Kings 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)
Anze Kopitar scored in the second round for the lone goal of the shootout and Martin Jones became the second goaltender in NHL history to win his first eight games as host Los Angeles notched its seventh consecutive victory.
Jeff Carter and Justin Williams scored in regulation as the Kings improved to 9-1-0 in their last 10 and avenged a 1-0 overtime loss to Colorado on Nov. 23. Jones made 22 saves and turned aside all three shots in the shootout to join Philadelphia's Bob Froese (1982-83) as the only netminders to go 8-0-0 in their first eight appearances in a season. Ray Emery won his first nine decisions but they were spread over three seasons.
Defenseman Erik Johnson and Ryan O'Reilly scored power-play goals and Matt Duchene collected a pair of assists for the Avalanche, who lost for only the third time in nine meetings (6-1-2) with Los Angeles. Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves but was denied his third straight win when Kopitar converted for the fifth time in seven chances in the bonus format this season.
A sluggish first period ended on a positive note for the Kings when Carter notched his 11th goal, tapping in a rebound from the doorstep off a blast by defenseman Drew Doughty at 19:28. The Kings doubled the lead just over five minutes into the second, when Varlamov snatched a shot by Jarret Stoll, only to see it pop out of his glove and have Williams poke it home out of mid-air.
Colorado got that goal back just over 8 1/2 minutes later thanks to Duchene, who spun away from a defender and sent a crossing pass to Johnson for a one-timer from below the left faceoff dot. The Avalanche tied it midway through the third on a give-and-go between Duchene and O'Reilly, who weaved in and tucked the puck under the right arm of Jones.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Carter's goal was his fourth in six games for Los Angeles, which held its opponent under three goals for the 21st time in the last 22 games. ... Duchene notched his 11th and 12th points in the past six games with assists on the two power-play tallies, which marked the first time since Nov. 2 that Los Angeles allowed two goals in a game while short-handed. ... Johnson's tally made it four straight games in which an Avalanche defenseman has scored. ... Colorado LW Jamie McGinn appeared in his 300th career game, while Kings C Jordan Nolan played in his 100th contest.