Ottawa's Hammond Blanks Kings, Snaps 8-Game Win Streak
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrew Hammond made 35 saves to earn his second consecutive shutout in his fourth career start, and the Ottawa Senators snapped the Los Angeles Kings' eight-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory Thursday night.
Mike Hoffman scored early in the third period for the Senators, who boosted their unlikely playoff chances with a Southern California sweep on consecutive nights to open their five-game road trip. Ottawa hadn't won at Staples Center in seven tries since Jan. 11, 2000 — the year the building opened.
Jonathan Quick stopped 27 shots in his 16th consecutive start for the Kings, who fell just short of matching the longest winning streak in franchise history. Los Angeles hasn't scored in more than 117 minutes.
Quick's scoreless streak ended at 142 minutes, 44 seconds when Hoffman slipped cleanly behind the Kings' defense and buried Mika Zibanejad's pass for his 21st goal.
Hammond, the Senators' 27-year-old rookie goalie, gave another outstanding performance to send the defending Stanley Cup champions to their first defeat since Feb. 5. One night earlier, he blanked the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks.
The AHL veteran pressed into action in Ottawa by injuries to Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner extended his own scoreless streak to 171 minutes, 44 seconds by hanging on in the final minutes. The Kings couldn't score despite a power play in the final 1:57, giving them a 6-on-4 advantage for most of it.
Los Angeles' February surge has finally slowed with just one goal in its last two games, but left the team in playoff position heading down the stretch.
An apparent goal by Justin Williams was waved off early in the second when the referees lost sight of a clearly loose puck, blowing the whistle early and eliciting boos from the Staples Center crowd.
Ottawa's Curtis Lazar and Jean-Gabriel Pageau then rang shots off Quick's posts later in the period, the Kings' seventh consecutive frame without allowing a goal.
Newly acquired Kings defenseman Andrej Sekera didn't make his debut after joining the club in a trade with Carolina on Wednesday, but is expected to play Friday in the Freeway Faceoff in Anaheim. The puck-moving veteran, who plans to move in with fellow Slovak star Marian Gaborik, is excited to move from the last-place Hurricanes to the defending champs.
"Losing isn't an option here," Sekera said. "It's a great environment like that, and I look forward to being in it."
NOTES: To make room for Sekera, Kings D Alec Martinez went on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 7, when he incurred an apparent concussion. There is no timetable for the Stanley Cup finals hero's return. ... Ottawa's Kyle Turris was hit in the face by Mark Stone's deflected shot in the second period, sending him to the dressing room. ... The Kings lost in regulation at home for just the seventh time in 33 games this season.
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