EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Less than three minutes into Game 5, Matt Greene spotted TJ Galiardi loitering in front of the Los Angeles Kings' net. Greene flattened the agitating San Jose forward with a nasty hit, sending Galiardi's stick flying as he fell.

There's nothing fancy about the way Greene plays hockey, and that's why the veteran defenseman fits perfectly with the no-nonsense Stanley Cup champions. In a series increasingly pitting the Sharks' flash against the Kings' smash, Greene and fellow hard-hitting defensemen Robyn Regehr and Rob Scuderi are hanging in with San Jose's formidable offensive talent - and occasionally crushing it.

Greene's return to the Los Angeles lineup has coincided with a return to form by the Kings, who struggled for long stretches of the first four games, yet still earned a chance to close out the Sharks in Game 6 on Sunday night.