Canucks 1, Kings 0
LOS ANGELES -- Vancouver needed just one early goal to cruise to a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at Staples Center. Goaltender Cory Schneider notched his sixth career shutout.
Vancouver struck first in the first period when Mason Raymond caught Kings rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin napping. Raymond got behind the defense and beat Jonathan Quick through the five-hole for a 1-0 lead at 11:06.
The Kings didn't score, extending their scoreless streak to six straight periods.
The last time the Kings were shut out in back-to-back games was last February in a 1-0 loss at Phoenix and a 1-0 loss at Calgary. The Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup.
The Kings dominated most of the previous meeting but allowed two third-period goals and got shut out 2-0. The Kings played well again Saturday, outshooting the Canucks 20-13, but couldn't score once again.
In the third period, the Kings came out aggressively, but Canucks goaltender Schneider was stingy. Then the Kings unraveled with two penalties.
Justin Williams was called for an interference penalty at 4:46, which didn't help the Kings' cause, but the Kings killed that penalty. The Canucks got just two shots on goal out of that power play.
Not long after that, Dustin Penner was called for boarding at 9:06 against Christopher Tanev. The Kings killed that penalty, too.
NOTES: On Friday, Vancouver D Alexander Edler was suspended by the NHL for two games for charging against goalie Phoenix goalie Mike Smith. He missed Saturday's game and will miss Vancouver's game against Colorado on Sunday. ... Kings coach Darryl Sutter was unusually critical of his top line of captain Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams in the team's previous loss. ... Vancouver has been hit hard by the injury bug. Manny Malhotra (eye) is out for the season, while Ryan Kesler (broken foot), David Booth (ankle) and Zach Kassian (back) are on injured reserve. ... The Kings and Canucks split their two earlier games this season. ... Last year, the Kings upended the top-seeded Canucks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, and the Kings went on to win their first Stanley Cup as the No. 8 seed.
