Kings exit interviews: Jhonas Enroth

Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth appeared in only 16 games this season while serving as Jonathan Quick’s infrequent backup. Enroth said Sunday it wasn’t the workload he envisioned when he signed with the Kings last summer as a free agent. He didn’t rule out re-signing with the Kings for next season, but you can read between the lines here, with more of Enroth’s conversation with reporters Sunday:

“I wish I had played more games. I didn’t really feel like they gave me a lot of opportunities to play. That’s the way they like to do it here, so I kind of knew what I was signing up for. … Just be a bigger part of a team, trying to play more games. Just being a bigger part of a team is what I’d like to do (as a free agent) over the summer.

“I really thought they were going to play me more. If you sign a guy for $1.2 million, you’re not going to play him 13 games, in my opinion. You should play him, 20-25. I thought I earned more games. Played pretty solid in the games I got, but there were a lot of breaks between games, too. It was hard to get a groove going. I think I had a pretty solid season.”

Kings exit interviews: Drew Doughty

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty didn’t wish to talk Sunday about some post-Game 5 gloating San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture did late Friday night. Doughty said he really isn’t as friendly with Couture as he is with Corey Perry of the Ducks, seeking to correct the record. Doughty and Perry live on the same street during the off-season in London, Ontario.

Here’s what Couture said Friday:

“Throughout the last couple of years, things have been said on that team that to me, personally, I take it as disrespectful. So it was nice to stick it back to them and beat them in this series. Even this series, someone was saying on their team that they had us right where they wanted us. I wonder if they’ve got us right where they want us right now? So it was nice to beat them.”

Kings exit interviews: Milan Lucic

Kings left wing Milan Lucic talked Sunday about contract talks and how much he’d like to get them done before free agency begins July 1. Here’s more from him about re-signing and remaining with the Kings:

“There have been some talks before the playoffs started. There’s two months until July, so hopefully something can get done here, so I can remain a King moving forward into the future. That’s something I’ve expressed that I really want to have happen. I really enjoy being an LA King and everything it has to offer. Hopefully, it can get done here in the near, near future. Just a little bit more work to do to bridge a gap here.

“It’s definitely something I want moving forward. I think it’s something they want too. Hopefully, we can make it work out. The sooner the better. To be honest, I don’t have much interest in hitting the open market or even hearing what’s out there because, in my mind, this is where I want to be. Why flirt with something when you know what you want? That’s the case for me moving forward.”

Kings exit interviews: Anze Kopitar

Here’s some of what Kings center Anze Kopitar said Sunday during his meeting with reporters: “It’s definitely disappointing. We definitely had other plans in mind. It didn’t happen, obviously. We got eliminated. We’ve got to live with this now. It’s going to be a longer summer again. Now is the time to exhale and look back and see what everybody can do better and come back next year ready to go again.

“Teams in this league are pretty good. You can’t just think you’re going to come in and just roll over everybody. I think San Jose was a good example. They just flat-out played better hockey than we did. They got timely goals on their power play. We weren’t as sharp as we wanted to be on the penalty kill and on the power play. That’s what usually makes a difference.”

Kings exit interviews: Vincent Lecavalier

Vincent Lecavalier’s Hall of Fame-caliber career ended with the Kings’ loss Friday to the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. He said he planned to retire at season’s end, no matter the outcome, after the Kings acquired him Jan. 6 from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Lecavalier didn’t wish to talk immediately after Game 5, but he met with reporters Sunday at the Kings’ training facility in El Segundo. He said he plans to stick around for a while before moving back to Tampa, Fla., but he insisted his playing days have come to an end after 421 goals, 528 assists and 1,212 games in the NHL.

“It’s tough to process anything right now,” said Lecavalier, who spent most of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a Stanley Cup championship with them in 2003-04. “It’s only been a couple of days here. Honestly, to be able to get a chance to play …”

Lecavalier was not in the Flyers’ plans this season, playing only seven games before he and and Luke Schenn were sent to the Kings for Jordan Weal and a third-round draft pick. Lecavalier played an important role as the Kings’ third-line center and had 10 goals and 17 assists in 42 games.

“I think back in November and talking to Luke and saying, ‘I think I’m going to be stuck here (Philadelphia) and I’m not playing,’ and then getting a chance to play on this team and, obviously, we didn’t go where we wanted to go at the end of it, but to get a chance to play and to have fun and to learn, it’s just a great time,” Lecavalier said. “I always had that confidence that I could still do well. It was great. This is a great team. I know they’re going to win again.”

Game 5 report: Sharks 6, Kings 3

Key play: Joonas Donskoi scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the San Jose Sharks went on to take a 6-3 victory Friday over the Kings in the decisive Game 5 of the first-round series at Staples Center. Donskoi chipped the puck into the net after a nifty pass from Brent Burns.

The series: The Sharks eliminated the Kings 4-1 and advanced to the second round.

Pivotal performer: Sharks winger Joe Pavelski added an insurance goal for his series-leading fifth of the series. Pavelski and linemates Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl proved to be too much for the Kings to handle during the series, and were the difference makers over the course of five games.

Quote, unquote: “The bottom line is we didn’t play well enough to win the series, and they did,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said. “It showed on the scoreboard. We were chasing the lead pretty much every game. That’s just not the way you play in the playoffs. We made it hard on ourselves, first of all, to lose the first two games in this building. I just feel our game was not where we needed it to be.”

Quote, unquote (part 2): “Yes, 100 percent,” Kings left wing Milan Lucic said when asked if he planned to re-sign with the Kings rather than test the open market as an unrestricted free agent July 1. “I don’t have any plans about thinking about or playing anywhere else. I’m sure there will be a lot of conversations in the near future and I hope it works out for both sides.”

Between the pipes: Jonathan Quick made 22 saves and fell 1-4 during the series. Martin Jones, who served as Quick’s backup until the Kings traded him last summer, made 19 saves to improve to 4-1 in his first five starts in the playoffs after making two relief appearances in 2014 against the Sharks.

Game 4 report: Sharks 3, Kings 2

Key play: Patrick Marleau scored the last of the Sharks’ three power-play goals and San Jose held on for a 3-2 victory Wednesday in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Kings at the SAP Center. Marleau backhanded a rebound into the net at 1:40 of the final period.

The series: The Sharks lead 3-1. Game 5 is Friday at Staples Center.

Pivotal performer: San Jose defenseman Brent Burns scored the Sharks’ first power-play goal, whistling a one-timed shot from the left faceoff circle past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Burns also assists on Marleau’s goal, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Quote, unquote: “Our penalty-kill wasn’t near good enough,” said Kings defenseman Luke Schenn, who was on the ice for Burns’ goal “Special teams made a huge difference. Our special teams need to improve if we’re going to climb back in it.”

Status quo: Kings coach Darryl Sutter and San Jose counterpart Peter DeBoer stayed with the same lineups for Game 4 that they used in Game 3. DeBoer indicated dissatisfaction with his fourth line after Game 3, but stuck with Nick Spaling, Chris Tierney and Tommy Wingels for Game 4.

Game 3 report: Kings 2, Sharks 1 (OT)

Key play: Tanner Pearson picked up a loose puck along the left-wing boards and then converted on a 2-on-1 break to score the winning goal 3:47 into sudden-death overtime to give the Kings a 2-1 victory Monday over the San Jose Sharks in Game 3 of their first-round series.

The series: The Sharks lead was cut to 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday at the SAP Center.

Pivotal performer: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick gave up a goal to Joe Thornton on the Sharks’ first shot of the game, after only 30 seconds. Quick then stopped the next 28 shots he faced in a vintage performance from the 2012 Conn Smythe winner as the MVP of the playoffs.

Quote, unquote: “Not the start we wanted, obviously,” Pearson said. “We trust each other that we’re going to come back. Look over the years at what this team has done. … It’s a confident group when our backs are against the wall. We’re still there. We’ve got to fight back to even the series.”

Injury update: Kings defenseman Alec Martinez sat out for the second consecutive game and for the sixth time in the last seven games because of an undisclosed injury. Defenseman Matt Greene continues to skate with his teammates, but there’s no timetable for his return from shoulder surgery.

Lineup shuffle: Kings coach Darryl Sutter returned left wing Kyle Clifford to the lineup after replacing him with Nick Shore for Game 2. Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Kris Versteeg combined to form an effective fourth line for Sutter for Game 3.

Right wing Marian Gaborik talks about his return to the lineup and what the Kings need to do to improve their play in Game 3

Kings right wing Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup for the first time since injuring his right knee Feb. 12. Here’s some of what he said about his return and the Kings’ 2-1 loss Saturday to the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of their first-round series: “I felt pretty good. I’ll need to get better and better. We have to be better overall. Each of us need to take our games to the next level.”

Gaborik also said of the Kings’ lackluster play in Game 2, “We’re beating ourselves out there. We have to correct a lot of things. We didn’t generate a whole lot of scoring chances. We have to have (Martin) Jones work way more than he’s been working. We had a pretty good surge at the end there, but it was too late. We have to regroup, go to San Jose and come back with a tied series.”