Canucks Hand Kings 2nd Straight Shutout Loss
LOS ANGELES (AP) Cory Schneider made 20 saves en route to his sixth NHL shutout, Mason Raymond scored in the first period, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 on Saturday for their third straight victory.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Kings, coming off a 2-0 home loss to Dallas on Thursday in which they had 40 shots, were shut out for the third time this season. It is the first time they have been blanked in consecutive games since Feb. 16-18, 2012, when they sustained a pair of 1-0 home losses.
Schneider has played the last three games for the Canucks, facing 88 shots and allowing only three goals. His other shutout this season was on Jan. 26, when he made 30 saves in a 5-0 victory at Anaheim.
The Canucks, who maintained their share of the Northwest Division lead with Minnesota, scored the only goal at 11:06 of the first period.
Jordan Schroeder took control of the puck in the Canucks' zone and made a two-line pass to Raymond, who swooped into the Kings' end after getting a step on rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin and slid his eighth goal between Jonathan Quick's pads.
About 6 minutes into the second period, Canucks captain Henrik Sedin was leveled by Drew Doughty along the boards in the neutral zone, and Kings forward Jordan Nolan kept digging for the puck while it was pinned under Sedin.
A scrum broke out and Kyle Clifford ended up with a roughing penalty. The Kings had a short-handed scoring bid, but Schneider slid across the crease to rob Trevor Lewis after a setup by Mike Richards.
Quick (10-10-2) made a similarly spectacular save on Vancouver's Keith Ballard about 2 minutes before the second intermission, sticking out his left leg to deny his one-timer from in front.
Last year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoffs MVP made 12 saves.
NOTES: Nine players have scored Vancouver's first goal in its last nine victories. ... The Canucks, who lost to the Kings in the opening round of last year's playoffs, won two of the three meetings this season and lost the other in a shootout. ... The Canucks were 0 for 3 on the power play and are 1 for 43 over their last 15 games. They came in 15 for 113, the second-worst percentage in the NHL. ... Vancouver doesn't have a player with at least 10 goals. ... The Kings begin a five-game road trip Monday night against the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks.
