LOS ANGELES (AP) - Drew Doughty and the Los Angeles Kings are a veteran team on a roll. Overtime against the struggling Ottawa Senators certainly wasn’t going to faze them.
Doughty scored 32 seconds into overtime and the Kings beat the Senators 4-3 for their seventh consecutive victory. Doughty busted free on a 2-on-1 break and slammed in the winner.
“They’re a veteran group of guys who know how to win,” Kings coach John Stevens said. “They’re comfortable in tight games.”
Ottawa has lost 10 of 11, and it was headed for a regulation loss before Ryan Dzingel scored in the final seconds.
“We were playing the hottest team in the NHL right now and coming here on a back-to-back,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. “The effort was remarkable. We had to come back three times.”
The Kings took the lead in every period, but each time Ottawa came back to tie it.
Dustin Brown, Alex Iafallo and Tanner Pearson also scored for Los Angeles, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 35 shots.
Jean-Gabriel Dumont and Matt Duchene also scored for the Senators. Mike Condon had 36 stops.
Doughty said Thursday’s victory was probably the team’s worst effort in the seven wins, but recognized the team’s tenacity.
“We just don’t give up,” he said. “Whether we’re down, whether we’re up, we’re trying to play the same way. We’re trying to stay level and doing a good job, and that’s why we’re winning.”
Still, the Kings took some solace in knowing they had managed to win while not playing at their best.
“We had some really good areas but I think we have a lot to overcome, and a lot to get better at,” Brown said. “We gave up a lot of shots. Darcy made some huge saves that kept us even.”
Despite their rough stretch, the Senators have been in most games. And after having been shut out in their previous two - including Wednesday in Anaheim - they tried to take something positive out of getting one point for forcing overtime.
“I thought we played really well,” Ottawa’s Cody Ceci said. “This is one of the top teams in the league. We’re coming in of a back-to-back and we held our own. I guess that’s a positive we can take out of it.
“It’s been a little rough lately, but I think we’re headed in the right direction. I think we played a lot harder and a lot more intense.”
NOTES: The Kings acquired D Jordan Subban from the Vancouver Canucks for F Nic Dowd in a trade announced after the game. … The seven consecutive victories is the longest winning streak in the NHL this season and the longest for the Kings since Oct. 16-31, 2015 (also seven). … The Senators went over 154 minutes without a goal until Duchene scored in the first period. … Boucher did not appear happy about the way the Senators broke down on Doughty’s final goal, but overall was pleased with their effort: “We had 40 shots on the opponent, a team that’s very good at defending. The effort was more than there.” … Ottawa has won three times in its last 18 games in Los Angeles. … The Kings’ 19 wins through 30 games are the second most in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Senators: Will play the sixth of seven consecutive road games Saturday in San Jose.
Kings: Wrap up a three-game homestand Saturday against Carolina.
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