Kings coach Darryl Sutter stated the obvious Monday, less than 24 hours after the San Jose Sharks took a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series with a 7-2 rout. Sutter said the difference in the series is the difference between the Kings’ lackluster third and fourth lines, plus their third defense pair, and the Sharks’ effective second set of six forwards and final defense tandem.

“Our role players and D need to show the tenacity their role players are showing when given a chance,” Sutter said. “We tried every matchup on earth last night possible. Kopi (Anze Kopitar) played against everybody. Jeff (Carter) played against everybody. That was not an issue.

“Any of those matchups haven’t been a problem in this series. The problem is when they put guys who work hard and try to prove something going forward out there. We haven’t matched up well. That’s clear. It was a problem for us last year, too. We didn’t have a fourth line last year. It’s been a moving target this year and it’s been a moving target the first two games.”