LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mikey Anderson, Viktor Arvidsson and Anze Kopitar scored in a span of 1:23 of the third period and the Los Angeles Kings won their third straight, 6-2 over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
“To come back and put those three goals together was powerful,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “It deflates the opposition quickly, and guys made good plays. Confident plays.”
Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist to reach 700 career points, Sean Durzi had a goal and two assists, and the Kings went 5-2-0 on their seven-game homestand. Jonathan Quick made 27 saves.
Kris Letang and Radim Zohorna scored for the Penguins, who have lost two of three following a 10-game winning streak. Tristan Jarry allowed six goals on 45 shots.
“We came out a little flat. They had more juice and had a much better start than us, and we just weren’t able to find our game,” Penguins center Teddy Blueger said.
Shortly after the Penguins tied it at 2 1:37 into the third on Zohorna’s one-timer, the Kings seized control for good. Anderson reclaimed the lead with his first of the year on a shot from the blue line that Jarry seemed to lose track of. Arvidsson made it 4-2 on a one-timer 10 seconds later, and Kopitar got his second goal and third point at 4:30 to cap off the scoring blitz.
“Momentum is real. It’s a big part of hockey, a big part of sports,” Durzi said. “Actually, after they scored, I thought the response from the bench was really good. A lot of guys just talking it through, saying let’s bounce back. Good energy, guys really showed it. To get two in one shift was huge. Feeding off that, building off that, I thought the guys responded well.”
STYLISH STATS
Brown put the Kings up 2-1 with 5:28 left in the second for his 700th point. He grabbed the rebound of Durzi’s shot and scored his first power-play goal of the season from close range.
Durzi scored from the right point with 1:40 to play, with Brown getting the primary assist for his 701st point.
Brown has 322 goals and 379 assists in 1,266 career games, all with Los Angeles. He is the seventh player in franchise history with 700 points.
STEPPING UP
With three support staffers unavailable because of COVID-19 protocols, Aisha Visram served as athletic trainer for the Kings. Visram, who is head trainer for Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate, is believed to be the first woman to work on the bench of a NHL regular-season game in any capacity, according to the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society and Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers.
“We need more of that in our game,” McLellan said. "I can tell you that Aisha is a big part of our organization. And we don’t talk about these people. We don’t talk about the trainers or the equipment people, but she’s mentoring with (head athletic trainer) Chris Kingsley and the rest of the staff, and accepted a huge role there and does a tremendous job, so unreal reward for her. And everybody’s a big part of it, so include her in it.”
OH NO
Letang extended his point streak to six games by forcing an own goal off Quick’s right skate with a centering pass 4:42 into the game. It was Letang’s first goal to go along with nine assists during his strong run of play.
Quick was nearly at fault for a second goal in the closing seconds of the second period. He saved Jake Guentzel’s breakaway, but when he tried to flick the puck out of his glove and back into play it trickled behind him and ended up resting on the goal line before Quick was eventually able to cover it up.
NOTES: Kings F Trevor Moore had two assists, giving him five points during a three-game streak. ... Kings F Samuel Fagemo made his NHL debut. Fagemo was a second-round pick in the 2019 draft.
UP NEXT
Penguins: At San Jose on Saturday night.
Kings: At Seattle on Saturday night.
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Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press