Kings wear the crown over Canucks
VANCOUVER — Drew Doughty scored the winner in the third period as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night.
Tyler Toffoli, with a goal and two assists, Marian Gaborik, with a goal and an assist, and Kyle Clifford also scored for Los Angeles (23-11-5). Jonathan Quick made 22 saves, while Trevor Lewis chipped in with two assists.
Troy Stecher, Nikolay Goldobin and Nic Dowd replied for Vancouver (16-18-5), which got 32 saves from Jacob Markstrom. Ben Hutton had two assists.
The Kings improved to 3-3-2 over their last eight games following an eight-game winning streak, while the Canucks dropped to 2-8-1 over the past 11.
After the teams exchanged goals early in the third, Doughty picked up the puck after his initial shot was blocked by Canucks defenceman Alexander Edler and ripped his seventh of the season past Markstrom’s blocker at 6:49.
Victimized by Goldobin on his goal late in the second, the Kings’ star blue liner swung his arm in celebration along the boards with teammates as the Canucks fumed at the officials, seemingly angry that the Kings had too many men on the ice — a grievance that appeared to be backed up by television replays.
Sam Gagner, who had two goals and an assist in Vancouver’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, then rang a shot off the crossbar midway through the period that bounced down in the crease and stayed out.
Markstrom kept the Canucks alive with a big stop on Toffoli, but Vancouver couldn’t find a way past Quick.
The home side grabbed a 3-2 lead 41 seconds into the third when Dowd, who was acquired from Los Angeles on Dec. 7, finished on a 2-on-1 rush by beating Quick with his first.
But the Kings replied just 1:41 later when Lewis circled back off the rush before laying the puck in front to Clifford, who eventually banged home his first before Doughty put his team ahead for good.
Down 2-1 after the opening period, the Canucks started to play better after defenceman Ben Hutton rocked Kings captain Dustin Brown with a big hit in the neutral zone, and eventually tied it up on a great individual effort by Goldobin with 2:29 left in the second.
The 22-year-old Russian, who had been a healthy scratch four of the last nine games, toe-dragged around Doughty, and moved into the slot before unleashing a backhand that fooled Quick under the blocker for his second.
The goal stood after the Kings challenged for interference on Quick, and Los Angeles nearly restored its lead moments later only to see Gaborik hit his second post of the period on a breakaway.
Vancouver opened the scoring at 4:31 of the first when Stecher intercepted a clearing attempt at the blue line, fought off a check and saw his shot from the bottom of the circle tick off a Kings stick and beat Quick upstairs for the defenceman’s first.
Los Angeles evened things up at 13:04 when Toffoli banged home a loose puck in the slot after Adrian Kempe sliced into the offensive zone and found a cutting Gaborik down the left.
The Canucks challenged that Gaborik had interfered with Markstrom just before Toffoli deposited his 17th of the season, but the goal stood after video review.