SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Adam Burish will rejoin the San Jose Sharks lineup for Game 6 on Sunday.
That in and of itself is a story since the team announced before the series that he'd be out for the entire second round. The gritty winger suffered a hand injury against Vancouver last round.
"I feel pretty darn good," Burish said Saturday after pushing himself hard in practice.
"We want to see Adam Burish -- his game,'' Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said Saturday after practice. "He's a feisty player. He's a very good right-hand faceoff guy, he kills penalties, he adds a physical element to our game. And he's got a past he can reference in this situation. He's been there with a team that's won the Cup (Chicago) and I'm sure they faced adversity throughout their run and he can bring that in the locker room."
The Sharks can use any help they can with Martin Havlat still injured and Raffi Torres suspended.
"It's a frustrating thing to sit and watch," Burish said Saturday. "It's way harder to watch than it is to play. You're pacing. You can't sit still. You're yelling at the TV. Wherever you're sitting, you're moving around. So it's hard. It's frustrating to watch."
Burish brings some sandpaper to a Sharks lineup that needs a boost after playing their worst game of the series Thursday night in a 3-0 loss to the Kings.
"On the ice, I just want to bring some attitude to this team," said Burish. "To me, playoffs is all about attitude. It's about competing and the 'you're not gonna beat me, I'm gonna beat you' attitude. It's battles all over the ice. You're not seeing pretty goals anymore. You're not seeing nice plays. Maybe James Neal's toe-drag was a pretty one, but in this series, you're not seeing many pretty goals. It's bangs around the net. It's deflections. You have to play with that attitude, and I'm going to bring that. But I'm not coming to save the day. We're in a good spot. This team has been doing a lot of good things, so I just want to chip in in ways I can."
KINGS WANT TO END IT
The Kings played an exhausting, physically intense opening series with the St. Louis Blues, winning in six grueling games.
Needless to say, they'd love to close out the Sharks on Sunday in Game 6 to get any rest they can before the Western Conference finals.
"When you have a team down, you want to step on their throats," Kings captain Dustin Brown said Saturday. "It's having that killer instinct. It's something we had last year. It's just breaking their will and doing everything you can to put doubt in their mind."
Thing is, the Kings are going to have to improve what has been a struggle on the road in these playoffs, the defending champs just 1-4 away from Staples Center.
"We haven't scored on the road," said Brown. "Bump our goal total up and it's better. We have to find a way to score goals on the road and I think that's about preparation and doing the right things. San Jose has a really hard building to play in, but that's not to say that we can't do what we need to do to get more goals."
HP Pavilion is indeed a vibrant rink and the Sharks are cooking at home in these playoffs at a perfect 4-0.
"We've played well enough up there," Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said Saturday. "It was 2-1 twice, if we scored another goal we might not be going back there."
Sutter also downplayed whatever factor San Jose's loud rink is on visiting teams.
"What's the big deal? It's loud there? It's not like our building hasn't been loud," said Sutter. "I don't think it's got anything to do with it. I've been in a lot louder buildings than that one. I don't think it's an issue. I don't think anyone bases their game on how loud it is."
With files from Arash Markazi in El Segundo, Calif.