Kings 3, Penguins 2 (SO)
PITTSBURGH -- Marian Gaborik won it by snapping a shot under the crossbar in the fourth round of shootout, and the Los Angeles Kings won their sixth in a row, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 Friday night.
Jonathan Quick won a goaltender duel with Marc-Andre Fleury in a game filled with considerable offense despite the final score, preventing Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bonino from scoring in the shootout while making 40 saves through regulation and overtime. Fleury made 38.
The Penguins tied it at 2 on Evgeni Malkin's 13th goal -- and on his 10th shot of the game -- off his own rebound with 70 seconds remaining in regulation after pulling Fleury.
Both teams had multiple scoring chances in the 3-on-3 overtime, with Quick stopping Penguins right winger Phil Kessel on a breakaway created by a remarkable up-ice pass Crosby.
The Kings opened the scoring 7:34 into the first period when left winger Tanner Pearson, who collected defenseman Alec Martinez's pass into the neutral zone, deftly skated around defenseman Ian Cole to beat Fleury inside the far post.
After that, Quick -- 7-0-1 in his last eight starts -- kept Los Angeles in the lead until Penguins center Eric Fehr scored on one of Pittsburgh's 18 shots in the second period to tie it at 1.
Former Penguins draft pick and current Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin needed only 34 seconds of the third period to give the lead back to Los Angeles with a slap shot from above the right circle that somehow eluded Fleury under his left leg pad. It was Muzzin's third goal -- and second in seven days against the Penguins, who lost in Los Angeles 5-3 on Saturday.
The Penguins lost their third in four games, and the lack of scoring was nothing new for a team that has only 67 goals so far this seaspon -- the fourth fewest after 28 games in their 48-season history.
Kings center Jordan Nolan faces possible disciplinary action after shoving linesman Shandor Alphonso early in the third period, after the official stepped between him and a Penguins player. Later in the period, referees Kevin Pollock and Marc Joannette could be seen illustrating Nolan's actions to Kings captain Dustin Brown.
NOTES: The Kings are 2-0 to start a six-game road trip. They improved to 19-8-1 and already are nearly halfway to the 40 wins they managed last season, after winning the Stanley Cup in 2013-14. ... Kings LW Michael Mersch, a fourth-round pick in 2011, made his NHL debut after posting 12 goals and 15 points in 19 AHL games. He tied for the AHL lead with 22 points in 18 playoff games for champion Manchester last season. The 23-year-old began the game on the third line with C Nick Shore and RW Dustin Brown. ... The Kings scratched D Derek Forbort, LW Kyle Clifford and C Trevor Lewis. ... The Penguins were without D Kris Letang (upper-body injury) for the third time in four games, but the injury is not the same as the one that sidelined him earlier, coach Mike Johnston said. Kings coach Darryl Sutter said it was no advantage for his team that Letang was out, saying he prefers to oppose an opponent's top players. .... Penguins D Rob Scuderi, a healthy scratch on Wednesday against Colorado, returned to the lineup to replace Letang. D David Warsofsky was paired with Olli Maatta and was on the point on the power play. Pittsburgh also held out D Adam Clendening.