Kings hang on to beat Maple Leafs
LOS ANGELES -- Tyler Toffoli scored two goals to help the Los Angeles Kings to a five-goal lead before they held on for a 5-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Staples Center on Thursday.
Toffoli scored twice late in the second period to give the Kings a 5-0 advantage, but the Maple Leafs (8-6-0) came back with two goals in the final 2:10 of the period, one on a penalty shot by Auston Matthews.
Toronto made it 5-3 with 12 minutes remaining on a power-play goal by Connor Brown, but Matthews missed on a second penalty shot with 1:20 left in the game that would have cut the deficit to one.
Toronto lost for the fifth time in the past seven games, getting outscored 27-19 in that span.
Tanner Pearson had three assists, Michael Cammalleri had a goal and an assist and Michael Amadio scored his first NHL goal for Los Angeles (10-2-1). Jonathan Quick had 33 saves.
The Kings had their highest-scoring first period of the season when they took a 3-0 lead against Toronto backup goalie Curtis McElhinney, who was making his second start of the season.
Amadio provide Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at 2:34 after Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner fell backwards while handling the puck in his own zone. Pearson took possession and passed to Amadio, who shot the puck through the pads of McElhinney (23 saves).
The Kings went ahead 2-0 on a power-play goal by Cammalleri at 4:58.
The Maples Leafs missed a good chance to cut into the deficit when Kings center Brooks Laich was penalized for slashing, then was called for interference as he left the penalty box because it was ruled he played the puck before he completely exited the penalty box.
The Kings killed both of those penalties and then tacked on a third goal with 36 seconds left in the period when Nick Shore sent a pass from the right circle to Trevor Lewis in the left circle and he snapped a one-timer high into the net.
NOTES: Kings C Nick Shore contributed an assist after sitting as a healthy scratch the past three games. ... Los Angeles D Oscar Fantenberg re-entered the lineup for Christian Folin after missing the past two games with a back injury. ... Toronto G Curtis McElhinney made his ninth career start against the Kings, matching his most against any NHL opponent. ... Toronto C Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist to give him 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) and become the first NHL player age 20 or younger with at least 18 points in his team's first 14 games to start a season since Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning had 24 points in 2010-11.