Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Anze Kopitar scored twice in the third period as the Los Angeles Kings topped the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, snapping San Jose's 20-game points streak.

Brian Willsie and Raitis Ivanans each scored for the Kings, who salvaged a split in a home-and-home series with the Sharks. San Jose won the front end, 5-2, at home on Tuesday.

Dustin Brown added a pair of assists, and Erik Ersberg made 32 saves to earn the win.

"We had a great team performance. We have one left, and we'll try to finish strong," said Kings coach Marc Crawford. "The most important thing is to win the lottery on Monday."

The Kings are tied with Tampa Bay for the worst mark in the league with 71 points, and will have a 25 chance of nabbing the top overall pick in the upcoming draft if they finish with the lowest point total in the NHL.

Joe Thornton notched a goal and an assist for Sharks, who had a four-game win streak snapped and lost in regulation for the first time since a 3-2 decision at New Jersey on Feb. 20 -- a span in which the Sharks posted an 18-0-2 record. Joe Pavelski also tallied, while Evgeni Nabokov allowed three goals on 26 shots.

The Sharks are locked into the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs after Detroit clinched home-ice advantage and the Presidents' Trophy with Thursday's 3-2 win over Columbus.

"It's good that this happened, losing a game before the playoffs," Nabokov said. "It will help us refocus."

Tied 2-2 late in the third, Kopitar gave the Kings a one-goal lead with 5:38 left in the third, as Scott Thornton's shot from the right wing deflected off Brown's skate into the slot to Kopitar, who buried a wrister for the go-ahead marker.

Ersberg was sensational down the stretch, and Kopitar capped the win with an empty-net tally in the final seconds.

"What this shows, is that if you let your guard down even for a little bit, oftentimes things will not go your way," said Sharks forward Mike Grier. "Hopefully, we'll get back to work and do the little things that made us successful these past few weeks."

Joe Thornton got the Sharks on the board just 36 seconds into the game, firing a shot from just behind the goal line that ticked off Ersberg's skate and into the net.

Nabokov stopped 13 shots to keep the Kings off the board in the first, but Willsie tied the game at the 2:14 mark of the second, picking up a San Jose turnover in the slot and firing a shot that went between Nabokov's pads and skipped into the goal.

Los Angeles pulled in front, 2-1, just over eight minutes later when Frolov picked up the puck behind the net and slid a feed to Ivanans in the slot for a one-timer that eluded Nabokov.

Ersberg was flawless during the stanza, stopping all 11 San Jose shots, as the Kings held a one-goal edge heading into the final frame.

Just over three minutes into the second, Pavelski snuck into the slot on the power play and wristed a feed from Marleau past Ersberg to tie the game, 2-2.