Pittsburgh 4, Los Angeles 1
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 30, 2014
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees:
Dave Jackson, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Michel Cormier, Mark Wheler
Attendance:
18118
By SportsDirect Inc.
Penguins 4, Kings 1: Jussi Jokinen recorded a goal and two assists while Evgeni Malkin added one of each as visiting Pittsburgh posted its fourth win in five games.
Chris Kunitz and Tanner Glass also tallied for the Penguins, who scored three goals on seven shots against Jonathan Quick in the first period. Defenseman Matt Niskanen notched two assists for the third time in five games and Jeff Zatkoff made 30 saves.
Anze Kopitar converted a power-play chance for the Kings, who kicked off a four-game homestand with their 14th loss in 19 contests (5-12-2). Martin Jones turned aside 14 shots over the final two periods for Los Angeles, which has scored a total of three goals in its last five games - all by Kopitar.
Pittsburgh needed only 57 seconds to get on the board as Jokinen made a backhand pass across the top of the crease to Malkin, who tapped in the puck near the right post. Kopitar blasted a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle past Zatkoff at 9:32 to forge a tie, but the Kings were done in when Jarret Stoll and captain Dustin Brown were whistled for penalties less than a minute later.
Just 45 seconds into the 5-on-3 advantage, Kunitz capped a nifty passing sequence from the slot at 10:50 to put the Penguins ahead for good. Jokinen scored from the right circle 57 seconds later for another power-play goal and Glass unleashed a hard backhander from the right circle that found the top left corner of the net at 11:44 of the second to complete the scoring.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh, which was facing Los Angeles for the first time since Nov. 5, 2011, improved to 8-0-1 against the Pacific Division this season. ... Malkin avoided his first three-game stretch without a point this campaign. ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby notched an assist to raise his league-leading point total to 75. ... The Kings played at Staples Center for the first time since Jan. 13. They went 2-5-1 over seven road games and a contest against Anaheim at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Top Game Performances
Pittsburgh |
|
Los Angeles |
Jussi Jokinen 3 |
Points |
Anze Kopitar 1 |
Jussi Jokinen 1 |
Goals |
Anze Kopitar 1 |
Jussi Jokinen 2 |
Assists |
Drew Doughty 1 |
Jussi Jokinen 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Anze Kopitar 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Jeff Zatkoff .968 |
Save Percentage |
Martin Jones .933 |
Jeff Zatkoff 30 |
Saves |
Martin Jones 14 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Pittsburgh
|
22 |
4 |
2-3 |
3-4 |
8 |
22 |
Los Angeles
|
31 |
1 |
1-4 |
1-3 |
6 |
34 |
Upcoming Games
-
Los Angeles will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Kings have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .538 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Penguins have a W/L % of .711 after a win and .688 after a loss.