Kings 3, Flames 0
LOS ANGELES -- Jeff Carter scored a pair of goals and recorded an assist, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night at Staples Center.
Anze Kopitar had two assists as the Kings (46-26-5) edged back into first place in the Pacific Division by a point over the Anaheim Ducks with five games remaining. One of those contests is a clash next Thursday with the Ducks at Staples.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped all 21 shots he faced for Los Angeles, which won for only the second time in the past six outings. The win tied Quick's club record in a season at 39. It also was his fifth shutout of the season.
Goalie Joni Ortio had 26 saves for Calgary (32-40-6), which fell for the second night in a row. The Flames were pounded 8-3 by the Ducks on Wednesday.
The Kings scored on power play 46 seconds into the second period and 11 seconds after Josh Jooris was sent to the box for interference on Quick. Carter misdirected a shot by Drew Doughty, bouncing the puck off the ice and forcing it to sail past Ortio for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead. With the assist, Doughty passed Steve Duchesne for second all-time on the points list for Kings defensemen with 316.
Carter scored again at 6:14 of the period. After taking a pass near center ice, Milan Lucic rushed down the left side and dropped a pass to Carter, who tapped in a winner past Ortio for a 2-0 advantage. For Carter, it was his 22nd goal of the season.
Andy Andreoff added a third-period goal at 12:38 to cap the scoring.
Calgary's Mikael Backlund appeared to score a goal late in the second period, but it was waved off when center Joe Colborne was whistled for incidental contact in the crease. The Flames asked for a review, but the call stood.
The Kings have captured all three meetings with the Flames this season. They meet again for the final time in the regular season April 5 at Calgary.
An announced crowd of 18,417 attended.
NOTES: The Kings were 25-17-2 against the Western Conference and 15-10-0 against the Pacific Division entering the contest. The Flames had a 17-24-2 mark against Western teams and 8-14-2 versus Pacific clubs. ... Calgary scratched D Dennis Wideman, RW Emile Poirier, D Brett Kulak, RW, Michael Frolik and G Jonas Hiler. D Jamie McBain, RW Kris Versteeg and C Nick Shore were unavailable for Los Angeles. ... Calgary and Los Angeles were the only squads with three defensemen in the top 25 for scoring on the road. They included Mark Giordano (22 points), Dougie Hamilton (21) and TJ Brodie (19) of the Flames and Drew Doughty (28), Alec Martinez (20) and Jake Muzzin (19) of the Kings. ... Both clubs resume play Saturday. The Flames visit the Edmonton Oilers, while the Kings host the Dallas Stars.