Red Wings 4, Kings 1
Pavel Datsyuk halted a 12-game drought with a pair of goals as the Detroit Red Wings earned a rare road victory, silencing the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 Saturday afternoon.
Datsyuk doubled his goal total for the season as the Red Wings won for just the third time in eight road contests. The victory also halted the Kings' winning streak at three.
After Mike Richards put Los Angeles on the board with a shorthanded goal at 6:37 of the opening period, Datsyuk evened things just 37 seconds later with Justin Williams still in the penalty box for tripping. The skilled forward banged home a rebound of a Nicklas Lidstrom point shot for his first goal since Oct. 21.
Detroit struck again on a power play seven minutes into the second period. Tomas Holmstrom centered the puck from behind the red line to Niklas Kronwall barreling in from the point, and the defenseman one-timed it past Quick.
Los Angeles was given a chance to tie the game after Anze Kopitar was interfered with as he broke in on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. The Kings' leading scorer went to his backhand but Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard snagged the shot with his glove near the left post to keep Detroit ahead.
That missed opportunity cost the Kings, as Detroit extended its advantage with 4:22 remaining in the period. Justin Abdelkader broke in on a 2-on-1 and wristed a low shot from the top of the right circle that eluded Quick.
Datsyuk rounded out the scoring with just under five minutes remaining, pouncing on a loose puck and flipping it over Quick's left shoulder.