The San Jose Sharks are hoping for a better all-around performance when they hit the road for the first time this season to play the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Friday night.The Sharks (0-1-0) lost 5-2 against the Anaheim Ducks in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday night in San Jose.Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped just 10 of 14 shots before the Ducks scored a late empty-netter to seal the win. San Jose also went 0-for-3 on the power play Jonathan Ericsson Jersey , and gave up two power play goals on the other end.Article continues below ...“The power play’s about confidence and obviously we struggled in preseason and didn’t look sharp tonight,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury News afterward. “We’ve got to get some practice time, we’ve got to spend a little time on video. but special teams and goaltending are huge parts of the game and we lost those two battles. When that happens, you’re probably not going to win a lot of games.”The Kings will open their season without right winger Dustin Brown, who finished second on the team in goals (28) and points (61) last season. Brown sustained a broken finger in the final preseason game Saturday against the Ducks and is out indefinitely.“It’s not good to lose one of your top guys,” Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty told The Athletic. “Brownie is a guy that is very, very hard to replace. Both in the room and on the ice.”San Jose welcomed back one of its leaders on Wednesday night.Joe Thornton played his first game since Jan. 23. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee two days later and missed the rest of the regular season and playoffs.Thornton, 39, played 17:42 against the Ducks with one shot on goal and two penalty minutes.“That’s the best I’ve seen (Thornton) moving since training camp and exhibition,” DeBoer told reporters afterward. “I thought tonight he had some decent legs.”Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson will make his first appearance at Staples Center since Dec. 7, when he was still a member of the Ottawa Senators.Karlsson, one of the NHL’s top defensemen who led the league in assists with 66 in 2015-16, was traded to San Jose on Sept. 13 in a deal that sent two players Womens Justin Abdelkader Jersey , two prospects and San Jose’s 2020 first-round draft pick to Ottawa.Karlsson wasn’t much of a factor in his team debut on Wednesday. He had a team-high four takeaways, but was also the only player to finish at minus-2.“I think as the game went on, just like everybody else, it felt a little more comfortable,” Karlsson told the Mercury News. “A little bit shaky in the beginning, pucks were bouncing here and there and you’re overthinking stuff, but (as) the game went along, I think not only me but everybody else started to feel a little bit more comfortable.” The Vegas Golden Knights are among the NHL teams with the most salary cap space going into free agency , giving the Western Conference champions some chips to put on the table in a bid to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.Vegas had nearly $30 million to spend going into the weekend, according to spotrac.com, trailing only the New York Islanders by about $2 million. The Golden Knights seem set up for major moves if general manager George McPhee wants to bolster the second-year team with free agents.Vegas didn’t appear to have a shot at landing the top prize on the market John Tavares . But the Golden Knights may make a run at some other available veterans to help increase their chances of competing at a championship level again next season.Players such as James van Riemsdyk and Paul Stastny would fit in up front with a team that stunningly exceeded expectations during the franchise’s inaugural season. Mike Green, perhaps the best defenseman available, is another veteran that would mesh well as a puck-moving defenseman for the speedy team.However Luke Glendening Jersey , McPhee may not want to pay a heavy price with long-term contracts to land any of the top players on the market. He may choose to re-sign his own free agents, sign goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who has one year left on his deal, to a contract extension. He may roll with the talented players on his roster while trying to draft and develop.The Golden Knights have some free agents of their own they’ll want to bring back. James Neal, David Perron and Ryan Reaves are unrestricted free agents with a chance to cash in on their performances last season by re-signing with Vegas or leaving to take advantage of a thin crop of available players.Vegas’ key restricted free agents are: William Karlsson, Colin Miller, Shea Theodore, Tomas Nosek and Will Carrier. Keeping Karlsson, without a doubt, will be a priority.Here’s a look at some other teams positioned to make major moves:NEW YORK ISLANDERSThe Islanders had nearly $32 million in cap space the day before free agency began, giving them more money to spend than any other team in the league. They’ll need a lot of that money to retain Tavares, who is easily the best player potentially available. The 27-year-old star center can command an eight-year deal to stay in New York for perhaps $10 million, or more Martin Frk Jersey , per season.NEW YORK RANGERSThe Rangers were $27-plus million under the cap going into the weekend, but had just 13 players under contract. They will have to spend about $10 million next season to retain restricted free agents Vladislav Namestnikov, Kevin Hayes and Ryan Spooner.TORONTO MAPLE LEAFSThe franchise hopes to sign Tavares, who is from the Toronto area, to give it a second star to go along with 20-year-old Auston Matthews. Toronto will have some tough choices to make with some of its own players potentially on the unrestricted free agent market such as van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Tomas Plekanec and Leo Komarov. William Nylander, a restricted free agent, will be a priority to keep after consecutive 61-point seasons.VANCOUVER CANUCKSWith twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin retiring after counting $7 million each against the cap last season, the Canucks had nearly $25 million in cap space going into the weekend. They’ll probably have to pay free agents more and offer longer-term contracts than other suitors because they’ve been among the worst teams in the league the last three seasons.—