fourth goal in a three-game goal streak, three of which have come in the last two games as he replaced Viktor Arvidsson (lower body) in the second row with Danault and Moore.
"They have so much tenacity and hunting in their game, and yet they are responsible defensively, which makes it quite easy for someone to go out there and play," McClellan said of Danault and Moore. "If I'm sitting on the bench, I want to be on that line right now."
Burns put the Sharks 1-0 2:39 in the first period with his sixth goal. His shot from the right point is followed by a redirection from Kempe's stick.
Notes: Kings defenseman Jordan Spence hits two shots in 14:23 on his NHL debut. He is the first Australian-born player in NHL history. Spence was selected in the fourth round (number 95) by the Kings in the 2019 NHL Draft. ... Moore's three-point game was his second game in the NHL. He scored four points (one goal, three assists) in a 6–3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 1. Moore's goal in his 59th game was his 11th, NHL career-high goal. He scored 10 goals in 56 matches last season. ... Kings Defenseman Drew Doughty (Unknown) did not play. There was no update. ... Sharks defenseman Jakob Magna made two shots and two hits in 16:28 after missing 10 games (leg surgery). ... San Jose forward Jonathan Dahlen had an assist in 10:45 after missing four games with an upper body injury. ... Kings defenseman Jacob Movarare took two hits in 11:37 in his first game since February 2.