NHL: Sharks beat Kings to force Game Seven

The San Jose Sharks held off the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Sunday (Monday, PHL time) to force a game seven in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Joe Thornton scored the opening goal in the first period and TJ Galiardi gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead early in the second before Dustin Brown pulled one back for the visitors.

The deciding game seven between the Pacific Division foes is back in Los Angeles on Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time).

"I felt we did a great job right from the start. The boys had a good jump," San Jose defenseman Scott Hannan said in a televised interview. "We were aggressive and didn't sit back. We accepted their push, but I thought the guys gave a great effort tonight."

Defending Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles grabbed a 2-0 series lead then stretched it to 3-2 last week, but the Sharks have refused to go away.

San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi made 24 saves while his Kings counterpart Jonathan Quick also had 24 but could not halt his team's struggles on the road.

Los Angeles are undefeated at the Staples Center this postseason but have lost 11 of their last 12 games away from home ice.  - Reuters