Sharks knock around Kings

Kings’ fans not in attendance -- and there were plenty of seats to be had at Staples Center -- missed a chance to get a glimpse of what their team aspires to be Thursday night.

Neon-light-worthy headliners scooting up and down the ice scoring goals. Silver-platter opportunities cashed in. A team that played not only hard, but played well ... and won ... and won big.

The Kings, and the announced 16,168 in attendance scattered among numerous empty seats, got to watch that in the San Jose Sharks’ 7-3 victory. By the end of the game, the Kings seemed to be pylons in an elaborate skills competition.

Patrick Marleau had a hat trick before the second period ended, with his last two goals giving the Sharks a 6-2 lead. Jonathan Cheechoo had two goals. Steve Bernier had a goal and an assist, and Milan Michalek and Patrick Rissmiller both had three assists.

By the time the game mercifully ended for the Kings, they were left with little to say.

“We have to be better,” defenseman Rob Blake said. “It’s as simple as that.”

The Kings knew they were wandering into thin air, with the Sharks one of the teams perched near the top of the Western Conference. It was a chance, Kings Coach Marc Crawford said, “to get a win and get into the playoff race.” Instead, it was a reminder of how far the Kings are from the elite.

The game seemed to solidify the Kings’ place in the Pacific Division. They are now 0-5-1 against the Sharks, Ducks and Dallas Stars, the three teams ahead of them.

“This is the team everyone looks at,” Crawford said. “On the economic side, they are put together nicely, and hockey operations side, they have great young players.”

All of those young players seemed to play a role in their team’s victory Thursday, though the game might seem a blur to Kings players.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t want to talk about this one too much,” forward Michael Cammalleri said. “I want to move on.”

The Kings, though, probably will have plenty to review in coming film sessions.

Goaltender Mathieu Garon, who gave up five goals in his last game, started over Dan Cloutier, who gave up five goals in his last game. This time, Garon surrendered six goals on 18 shots through the first two periods.

He had plenty of help.

Kings’ defenders allowed the Sharks two chances at rebounds before Marleau chipped in a rebound for a power-play goal to tie the score, 1-1, 11:25 into the game.

A Dustin Brown turnover was turned into a goal by Bernier for a 2-1 Sharks lead 14 minutes into the third period.

Garon wandered behind the net to play the puck, then made a perfect pass to the Sharks’ Christine Ehrhoff, whose goal made it 3-1 16:33 into the game.

An Alexander Frolov turnover was quickly converted into a goal by Cheechoo for a 4-1 Sharks’ lead 16:39 into the game.

And so the Kings went.

“When we face a little adversity, we have issues with how we respond,” Crawford said. “Sometimes we respond by trying to do too much and that is poison against a team that moves the puck that well. They made us look silly sometimes.”

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Kings defenseman Brent Sopel will be out an indefinite time because of a broken right ankle, an injury suffered in a game Oct. 25 against the Minnesota Wild. Sopel, who has also been playing with a broken bone in his left hand, leads Kings defensemen with four goals.

The Kings will also be without center Alyn McCauley longer, as he suffered what he called a hiccup in his rehabilitation from two surgeries on his left knee. McCauley, who was practicing with the team until Monday, said his knee was “a little more sore than I would like it to be. We decided the best thing was to shut it down and not push back.”

McCauley, who signed a three-year, $6-million contract this last summer, has yet to play in a game for the Kings.

chris.foster@latimes.com