Kings 5, Senators 2
OTTAWA -- For the second time this season, the Los Angeles Kings built a comfortable 3-0 first period lead against the Ottawa Senators
This time, they managed to get the job done in regulation time.
The Kings extended their winning streak to six games by defeating the Senators, 5-2, at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday afternoon.
The Senators did manage to put a scare into the Kings, who needed overtime to beat the Ottawa, 4-3, in Los Angeles on Oct. 9.
Center Anze Kopitar led the way with two goals, while center Jarret Stoll and wingers Dwight King and Jeff Carter rounded out the Los Angeles scoring.
Defensemen Joe Corvo and Erik Karlsson replied for Ottawa.
Rookie goalie Martin Jones improved his record to 5-0-0 by stopping 37 shots.
The Kings chased Senators goalie Craig Anderson with two goals on four shots in the first four minutes and 18 seconds.
King was the first to strike with an ordinary looking wrist shot from the left wing faceoff circle that went in off Anderson's blocker at the 21-second mark.
Carter notched his ninth goal of the season less than four minutes later when his wrist shot went through Anderson's legs.
Kopitar upped the count with a chip shot that alluded Anderson's replacement, Robin Lehner, at the 12:56 mark.
The Senators, who outshot the Kings, 9-8, in the opening period, stirred to life when Corvo caught Jones out of position with a wrist shot at 13:51 of the second with his third goal of the season.
Karlsson narrowed the gap further at 4:24 of the third, squeezing a wrist shot past Jones for his ninth of the season.
But Stoll put a damper on Ottawa's comeback hopes when he cashed a rebound after Lehner made the initial save off defenseman Drew Doughty's shot at 13:18
Kopitar put in his second with the Kings on the power play a little more than three minutes later.
Lehner wound up stopping 23-of-26 shots by the Kings.
NOTES: Senators G Craig Anderson lasted 12 seconds longer than his earliest exit of the season. On Oct. 13 in Anaheim, he was pulled at 4:06 of the first period after giving up two goals on nine shots. ... By keeping the Senators off the score sheet in the opening 20 minutes, the Kings extended their streak of not giving up a first period goal to 18 games. ... Senators RW Chris Neil entered the game seven penalty minutes shy of reaching the 2,100-mark for his career. He was three shy of moving past legendary tough guys Al Second and Terry O'Reilly and into 44th on the all-time list. ... Kings C Anze Kopitar became only the second Los Angeles player to reach double digits in goals this season. With 10, he is one behind RW Justin Williams. ... Senators D Joe Corvo scored his first goal against the team that made him a fourth round draft pick in 1997. The only team Corvo has not scored against in his 701 game career is the Dallas Stars.
