In the back-and-forth of the Pacific Division title chase, the Los Angeles Kings climbed back into the top spot with a 3-0 win over the Calgary Flames Thursday night.
Jonathan Quick needed to make only 21 saves for the win and shutout.
Jeff Carter scored twice and Andy Andreoff was credited with a goal that deflected off a skate on a pass by Carter.
“It’s going in the right direction,” Carter said. “We want to finish first. We want home ice. We’ve got five games left here. We know what we have to clean up and we’ll continue to work on it.”
The shutout was Quick’s 42nd of his career and 39th win of the season.
“Good to see Jonathan get recognized and rewarded with that once in a while, isn’t it?” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “He usually is our best player. Those three guys tonight, [Anze] Kopitar, Carter and Quick were pretty good.”
The Flames lost 8-3 to the Ducks on Wednesday and appeared to be reeling from that loss Thursday.
“Just all around, it’s been a tough year for us in our own division,” Mikael Backlund said. “I don’t know why. They’re a heavy team to play. They play physical. They play smart. [They have good] goaltending. They’re hard to play against. We’ve got to find a way to play the same way.”
Frustration and disappointment were key words in the post game quotes.
“The Kopitars and the [Ryan] Getzlafs and the [Corey] Perrys [of Anaheim] — all those guys — they started in this league just like Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan,” Hartley said. “You gain experience by playing this game, and you get better.”
Joni Ortio made 26 saves in taking the loss.
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