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 The big forward crashed the net on a two-on-one break and was
credited with his second goal of the season to snap a 1-1 tie and
spark the Kings to a closer-than-the-score-indicated 4-1 win over
the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre.
The Kings (6-3-0) have won six straight games after opening the
2015-16 NHL campaign with a trio of defeats. The Jets fell to 5-3-1.
Lucic was battling for space with Jets defenseman Tyler Myers when a
pass from L.A. center Tyler Toffoli slid across the crease, bounced
off something -- quite possibly Myers' stick -- and got behind
Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec with just 4:41 left in the third
period.
Toffoli then scored his seventh goal of the year into an empty net
with less than a minute left in the game, and center Trevor Lewis
recorded his first of the season on another empty netter with 27
seconds left to close things out.
"Ahh, gonna have to look at the video," Lucic said with a smile
during a postgame scrum with reporters.
"I mean, if the video shows that it hit me, I'll take it. But if it
didn't, it's Tyler's goal. But at the end of the day, you know
regardless of who gets it, it's a big goal at a big moment and the
one that got us that win."
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, right winger Nikolaj Ehlers
scored his fourth goal of the season for the Jets at 8:45 of the
second period with a wrist shot that handcuffed goalie Jonathan
Quick to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
But Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin notched his first goal of the year
at 15:50 on a rocket from the point to tie it, with Lucic parked in
front and creating havoc.
"I don't think he touched me. He did a great job in front of the
net," said Pavelec,
Late in a final period dominated by Los Angeles, Myers wasn't able
to keep the puck inside the blue line with a pair of Kings bearing
down on him, causing the odd-man rush.
"I'll have to look at it. I'll have to see if that was a play I'd
rather hang back on. I'll have to look at that one to see if there
was a better decision to make," Myers said.
To make matters worse, the winner glanced off his stick, he
admitted.
"After that play, I was getting the back check going and it just
happened to go off my stick. Unfortunate bounce, but you know that's
the way it went," he said.
Toffoli said he was just relieved to see the puck in the back of the
net.
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"I was going to shoot it, but I saw (Lucic's) stick there. I figured
if I was going to shoot it, it was going to get tipped or blocked
and I knew (Lucic) is going to the back post," he said. "(I) just
threw it there and I don't know if it hit him or Myers coming back,
but it's a big goal in the game for us. It was a great finish for
us."
Los Angeles center Jeff Carter chipped in a pair of assists for the
Kings.
Pavelec made 28 saves for Winnipeg, while Quick had to block 24
shots for L.A.
Jets center Adam Lowry said the two clubs play similarly grinding,
hard-hitting games.
"It's something that you see against certain teams. The way our team
plays and some of the teams in the Central Division and the way L.A.
is built, they're big, they're strong and they're fast, so it's
important to use your size to your advantage," he said.
Despite some crushing body checks and the odd scrum after the
whistle, just one minor penalty was assessed to each side -- and the
power plays were killed off.
NOTES: The Jets dressed rugged RW Anthony Peluso in place of LW Nic
Petan on the fourth line. D Adam Pardy and D Paul Postma were
healthy scratches. ... Los Angeles D Derek Forbort was out with an
illness, while C Jordan Weal was a healthy scratch. ... C Bryan
Little hit a couple of milestones Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg's 5-4
win over Minnesota, scoring his 150th career goal and registering
his 200th career assist. ... Kings LW Tanner Pearson broke his leg
in Winnipeg on Jan. 10 during a 5-4 shootout loss and was sidelined
for the rest of the 2014-15 season. A goal Sunday in Edmonton was
his first of this campaign. ... Winnipeg hosts the Chicago
Blackhawks on Friday night to wrap up a six-game home stand. ... The
Kings head home to face the Nashville Predators on Saturday
afternoon.
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