Lukowich, Marleau lead San Jose Sharks past Los Angeles Kings 3-1

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Brad Lukowich and Patrick Marleau scored 53 seconds apart late in the second period and the San Jose Sharks closed out the pre-season with a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night.

Lukas Kaspar had two assists for the Sharks (3-4), who open the regular season under new coach Todd McLellan on Thursday against Anaheim.

Kyle Calder scored the only goal for the Kings (3-2-3), tying the game early in the second period with his first goal of the pre-season.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead with 2:57 left in the period on a goal by Lukowich off a pass by Kaspar, then 53 seconds later Marleau had a power-play goal. Devin Setoguchi took it in from the blue-line and made a nice pass across to Marleau, who backhanded it inside the left post.

The Sharks played without centre Joe Thornton (groin) and defenceman Rob Blake, who spent the last two years with the Kings before signing with San Jose as a free agent this summer.

The exhibition game was the first in Utah in 10 years and was played at the E Center, site of the 2002 Olympic gold medal game.

Joe Pavelski gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead just 54 seconds into the game. Kaspar grabbed a turnover by Denis Gauthier at the blue-line and saved it to Jonathan Cheechoo, who centred it to Pavelski in the slot for an easy goal.

Calder tied it 2:20 into the second off a centring pass from Jarret Stoll. The Kings had two chances to take the lead later in the period but ran into Evgeni Nabokov each time.

Nabokov stopped Alexander Frolov on a breakaway midway through the second period, then a few minutes later kept it tied again by diving across the crease to smother Anze Kopitar's shot with 8:33 left. Kopitar had half the net open when the puck trickled to him at the left post, but the shot went right into the spawling goaltender's glove.