Kings score 2 goals in 9 seconds in win
Plenty of thoughts raced through Jussi Jokinen’s mind before taking the ice, from his daughter’s birthday to his success on the road against the Capitals.
Not much went through his mind when he scored the Los Angeles Kings’ second goal in a span of nine seconds, the key stretch in a 5-2 victory at Washington on Thursday night. The quick-strike, second-period goals by Jonny Brodzinski and Jokinen helped the Kings win their third in a row.
“It kind of changed the whole hockey game,” Jokinen said. “It gave a big lift to our hockey team, and we didn’t have to chase the game anymore, and they had to chase the game.”
Jokinen’s goal was his first in 21 games this season after starting with the Edmonton Oilers before a trade to Los Angeles on Nov. 14. In the midst of a challenging year that included being bought out by the Florida Panthers in June, the 34-year- old was beaming at being able to celebrate daughter Sandra’s sixth birthday with his first goal since March 17.
“She hasn’t seen her dad score a goal in a long time,” said Jokinen, who has eight goals and seven assists in 22 games at Washington. “It was fun to get one on her birthday. It feels good.”
The Kings are finally back to feeling good after losing seven of eight from Nov. 9-24. This one wasn’t easy, as they had to rally and withstand two goals from Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov, but the Kings got 27 saves from Jonathan Quick and two goals from Marian Gaborik to get the job done. STARS4, BLACK HAWKS 3(OT) » Mattias Janmark scored his second goal of the game 51 seconds into overtime to lift visiting Dallas over Chicago. Radek Faksa had a goal and an assist and Remi Elie also scored for the Stars, who have won three straight and five of six. Ben Bishop made 19 saves. Janmark skated in and beat Corey Crawford over the goaltender’s right shoulder for his sixth of the season. WILD 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2 » Eric Staal scored the goahead goal with 7:55 left and tacked on an empty- netter to give Minnesota a win over Vegas in St. Paul, Minn. Mikael Granlund and Jonas Brodin also scored for the Wild. CANADIENS6, REDWINGS 3 » Brendan Gallagher scored twice, and his Montreal teammates added three goals in the second period at struggling Detroit. CANUCKS 5, PREDATORS 3 » Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, Daniel Sedin surpassed 1,000 career points and visiting Vancouver beat Nashville. Loui Eriksson also scored twice and Sedin had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
FLAMES3, COYOTES0 » Mike Smith stopped 28 shots against his former team, Mark Jankowski scored twice and host Calgary blanked Arizona. Smith earned his second shutout of the season and the 35th of his career. The 35-yearold goalie was making his first start against the Coyotes since being acquired by the Flames in a June trade. MAPLE LEAFS 6, OILERS 4 » Kris Russell was battling Nazem Kadri in the slot and inadvertently knocked the puck past Edmonton goalie Laurent Brossoit with 1:05 to play as visiting Toronto beat Edmonton. That winner was credited to Patrick Marleau. DEVILS GET VATANEN » The New Jersey Devils acquired defenseman Sami Vatanen in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for center Adam Henrique and forward Joseph Blandisi. New Jersey gets a conditional 2019 or 2020 third-round pick along with Vatanen. The Devils also sent a 2018 third-round pick to Anaheim. CANUCK RETIRING » Vancouver Canucks forward Derek Dorsett said he is devastated after deciding to follow medical advice and end his hockey career because of spinal problems. Doctors recommended he not return to the ice because of “long-term, significant health risks” associated with a cervical disk herniation, the Canucks said. WILD CLAIM PROSSER » The Minnesota Wild claimed defenseman Nate Prosser off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, returning the nine-year NHL veteran to his home-state team for a third stint.