Senators 5, Kings 3
OTTAWA -- Rebounding from one of their worst defensive performances of the season, the Ottawa Senators defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-3 Monday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
Winger Mike Hoffman led the Senators' attack with two goals, his 16th and 17th of the season, and an assist. Center Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, while defenseman Erik Karlsson and center Kyle Turris had the other Ottawa goals.
Defensemen Jamie McBain and Jake Muzzin and winger Tyler Toffoli replied for the Kings.
Senators goalie Craig Anderson, who was pulled after facing 31 shots in less than half the game Saturday in a 3-1 loss at Montreal, stopped 33 Kings shots for the win. Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick made 16 saves.
The Kings (19-9-2) entered the night as one of the NHL's hottest teams with a 7-0-2 record in their last nine games.
The Senators (16-10-5) stopped their losing streak at two games.
Muzzin's goal, a shot from the high slot that slipped between Anderson's legs, pulled the Kings to within a goal 10 minutes from the final buzzer. However, Zibanejad restored Ottawa's two-goal lead when he cashed in a rebound after Quick made the initial stop off winger Bobby Ryan.
The Senators exploded for four goals in the second period to take a 4-2 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
Hoffman one-timed a set-up from Zibanejad, who had the puck along the end boards, at the 2:29 mark. Turris put the Senators ahead with a slap shot from the high slot at the tail end of a nice three-way passing play with Karlsson and winger Mark Stone at 3:58.
Karlsson then padded the margin with a slap shot that changed directions a few times before sneaking past Quick at 6:03 of the second.
Hoffman picked up his second of the night when center Curtis Lazar lured Quick to the side and dropped him a pass in the slot at the 14:34 mark.
The Kings got one goal back on a power play at 17:47 of the second when defensemen Alec Martinez fired a shot in off the glass. As Anderson went behind his net to get the puck, it bounced off in front to Toffoli, who fired it into the empty net.
The Senators had the only two power plays of the first period but still headed to the intermission trailing 1-0. McBain's second goal of the season came off an odd man rush when Karlsson was caught pinching.
From the top of the right wing face-off circle, McBain drilled a slap shot that beat Anderson on the far side.
NOTES: Kings C Jordan Weal was scratched as coach Darry Sutter decided to give D Derek Forbort his roster spot and go with seven defensemen. It is rare that one team employs a lineup that has seven defensemen and 11 forwards, but on this night, both teams did. Senators D Mark Borowiecki played his fourth consecutive game as the fourth-line left winger, as LW Shane Prince was scratched for the fourth game in a row. ... Ottawa G Craig Anderson made his 15th consecutive start. ... Senators G Andrew Hammond, who has been out since Nov. 12 with a concussion, dressed as the backup. ... Kings D Nick Ebert and D Jeff Schultz were also scratched. ... Los Angeles C Trevor Lewis could join the team on its current road trip, Sutter said. Lewis missed his sixth game with an upper-body injury.