EL SEGUNDO (AP) — Kings goalie Jonathan Quick sometimes seems to be the only obstacle between San Jose and the Western Conference finals while the Sharks dominate much of their 2-2 series with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

And if Quick needed any extra motivation to stop the Sharks again in the pivotal Game 5 on Thursday night, TJ Galiardi provided it.

Galiardi accused the Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie of exaggerating contact with opposing players Wednesday, claiming Quick attempts to draw undeserved penalties.

“What kind of bugs me about him, I don’t know if I should say it, but a little embellishment every now and then,” Galiardi said after the Sharks’ workout in San Jose. “You skate by and you don’t even touch him, or you barely even touch him, and he’s throwing his hands in the air. So that’s one of those things. It’s playoffs. Everyone is trying to draw a penalty. Whatever.”

Galiardi apparently was displeased by Quick’s reaction to an encounter during the Sharks’ 2-1 victory in Game 4 on Tuesday night, with Quick fruitlessly arguing for an interference call after Galiardi made contact with him. Galiardi’s comments added even more spice to this lively series heading back to Staples Center, where the Kings have won 12 straight games since March.

“The thing is, with video, something we like to say around here is, ‘Ball don’t lie,’” Galiardi said. “It’s an old basketball term, but when you watch the video, the video doesn’t lie. So I’m skating by and I barely touch him, and he’s throwing his hands in the air. It’s kind of one of those things. He looks bad on video, not me.”

Galiardi has never scored a playoff goal in his five-year NHL career, so he’s hardly the most likely candidate to challenge Quick’s postseason sportsmanship. Quick wasn’t in the Kings’ dressing room after practice at their training complex Wednesday.

The Los Angeles goalie turned in one of the most dominant playoff performances in recent hockey history for the Kings last year before following it up with another stellar postseason effort this spring. After holding St. Louis to 10 goals in the six-game first round, Quick has allowed just seven goals in four games against San Jose, stopping 122 of 129 shots in an otherwise frequently one-sided series.

Quick clearly hasn’t the problem during the Kings’ difficult defense, which now includes as many playoff losses as they took during the entire 2012 postseason. After consecutive 2-1 losses in San Jose, the Kings clearly haven’t backed up their star goalie’s efforts with consistent goal-scoring from their stars or contributions from all four lines, the offensive hallmarks of last season’s surge to the franchise’s first title.

“Recently, we all haven’t done the necessary things to score goals in the playoffs,” said first-line right wing Justin Williams, who has two goals in the postseason. “It’s pure broken record is all it is. Scorers have got to score. If they don’t score, they’ve got to create more offense. We’ve been outplayed so far, top line to top line, I feel in this series. We’re a proud bunch, but it’s still 2-2. We’re still in a good spot.”

Los Angeles has scored just one goal apiece in five of its 10 playoff games, and the Kings have managed just two even-strength goals in the last three games against San Jose. The Kings’ putative top line is struggling mightily: Captain Dustin Brown has just two goals — both on power plays — in the playoffs, and leading scorer Anze Kopitar has just one goal while getting outplayed by San Jose’s Joe Thornton.

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Penguins rout Senators 7-3, take 3-1 series lead

OTTAWA (AP) — Jarome Iginla and James Neal each scored twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Ottawa Senators 7-3 on Wednesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis also scored for Pittsburgh, and Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves. Down 2-1 after the first period, the Penguins scored twice in a 40-second span early in the second and added four goals in the first 10 minutes in the third.

Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa. Senators goalie Craig Anderson was benched in the third after Pittsburgh’s sixth goal, and Robin Lehner finished the game.

Game 5 is Friday night in Pittsburgh.