NHL Game Day: Caps, Stars and Sharks can clinch

Closing time is here for three Stanley Cup contenders. Washington, Dallas and San Jose could all move on to the second round with victories Friday night.

The Capitals and Stars are top seeds, and they’re at home against opponents that have looked overmatched at times. Everything is in place for two powers to close out their series and earn a little rest before they resume the chase.

It won’t be quite that simple for the Sharks, who face an enormous test in Game 5 (10:30 p.m., CBC). They have to prove they can close out the Los Angeles Kings, who victimized San Jose just two years ago in one of the greatest escapes in NHL history.

“We’ve been in this situation, so we know what it takes,” Kings forward Marian Gaborik said Thursday. “We have a group that never quits. We’re going in with the mentality to win one game. It’s all about the next game.”

The Kings were down 0-3 in a firstround series with the powerful Sharks in 2014. Los Angeles promptly reeled off four straight wins and rode that momentum to its second Stanley Cup in three years.

“It’s certainly better 3-1 than 3-0,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.

The Sharks could benefit from a change of venue for Game 5. They were more dominant at the Staples Center than at the Shark Tank, forechecking the Kings to distraction and pressing forward with their elite offensive talent against Los Angeles’ inconsistent defence.

“We’re comfortable on the road,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer, who wasn’t around for the 2014 collapse. “We’re very good on the road. I don’t think the venue is an issue. The L.A. Kings are an issue.”