Kings 6, Sharks 3: Marian Gaborik and Justin Williams each scored twice as host Los Angeles staved off elimination from its Western Conference first-round series.

Tyler Toffoli and captain Dustin Brown recorded a goal and an assist apiece for the Kings, who had 12 of their 18 skaters land on the scoresheet. Jonathan Quick turned aside 36 shots as Los Angeles avoided being swept in a best-of-seven series for the first time since 2000.

James Sheppard, Matt Nieto and Joe Pavelski tallied for the Sharks, who look to close out the series when they host Game 5 on Saturday. Patrick Marleau notched two assists and Annti Niemi allowed five goals on 26 shots before being replaced by Alex Stalock, who stopped all four shots he faced in his NHL postseason debut.

Gaborik and Sheppard traded first-period goals before Williams converted a power-play chance 3:52 into the second to give Los Angeles a 2-1 edge. San Jose answered again at 8:25 as Nieto intentionally banked a rebound off Kings defenseman Alec Martinez and into the net, but Williams tapped in an airborne puck at the left post with 3:53 left in the session after blue-liner Willie Mitchell's shot went wide and skipped off the end boards.

Toffoli made it 4-2 with 59 seconds remaining, when he buried a loose puck from the left side of the crease after Martinez's right-point shot was deflected, and Gaborik chased Niemi 34 seconds into the third with a shot from the right faceoff circle. Pavelski fired a bouncing puck in front under the crossbar during a power play with 8:24 to play, but Brown sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:28 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gaborik's two-goal performance was the second of his playoff career. ... Los Angeles Cs Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter each notched an assist, giving them a point in every game of the series. ... Tempers boiled over in the latter stages of the third period as the teams combined for 34 penalty minutes in the final 4:12, including two fights in the last 11 seconds. ... Kopitar was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, becoming the first player in franchise history to be nominated for the award.