Kings 5, Lightning 2
LOS ANGELES -- Center Anze Kopitar and right wingers Justin Williams and Matt Frattin each had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 Tuesday night.
Los Angeles (15-6-1) won for the sixth time in seven games to move within one point of the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks with a game in hand. The Kings won for the eighth time in 11 games on home ice.
Los Angeles took an insurmountable 4-0 lead when Left winger Dwight King scored a short-handed goal at 15:08 of the second period. King scored his career-high seventh goal by tipping the puck past Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop after rookie center Linden Vey gained possession deep in the Lightning zone.
Playing without perennial All-Star center Steven Stamkos for the fourth consecutive game, the Lightning could do little offensively in the game's first half, managing only eight shots on goal.
Los Angeles opened the scoring at 14:58 of the first period when Kopitar snapped a shot past Bishop for his sixth goal of the season off a drop pass from defenseman Drew Doughty.
The Kings doubled the margin on the power play when Frattin deflected a shot by defenseman Slava Voynov at 16:49 of the first period. It was only the second goal of the year for the struggling Los Angeles winger.
Williams lengthened the lead with his team-best seventh goal on the power play goal at 2:38 of the middle frame. Williams was credited with the goal after Tampa Bay center Alex Killorn accidently kick the puck in his own net.
After King's goal, goals by Tampa Bay center Valtteri Filppula and Kings left winger Dustin Brown followed in quick succession. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman rounded out the scoring with the only goal of the third period.
Tampa Bay (14-7-0) lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
Kings goalie Ben Scrivens made 19 saves. Bishop stopped 26 of Los Angeles' 31 shots.
NOTES: Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis played in his 1,000th NHL game. It was the 931st game in a Lightning uniform for the diminutive right winger, who started his career with the Calgary Flames in 1998. ... Tuesday's game was the Lightning's first visit to Staples Center since Nov. 4, 2010. ... Entering Tuesday's contest, Tampa Bay's penalty kill had killed off 45 of the 49 power-play opportunities over 15 games. ... Kings G Ben Scrivens was named the NHL's First Star of The Week on Monday. Scrivens will be counted on heavily with starting G Jonathan Quick out with a Grade 2 groin strain that could sideline him through the end of the year. ... The Kings started a nine-game, 18-day stretch contested inside the Pacific time zone. ... Kings LW Dwight King, who has seven goals this season, entered 2013-14 with nine career goals over three NHL campaigns.
