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Mitchell's late goal lifts Kings over Blues

Nov 23, 2011 - 5:29 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Willie Mitchell's goal with 5:49 left in regulation led Los Angeles past St. Louis, 3-2, at Scottrade Center.

Mike Richards posted a goal and one assist for the Kings, who have won five of seven.

Anze Kopitar also scored while Jonathan Bernier snagged the win with 23 saves.

"We played good defensively and when we had the opportunities we capitalized on them," said Richards. "It was good to see us shut it down when we got the lead in the third."

Vladimir Sobotka and Alex Steen tallied for the Blues, who have lost two in a row since winning three straight.

Jaroslav Halak allowed three goals on 28 shots in defeat.

"When you're scoring two goals a game you're living on a fine line," said St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock. "We've been on the right side of it for the most part, but we're going to have to find more offense if we expect to win."

LA snapped a 1-1 tie at 4:41 of the third as Andrei Loktionov stole the puck from a Blues checker along the left boards and fed Richards for a successful one-timer from the high slot.

The visitors were unable to extend their lead on a subsequent power play, and the Blues knotted the score when Sobotka managed to slip a shot between Bernier's pads with 7:32 remaining.

But the Kings responded less than two minutes later when Mitchell's left-point shot beat Halak cleanly. A pair of former Philadelphia Flyers assisted on the tally -- Justin Williams and Simon Gagne -- for Mitchell's first goal of the year.

Halak was pulled with more than a minute left, to no avail.

Steen converted a T.J. Oshie pass just 1:07 into the contest, and the Kings didn't come up with an equalizer until a power-play chance at the 7:36 mark of the second as Richards dished across the crease for a Kopitar tap-in.

Game Notes

Los Angeles has won both games against St. Louis this season after dropping three of four last year...Richards has scored at least one goal in four consecutive games and has totaled seven scores in the last seven contests...Oshie left the game with 1.5 seconds left in regulation when Kings defenseman Drew Doughty leveled him with a hard check along the left boards near the goal line.