Ryan scores pair to carry Hurricanes past Kings
LOS ANGELES -- Center Derek Ryan scored a pair of goals, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night at Staples Center.
Left winger Brock McGinn added a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes (11-10-6), who won for the first time at Staples since Dec. 8, 2005. They were 0-4-1 in five previous visits.
Goalie Cam Ward stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Hurricanes bounced back from a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. Ward is 5-2-2 in nine career games against Los Angeles.
Jeff Zatkoff started in goal for the Kings to give goaltender Peter Budaj a blow. Budaj had started in 23 straight games. Zatkoff had 17 saves.
Ryan put the Hurricanes on the board, cashing in a pass from center Andrej Nestrasil and backhanding it into the net with 2:09 remaining in the first period.
Another Ryan goal, this one shorthanded, increased the margin to 2-0 in the second period. On a rush, Ryan delivered a behind-the-back pass to McGinn. McGinn returned the puck to Ryan, who beat Zatkoff to his left side at 13:13. Ryan has three goals this season.
McGinn scored at 3:20 of the third to boost Carolina to a three-goal advantage. It was his first tally of the season.
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty ruined Ward's shutout bid with a score at 12:50 of the third period. It was the fifth goal of the season for Doughty.
The Hurricanes extended their streak of penalty kills. They stopped all three power plays by the Kings, including the one Ryan scored on.
Carolina entered the contest as the NHL's top penalty-killing unit at 91.7 percent. They have allowed just six goals in 75 shorthanded situations. On the road, the Hurricanes have given up just three power-play goals while being shorthanded 49 times.
The two teams didn't commit a penalty until defenseman Noah Hanifin was whistled for hooking at 3:48 of the second period. The Kings weren't called for any infractions.
NOTES: Hurricanes D Noah Hanifin recorded an even or better rating in 14 consecutive games entering the contest, tying the longest stretch of his career. ... Carolina scratched D Klas Dahlbeck, D Ryan Murphy and C Elias Lindholm. RW Devin Setoguchi, D Tom Gilbert and C Andy Andreoff were unavailable for Los Angeles. ... Nine of the previous 12 contests have been decided by a goal. ... The two clubs meet again Jan. 26 at Carolina. ... The Kings led the all-time series 35-28-10, including 22-11-3 at home, before Thursday. ... Both clubs resume play Saturday. The Hurricanes cap their three-game swing at the San Jose Sharks, while the Kings host the Ottawa Senators.