• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Kings upend Canadiens in SO

Mar 6, 2015 - 6:37 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Anze Kopitar scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout as the Los Angeles Kings survived a stiff test from the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, on Thursday.

Marian Gaborik scored a pair of power-play goals, including one with 45 seconds left in regulation that forced OT. Gaborik opened the shootout with a goal, while Jeff Carter scored in regulation and in the shootout for the Kings, who received 15 saves from Jonathan Quick.

Max Pacioretty, Tom Gilbert and Brendan Gallagher all scored for Montreal, which has lost three in a row for the first time since early December. Dustin Tokarski gave Carey Price the night off and made 26 saves for the victors.

The Canadiens managed just two shots in the first period and were still stuck in mud before scoring twice in a 1:34 span late in the middle stanza.

Gilbert got the comeback started by skating along the goal line and through the crease to beat Quick at 15:15, and Gallagher evened things with a backhand a short time later.

Pacioretty gave the Canadiens their first lead 7:12 into the third off a nice pass from David Desharnais, but Lars Eller's high-sticking penalty with 1:35 remaining in regulation put the Canadiens in a bind.

Gaborik made Montreal pay with a simple wrister from in front that slipped by Tokarski with time winding down.

Gaborik scored on the power play 4:02 into the opening period when he redirected a Brayden McNabb slap shot that bounced off a defenseman's skate and was going wide. Dustin Brown fed Carter in front just four minutes later to make it a two-goal game.

Game Notes

The Kings had lost eight of the previous 10 meetings ... Desharnais was credited with two assists ... LA went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Montreal squandered all three of its chances with the man advantage.