Muzzin, Pearson Lead Kings' 5-1 Rout Of Struggling Blues

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jake Muzzin and Tanner Pearson scored two goals apiece in the Los Angeles Kings' fourth victory in six games, 5-1 over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Trevor Lewis also scored and Peter Budaj made 21 saves for the Kings, who raced to a 4-0 lead early in the second period with a rare offensive burst from one of the NHL's lowest-scoring teams.

Los Angeles chased Jake Allen with Muzzin's second goal, sending the St. Louis goalie to the bench early in his second straight game.

Paul Stastny scored on a skate deflection for the Blues, who have lost four of six. Carter Hutton replaced Allen and gave up two quick goals to Pearson.

The Blues opened their three-game California road trip with another defensive disappointment. St. Louis has given up 30 goals in its last eight games, with Allen struggling in several recent starts.

Marian Gaborik had two assists for the Kings in his first multi-point game since Feb. 9. All-Star Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown also had two assists apiece.

Muzzin scored his fifth goal of the season 3:18 after the opening faceoff. The steady defenseman added another for just the second multi-goal game of his career and his first since March 5, 2013, also against St. Louis.

Pearson's 12th and 13th goals of the season moved him within two goals of his career-high, set last year in nearly twice as many games. Pearson tapped in his second goal after bulling to the net for Carter's pinpoint pass.

St. Louis only put two shots on net during the Kings' dominant second period, and one wasn't a shot at all: Alexander Steen's pass toward the net deflected off Stastny's skate and slipped past Budaj.

NOTES: Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos watched the game from rinkside 12 hours after announcing his franchise's move north from San Diego. The Chargers will play next season at StubHub Center, which is owned by AEG, the same sports conglomerate that owns the Kings. ... Blues D Brad Hunt was a healthy scratch after playing the previous three games. ... Los Angeles D Kevin Gravel returned to the lineup after a two-game absence. Matt Greene was scratched for the fifth time in seven games.

UP NEXT

Blues: At Sharks on Saturday night.

Kings: Host Jets on Saturday night.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)