LOS ANGELES -- Joe Pavelski led the NHL with 11 game-winning goals. He wasted little time delivering one in the postseason in a Game 1 Western Conference quarterfinal win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Pavelski scored twice, including the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and the San Jose Sharks earned a 4-3 victory over the Kings on Thursday night at Staples Center.

Pavelski's second goal of the game boosted the Sharks to their final margin 17 seconds into the third period. Brent Burns had a goal and assist for San Jose, while Joel Ward finished with two assists.

Pavelski said the Sharks felt comfortable being tied with the Kings heading into the final period.

"We feel confident. The biggest thing is that we stick to our guns," the Sharks center said. "We keep throwing four lines out, and keep playing. We've really done a good job pressing, and not sitting back, whether we have the lead or we're down, we've played the same way. That's important; not getting too high, and just focus on what we need to do."

Martin Jones, a former Kings backup, recorded 21 saves on 24 shots for San Jose. Jones faced several shots in the final minute as the Kings desperately tried to tie the score and force overtime, but he and the Sharks escaped any damage.

Pavelski was one of the main reasons the Sharks prevailed, coach Peter DeBoer said.

"He's our captain for a reason," DeBoer said. "He scores a lot of key goals, he leads the league in game-winning goals and he's been clutch like that for us all season."

Jonathan Quick stopped 19 of 23 shots for the Kings. However, too many mistakes cost Quick and the Kings.

"We lost the special team battles," Kings center Anze Kopitar said. "We first and foremost took too many penalties. You just can't give them too much momentum. We have to do a better job of staying out of the box, and that our mistakes don't result in to goals against. Obviously, it's not ideal to lose the first game, especially at home. We'll correct a couple things, and we'll get back at it on Saturday."

Jake Muzzin put the Kings up 1-0, slapping a shot off the skate of Tomas Hertl and into the net at 2:53 of the first period.

However, after Kopitar was sent to the box for interference, Pavelski tied the score with a power-play goal by ripping a shot from the left circle on a pass from Burns at 6:25 of the first.

In the second period, San Jose grabbed a 2-1 lead on Burns' goal at 6:50 on an assist from Ward.

The Kings quickly knotted the score when they got another fortuitous bounce. Jeff Carter fired a shot off the stick of Hertl, which ricocheted off the leg of Paul Martin and off the shoulder of Jones for a power-play goal at 7:30 of the second.

Trevor Lewis gave the Kings the lead again with an unassisted short-hander for a 3-2 edge with 2:42 remaining in the second. Lewis' 10th career playoff goal marks the first short-handed goal scored by the Kings since Kopitar scored one May 22, 2012, vs. the Phoenix Coyotes.

However, the lead lasted just 30 seconds as Hertl corralled a loose puck and slipped it past Quick for a 3-3 tie with 2:12 left in the period.

"I think every goal is a big momentum swing back and forth," Burns said. "I think that takes a lot of energy out of a team when you score right away. That was a big shift."

Kings coach Darryl Sutter said the two teams are evenly matched, but the Sharks created more opportunities.

"It was a close game," Sutter said. "There were a couple of face-off goals, and then it was center lost center on the winning goal."

NOTES: The Sharks scratched C Dainius Zubrus, C Micheal Haley, D Dylan DeMelo and D Matt Tennyson. D Jamie McBain and C Nick Shore were unavailable for the Kings. ... This is the fourth postseason clash between the two clubs in the past six years. The Kings have won two of three, with both wins coming in seven games in the previous two series. They prevailed in the 2013 Western Conference semifinals and the opening round in 2014, when they erased a 3-0 deficit. The Sharks beat the Kings in six games in the 2011 first round. ... The Sharks captured three of the five regular-season meetings with both teams winning twice on visiting ice. ... After Saturday' s Game 2, the series shifts to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday. If there is a Game 5, it would be played April 22 at Staples Center.