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 Jeff Carter scored two goals and recorded an assist, leading the
Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night at
Staples Center.
Anze Kopitar had two assists as the Kings (46-26-5) edged back into
first place in the Pacific by a point over the Anaheim Ducks with
five games remaining. One of those contests is a clash next Thursday
with the Ducks at Staples Center.
"We want to finish first," said Carter, who earned his fifth
multi-goal game of the season and has seven points (four goals,
three assists) in the past four games. "We want home ice. We have
five games left here, and we have to put some wins together."
Goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped all 21 shots he faced for Los
Angeles, which won for only the second time in the past six outings.
Quick tied his club single-season record with his 39th victory. It
also was his fifth shutout of the season and 42nd of his career.
 "This is the best time of year," said Los Angeles left winger Milan
Lucic, who tallied his 34th assist, one shy of his career high.
"Heading into the playoffs, last couple games, we're trying to get
our game up to that level that it needs to be at to have success in
the playoffs. Key guys have to step up and play their game when
things get tough and when things mean the most."
Goalie Joni Ortio had 26 saves for Calgary, which fell for the
second night in a row. The Flames (32-40-6) were pounded 8-3 by the
Ducks on Wednesday. They are 0-8-0 this season against the Ducks and
Kings.
"They got a good start and I think they took over a little bit in
the first (period) and then they scored on that power play in the
second," Calgary center Mikael Backlund said. "I thought we battled
hard all night. They're an aggressive team. They play quick and
forecheck (well). At times, we didn't help each other out. We were
putting pucks in bad spots."
The Kings scored on power play 46 seconds into the second period and
11 seconds after Josh Jooris was sent to the box for interference on
Quick. Carter misdirected a shot by Drew Doughty, bouncing the puck
off the ice and forcing it to sail past Ortio for a 1-0 Los Angeles
lead. With the assist, Doughty passed Steve Duchesne for second in
all-time points among Kings defensemen with 316.
Carter scored again at 6:14 of the middle period. After taking a
pass near center ice, Lucic rushed down the left side and dropped a
pass to Carter, who tapped in a winner past Ortio for a 2-0
advantage. For Carter, it was his 22nd goal of the season.
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Andy Andreoff added a third-period goal at 12:38 to cap the scoring.
"I'm disappointed to say the least," Calgary coach Bob Hartley said.
"You can like your team's performance in the second and third, but
at the end of the day, we're going home empty-handed, and that's not
what we came here for."
Backlund appeared to score a goal late in the second period, but it
was waved off when center Joe Colborne was whistled for incidental
contact in the crease. The Flames asked for a review, but the call
stood.
"It's a good win for us," Carter said. "We need to get some wins and
get some points. We still have a long ways to go."
The Kings have captured all three meetings with the Flames this
season. The teams meet again for the final time this season April 5
at Calgary.
NOTES: The Kings are 26-17-2 against the Western Conference and
16-10-0 against the Pacific Division. The Flames fell to 17-25-2
mark against Western teams and 8-15-2 versus Pacific clubs. ...
Calgary scratched D Dennis Wideman, RW Emile Poirier, D Brett Kulak,
RW, Michael Frolik and G Jonas Hiler. D Jamie McBain, RW Kris
Versteeg and C Nick Shore were unavailable for Los Angeles. ...
Calgary and Los Angeles were the only squads with three defensemen
in the top 25 for scoring on the road through Wednesday. They
included Mark Giordano (22 points), Dougie Hamilton (21) and TJ
Brodie (19) of the Flames and Drew Doughty (28), Alec Martinez (20)
and Jake Muzzin (19) of the Kings. ... Both clubs resume play
Saturday. The Flames visit the Edmonton Oilers, while the Kings host
the Dallas Stars. ... An announced crowd of 18,417 attended.
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