Rookie Tyler Toffoli Leads Kings Over Blues, 3-2
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Rookie Tyler Toffoli scored two goals, Jarret Stoll also tallied and Ben Scrivens made 25 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night.
Scrivens, who has performed brilliantly in place of the injured Jonathan Quick, was heading toward his fourth shutout of the season when Kevin Shattenkirk and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the final 5:54. Scrivens has given up fewer than three goals in each of his last 10 starts and has posted two shutouts since Quick went on injured reserve with a Grade Two groin strain on Nov. 12 at Buffalo.
The Blues still have not been shut out this season.
Los Angeles has allowed fewer than three goals in a franchise-record 13 consecutive games. The streak includes a pair of 3-2 shootout losses to Buffalo and San Jose.
Jaroslav Halak made 20 saves for the Blues, who have lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season following their 6-3 defeat at San Jose on Friday. Halak had allowed just five goals in his previous five starts after getting pulled with a 3-0 deficit in the first period of a 4-1 loss at Washington on Nov. 17.
The Kings, who hadn't had a first-period goal in any of their previous four home games -- all losses -- opened the scoring at the 10:38 mark. Stoll got the puck from Justin Williams near the top of the left circle and took a 40-foot wrist shot that glanced off defenseman Barret Jackman's leg and past Halak with Dustin Brown screening the goalie.
Toffoli made it 2-0 at 16:13 of the period, beating Halak from short range after Drew Doughty's long snap shot from the high slot deflected off Toffoli's stick and Halak's right shoulder before hitting the crossbar. He gave the Kings a three-goal cushion at 5:48 of the second, scoring from the low slot after Willie Mitchell's wrist shot from the left point caromed off teammate Mike Richards.
Toffoli, a 21-year-old center who was taken in the second round of the 2010 draft, has six goals and 11 points in 14 games since he was recalled from the minors on Nov. 2 -- and four of his goals have been game-winners. His only other two-goal game in the NHL was on November 9 at Staples Center in a 5-1 win over Vancouver.
The Kings head to Anaheim to play the Ducks on Tuesday night.
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