Kings 3, Lightning 1
LOS ANGELES -- Center Anze Kopitar recorded his 400th career assist on defenseman Brayden McNabb's go-ahead goal, and the Los Angeles Kings won their fourth in a row with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night at Staples Center.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced as the Kings (17-8-1) captured their fifth decision in the past six games. They have won 11 of their last 13 home games.
Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy saved eight of 10 shots before Ben Bishop came on to replace him in the second period. Bishop finished with 17 saves on 18 shots as the Lightning (13-12-3) had their five-game unbeaten run against Pacific Division clubs end.
Center Andy Andreoff put the Kings up 1-0, ripping a shot from the top of the left circle after fielding a beautiful pass from center Nick Shore on a rush at 12:24 of the first period. It was Andreoff's second goal of the season.
Tampa Bay center Brian Boyle scored 27 seconds into the second period to tie the score at 1. For Boyle, who scored for the second time in as many nights, it was his seventh goal of the season.
McNabb answered 12 seconds later with his first goal of the season, giving Los Angeles the lead again. Kopitar got the milestone assist despite losing his stick on the faceoff before McNabb gathered the puck off it and smoked a winner past Vasilevskiy.
Bishop, who left in the third period of the 4-3 win over the Sharks on Saturday after getting poked in the right eye by the stick of San Jose forward Tomas Hertl, replaced Vasilevskiy after McNabb's goal.
Left winger Milan Lucic made it 3-1, getting a stick on a pass from center Jeff Carter at 3:47 of the second. Lucic has 10 goals this season.
Tampa Bay had a five-on-three advantage for 70 seconds early in the second period but managed just one shot on goal and failed to score.
Like the Lightning, the Kings were playing the second end of a back to back, earning a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Staples Center on Saturday.
NOTES: Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the NHL's Board of Governors awarding expansion franchises to Tampa Bay and the Ottawa Senators. ... Kings D Drew Doughty, who entered the game ranked second in the league in ice time, played at least 29 minutes in the previous five contests. ... Lightning F J.T. Brown had six assists in the previous nine games, including his eighth of the season on C Brian Boyle's game-winning goal against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. ... Tampa Bay RW Erik Condra and D Nikita Nesterov were scratched, while D Derek Forbort and C Trevor Lewis were unavailable for Los Angeles. ... The Lightning are off until Thursday, when they host the Ottawa Senators. ... The Kings embark on a six-game road trip beginning Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.