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Purcell leads Kings over Avalanche in shootout

Sep 25, 2008 - 5:15 AM By Dave Reed PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Teddy Purcell scored the lone goal in the third round of the shootout, giving the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 preseason victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

Jonathan Quick kept Colorado off the scoreboard in the bonus format, making saves on Darcy Tucker and Ryan Smyth while captain Joe Sakic shot wide on his attempt.

Smyth gave the Avalanche a 3-2 advantage at 11:36 of the third period, but with 93 seconds left in the session, Anze Kopitar beat Jason Bacashihua with a backhander to tie the contest at 3-3.

Smyth, who is entering the second year of the five-year, $31.25 million contract he signed as a free agent in 2007, also opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 3:08 of the first period.

Last season, Smyth had only 14 goals and 23 assists in 55 regular-season games before adding two tallies and five points in eight playoff contests. He missed 27 regular-season games due to various injuries and also missed Games Three and Four of the Western Conference semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings with a broken bone in his foot.

Signed as a free agent after spending 7 1/2 seasons with Toronto, Darcy Tucker doubled Colorado's lead at 8:25 of the first.

Jarrett Stoll, who was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers during the offseason, got the Kings on the board with 3:40 remaining in the second, when he slid the puck between goaltender Peter Budaj's pads after Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles' clearing attempt went awry.

Matt Moulson tied the game 20 seconds into the third, when he knocked the rebound of a shot by Kopitar between the legs of Bacashihua during a power play.

Budaj turned away 21 of the 22 shots he faced before being replaced by Bacashihua after two periods.

Defenseman Drew Doughty, who was the second overall pick in this past June's draft, was plus-2 and recorded two shots on goal for the Kings, while left wing Alexander Frolov did not dress.

Colorado played without three of its top defensemen - Scott Hannan, Jordan Leopold and Ruslan Salei - while Wojtek Wolski and Marek Svatos did not play because of injuries.