Quick Earns First Shutout Of Season As Kings Beat Coyotes 4-0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jonathan Quick earned his first shutout of the season with 27 saves, Tyler Toffoli scored his first NHL goal on a power play in only his second game with Los Angeles and the Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 on Monday night.
Rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin also scored with the man advantage, while Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter each had a goal and an assist for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Quick's 25th career shutout gave the Kings their 11th victory in 15 games and their 10th in the last 11 at Staples Center. The Conn Smythe Trophy winner, who set a franchise record with 10 shutouts last season, is seven behind Rogie Vachon's club record.
It was the third straight shutout loss for the Coyotes, who are still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race despite not having a winning streak of more than two games.
The Coyotes, coming off consecutive losses at St. Louis and at Columbus, haven't scored in a span of 185 minutes, 10 seconds since rookie Rob Klinkhammer beat Quick with 9:05 remaining in Phoenix's 5-2 home win over the Kings on March 12.
This is the first time the Coyotes have been shut out in three consecutive games in the 33-year history of the Phoenix/Winnipeg Jets franchise.
Mike Smith stopped 18 shots, including a short-handed breakaway attempt by Kings captain Dustin Brown early in the second period. But he was pulled by coach Dave Tippett with 12:27 remaining after giving up Kopitar's ninth goal and Carter's 18th during a 71-second span.
Just 8 seconds after he was thwarted by Quick on a point-blank shot from 25 feet in the slot, Martin Hanzal was sent off for high-sticking Kopitar and the Kings opened the scoring on the ensuing power play.
Muzzin got a cross-ice pass from Kopitar above the left circle and took a slap shot that glanced off David Moss's body as he slid in front to try and block it, and the puck flew over Smith's glove at 6:01 of the first period.
Brown had a great chance to give the Kings a 2-0 lead when Kopitar sent him a breakaway less than a minute after teammate Trevor Lewis was sent off for high-sticking.
Smith held his ground on that scoring attempt, but the Kings continued crashing the net until Phoenix defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson knocked it off its moorings at 7:38 of the second and got a delay-of-game penalty from referee Francis Charron.
Midway through the power play, Toffoli converted a rebound from the left of the crease.
Toffoli, listed at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, had 52 goals, 100 points and a plus-31 rating last season with Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League while playing right wing. He had 28 goals and 48 points in 55 games with Manchester of the AHL when he was called up March 10.
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