Dowd, Kings snap skid with OT win over Pens
LOS ANGELES -- Nic Dowd scored the game-winning goal at 2:37 of overtime, and the Los Angeles Kings ended their four-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at Staples Center.
The Kings (5-6-0) have earned all of their wins in overtime.
Penguins star Sidney Crosby tied the score at 2 with his second goal of the game at 9:28 of the third period. Crosby deflected a shot by goaltender Peter Budaj after receiving a pass just outside the crease from Kris Letang. Letang finished with two assists.
For Crosby, it was his sixth goal of the season. He has scored in four of the five games he's played after missing the first six with a concussion.
Budaj recorded 21 saves for the Kings.
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 of 27 shots for the Penguins (7-2-2), who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Fleury is 4-1-2 against the Kings in his last seven starts.
Matt Greene gave the Kings a 2-1 edge with a goal at 2:14 of the third period. Greene scored after gathering the puck near the blue line following a faceoff between Kings center Jeff Carter and Penguins center Matt Cullen and smoking it past Fleury for his first goal and point of the season.
Crosby put the Penguins on the board in the first period, cashing in a rebound for a 1-0 lead at 7:28.
In the second period, the Kings ended their scoring drought at 5:23 when Trevor Lewis scored to tie the score at 1 apiece. It was Lewis' first goal of the season and the first by the Kings in four games. Los Angeles went 205 minutes and 25 seconds without a tally before Lewis delivered.
Pittsburgh was playing the second end of a back-to-back. The Penguins cruised to a 5-1 romp over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
NOTES: Penguins C Sidney Crosby has now recorded points in 25 of 26 games, including the last 13 dating back to last season. ... The Kings recalled D Kevin Gravel from AHL Ontario to replace D Tom Gilbert, who served the first of a three-game suspension for boarding Anaheim LW Nick Ritchie in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Ducks. ... Kings D Drew Doughty passed Mark Hardy for 10th on the Kings all-time list of games played and moved into third among defensemen. ... D Matt Greene passed Steve Duchesne for 10th among Kings defensemen all-time. ... Pittsburgh scratched D David Warsofsky, RW Tom Kuhnhackl and LW Conor Sheary. C Jordan Nolan was unavailable for Los Angeles. ... Both teams resume play Saturday. The Penguins cap their four-game swing at the San Jose Sharks. The Kings host the Calgary Flames.