Kings top Avs to snap 3-game skid
DENVER -- Tyler Toffoli and Trevor Lewis had goals, Peter Budaj stopped 24 shots, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Tuesday night.
The Kings (29-26-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. Their recent slide dropped them out of a playoff position but Tuesday's win kept them within two points of Calgary, which holds the second wild card spot. The Flames have played one more game than Los Angeles.
Mikko Rantanen scored an unassisted goal, his 14th of the season, and Calvin Pickard had 30 saves for Colorado.
The Avalanche's disappointing season took another hit Monday when young defenseman Nikita Zadorov suffered a fractured ankle during practice and will miss the rest of the season. He is the second Colorado defenseman to suffer a broken bone in his leg; Erik Johnson broke his fibula in December and hasn't played since.
Colorado (16-39-3) buzzed around Budaj in the third period but couldn't get the equalizer. The Avalanche had chances early and Tyson Barrie hit the post at 14 minutes.
Pickard came off for an extra skater with 1:55 left but didn't score despite holding the puck in the Los Angeles end for most of the time.
After Rantanen gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the second period, the Kings rallied. Toffoli tied it at 3:18 when his shot went off Pickard and just crossed the line before he crashed into the crossbar.
Lewis gave the Kings a 2-1 lead midway through the second when he got behind the Avalanche defense and slid the puck from in close and by Pickard's short side at 9:32.
Rantanen continued his hot streak when he gave Colorado the early lead. He poked the puck away from Drew Doughty at the Los Angeles blue line, went in alone on Budaj and beat him high on the stick side at 32 seconds of the second period. It was his third straight game with a goal.
NOTES: Nikita Zadorov broke an ankle at the end of Monday's practice and is out for the season. Zadorov is the second Avalanche defenseman to suffer a broken bone this season. Erik Johnson has been out since breaking his fibula on Dec. 3. ... Kings G Jonathan Quick, out with groin injury suffered on opening night, took some shots at Tuesday's morning skate. ... Avalanche F Rene Bourque, who missed 13 of the last 15 games because of a head injury, is practicing while wearing a non-contact jersey. ... Kings C Jordan Nolan has missed every game in February with a muscle pull but is close to returning.