Kings' determination is outdone by Sharks' depth in 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 - latimes.com
Williams inspired his teammates, with the possible exception of winger Dustin Penner. He may be beyond inspiration and was dropped to the fourth line after his poor defensive coverage contributed to San Jose's first goal and his offensive efforts were negligible.

pandering - definition of pandering by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
pan·der  (pndr) intr.v. pan·dered, pan·der·ing, pan·ders 1. To act as a go-between or liaison in sexual intrigues; function as a procurer. 2. To cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploit their weaknesses: "He refused to pander to nostalgia and escapism" (New York Times). [Middle English Pandare, Pandarus, from Old Italian Pandaro, from Latin Pandarus, from Greek Pandaros.] 

In this case, it's a weakness for scapegoating.

As far as the Sharks' vaunted "depth" goes, I thought the Kings' third and fourth lines outplayed the Sharks'. Maybe a better headline would have been, "Kings' luck outdone by Sharks' luck."