EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - The Los Angeles Kings took advantage of a five-minute power play and rolled to a big win against a Pacific Division opponent.
Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown and Adrian Kemp scored during the lengthy man advantage, and Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for his third shutout of the season to lead the Kings to a 5-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
The Oilers got the power play after Oilers forward Patrick Maroon was given a major penalty for a hit to the head on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty late in the second period.
Brown said getting payback for the hit was a motivator.
“That’s part of it, especially when it’s probably our best player,” Brown said. “But probably more so it’s a divisional game and we can finish it in the first five minutes of the third period. And that’s what we did.
“The power play hasn’t been great for us this year, but you don’t need a great power play, just a timely one.”
Doughty left the game after the hit but was able to return in the third period.
“When stuff like that happens, your team just comes together, scoring three goals on the power play to really shove it up their butts was awesome,” Doughty said.
“I’m feeling all right now. I didn’t see it at all. He got me right in the head. I didn’t have the puck, that’s why I was so shocked by it. But I’ve known Maroon for a long time, he’s just trying to finish a hit. I don’t know that he meant to try and hurt me. I forgive him.”
For his part, Maroon said there was no intent to injure on the play.
“I’m glad he came back and finished the game,” Maroon said. “Honestly, I’m a big forward, just going in to do my job on the forecheck. My elbow didn’t come up, it’s just unfortunate that my body hit him in the head.
“I play the game hard. I’m just mad they gave me a match (penalty) and it hurt us.”
Gaborik began the flurry by using a screen to rifle his eighth goal of the season past Talbot 1:36 into the third. They got another one four minutes into the third when Anze Kopitar’s shot hit a defender on the way toward Talbot and was helped on its way into the net by Brown.
Los Angeles made it 4-0 with its third power-play goal shortly afterwards, as a shot that caromed off the glass had Talbot looking the wrong way, allowing Kempe to score a gift goal.
Brown added another goal with 1:32 remaining to cap the scoring. Andy Andreoff scored late in the second period for the Kings, who are 4-1-2 in their last seven games.
Cam Talbot stopped 28 shots as Edmonton lost its fourth straight while getting outscored 18-6 in that stretch.
The Kings had the bulk of the early chances before Edmonton started to pick up the pace later in the scoreless first period, with Quick making 14 saves, while Talbot made 12 stops.
Los Angeles finally broke the scoreless deadlock with 5:39 remaining in the second period on a 2-on-1 break as Torrey Mitchell fed Andreoff and he beat Talbot for just his second goal of the season.
Edmonton came close to tying it with 40 seconds left in the second, but Jesse Puljujarvi’s shot rang off the post with a wide open net.
NOTES: Oilers F Connor McDavid has now gone three games without a point for the first time in his NHL career. … It was the first of four meetings between the two teams this season. … The Kings were without Jeff Carter (ankle) and Christian Folin (upper body).
UP NEXT
Kings: At Calgary on Thursday night.
Oilers: Host Anaheim on Thursday night.
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