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 The two former Philadelphia Flyers contributed to the Kings' 2-1
victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it was center Jeff
Carter's goal at 8:05 of the third period that was the difference in
a physical affair Thursday night at Staples Center.
Schenn and Lecavalier were acquired from the Flyers on Wednesday in
a trade for center Jordan Weal and a third-round draft pick. Schenn
said he and Lecavalier, who had an assist on the game's first goal,
found out about midday they would be playing.
"I think (the flight) was 5 1/2 hours," said Schenn, who took three
shots and logged 15:59 of ice time. "It was kind of whirlwind day.
It's nice to kind of not have to go in and overthink things too
much, just kind of go in there out and play. I'm not sure what the
expectations were leading in, but luckily enough, it worked out and
we got a win."
Said Lecavalier, "It feels great. It was just a good team effort
tonight. The support for this team and the way they play is
impressive, so it was nice to be a part of it today. Everybody
worked really hard, and it paid off."
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who stuffed two Toronto attempts for a
game-tying goal in the final three minutes, stopped 25 shots for Los
Angeles (26-12-2). He helped the Kings earn their sixth win in seven
games.
Carter, who was back in the lineup after missing five games with an
upper-body injury, smoked a wrist shot past goaltender James Reimer
for a 2-0 lead. It was Carter's 12th goal of the season.
Center Peter Holland pulled the Maple Leafs within a goal on a power
play at 10:05 of the third. He fielded a pass from center Nazem
Kadri and delivered his seventh goal this season, but Toronto failed
to score again.
"They're such a good team," Holland said.
Reimer finished with 39 saves for Toronto, which was coming off a
4-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs
(16-16-7) had their three-game winning streak snapped.
"I thought we were fine," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "I
thought we executed in our own zone pretty well. We turned over too
many pucks at the end of the line, took awhile for our forwards to
get engaged. I thought we had a better second period, and I thought
we pushed and at the end of the third, we still made a couple of
mistakes."
Los Angeles defenseman Jake Muzzin broke up a scoreless contest at
2:53 of the third by converting a backhand pass from Lecavalier and
ripping a winner past Reimer.
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Babcock challenged the goal, saying Kings left winger Michael Mersch
was guilty of goalie interference. However, after a review, the goal
was upheld. It was Muzzin's fifth goal of the season and his first
since Oct. 29, when he tallied one against the New Jersey Devils.
Los Angeles received a scare late in the first period. Maple Leafs
defenseman Roman Polak received a game-misconduct penalty after
slamming Kings center and leading scorer Tyler Toffoli into the
boards with 34 seconds remaining until the first intermission.
Toffoli appeared to injure his right wrist. However, Toffoli
returned for the opening shift of the second period.
"I thought it was a major," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "I like
the player, Polak, he's a good player. At the same time, it's a hit
from behind. To me, it's not a big deal. It's a major penalty."
The Kings avenged their 5-0 loss by the Maple Leafs on Dec. 19,
allowing them to split the season series.
NOTES: Toronto C Leo Komarov collected 14 points (five goals) in the
previous 12 games before being held scoreless Thursday. ... Kings C
Tyler Toffoli was tied for the league lead with Chicago Blackhawks C
Dylan Larkin for plus/minus at plus-22 entering the game. ... Los
Angeles D Drew Doughty and new teammate D Luke Schenn were the
second and fifth picks of the 2008 draft. The Kings took Doughty,
while the Maple Leafs selected Schenn. ... Toronto scratched D Frank
Corrado, C Byron Froese and G Antoine Bibeau. D Jamie McBain, C Andy
Andreoff and C Nick Shore were unavailable for the Kings. ... Both
clubs resume play Saturday. The Maple Leafs visit the San Jose
Sharks in the final run of their three-game West Coast swing, while
the Kings host the St. Louis Blues in the second contest of their
four-game homestand.
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