Lucic, Muzzin Lift Kings Over Penguins
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jake Muzzin had a goal and two assists during the Kings' four-goal second period and Los Angeles held off the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 Saturday for its third consecutive victory.
Milan Lucic scored twice in the Kings' fifth straight home win. Drew Doughty and Christian Ehrhoff also scored for the first-place Kings.
Jonathan Quick made 17 saves to beat Pittsburgh for just the second time in his career, and the Kings scored five goals in a game for the first time this season.
Chris Kunitz had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh, and the Penguins lost in regulation for just the second time in eight games. Sidney Crosby had a third-period goal and an assist, and Olli Maatta scored in his return from a six-game injury absence.
Two of the NHL's best defensive teams yielded six combined goals in a wild second period, with Muzzin matching his career high in points over a 10-minute span.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots in the second stop on a four-game West Coast trip for Pittsburgh, which had won three straight in Los Angeles.
Doughty started it with his fourth goal of the season just 4 seconds into a power play. The Norris Trophy finalist has scored goals in consecutive regular-season games for the first time since Oct. 19-21, 2013.
Former-Penguin Ehrhoff added his first goal for the Kings with a well-placed shot from a setup by Marian Gaborik. Lucic then scored his eighth goal off the rush.
Kunitz answered with his fourth goal 23 seconds later from the slot, but Muzzin was left unmarked for his second goal of the season just 58 seconds after that.
Maatta scored late in the second, and Crosby deflected home his sixth goal of the season early in the third.
Gaborik earned a penalty shot with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation, but Fleury stopped him.
Lucic added an empty-netter for his first multigoal game with his new team.
NOTES: With Muzzin, Doughty and Ehrhoff scoring, it was the first time three Kings defenseman had goals in the same game since 2007, according to Elias via the Kings. ... The teams meet again Friday in Pittsburgh. ... Fleury shut out the Kings twice last season. ... Kings F Trevor Lewis sat out with an upper-body injury. In his place, Jordan Weal suited up for just the fourth time all season. ... Penguins D Kris Letang sat out with an undisclosed injury. Maatta took his place in the lineup. ... Penguins F Beau Bennett, a Los Angeles-area native and a former Midget AAA Junior King, was a roommate of Kings F Nick Shore at the University of Denver.
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