Live discussion: Kings vs. Sharks, Game 7 preview

Join Times Kings writer Lisa Dillman and hockey Hall of Famer Helene Elliott on this blog post at 2 p.m. today as the preview Game 7 between the Kings and Sharks in a live video discussion.

As Dillman wrote earlier,

“Will it be some youngster in Gilroy or Los Gatos pretending to be the San Jose Sharks’ Joe Thornton scoring the winning goal in Game 7 or a Slovenian teenager doing the Kopitar, copying a dazzling move by the Kings’ Anze Kopitar to secure Game 7?

“That’s the never-ending wonder of a Game 7. They have a transformative-type power, turning seasoned professionals into kids again on the frozen pond.

“You get into a game like this, that’s where heroes are made,� Dustin Brown of the Kings said Monday.

“Brown and Kopitar will get their first opportunity to play a Game 7 in the NHL on Tuesday when they face the Sharks at Staples Center in the deciding game of a Western Conference semifinal series. The Kings have won 13 straight home games. The first six games of this series have been won by the home team, an unexpected twist for the Kings, who lost only once on the road in last year’s run to the Stanley Cup.

“Their road woes against the Sharks were a continuation of a trend, as the Kings are 1-5 on the road in the playoffs. In fact, the Kings’ struggles on the road went back to the regular season, as they won twice away from Staples Center in March and April.

“I don’t know what the reason is,� Kopitar said. “We’re going to have to do it on the road eventually. Now, we have the chance to come home and close this series and win the series and we’ll worry about road games as we go along.�

ALSO:

Experience in a playoff Game 7 is not on Kings’ side

Kings want to avoid that dreaded feeling of elimination

Kings are destined to lose Game 7 ... unless they win it