Vancouver drop Kings, 3-2, on skills

In Los Angeles, J.T. Miller was credited with the deciding goal on penalties on Saturday night, in a 3-2 win for the Vancouver Canucks over the Kings.

“We stayed with it,” Miller said. “We’re playing a really good hockey team that’s coming together for the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs, so it’s a hard game for us.”

Thatcher Demko made 38 saves in the Vancouver win.

The Canucks improved to 30-33-5 off their sixth win in the last seven contests.

Vancouver took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a strike by Brock Boeser.

LA tied it, 1-1, at 16:52 of the first on a strike from Alexander Edler.

“We talk about how we need to play as a team,” Edler said, “and I think it always starts with playing solid defensively, and then you build your game from there.”

The Kings grabbed a 2-1 lead at 16:18 of the middle frame on a marker from Carl Grundstrom.

“A lot of times [Demko] makes us look good,” Miller said. “When we play good in front of him, it takes the stress off him, those high-quality looks. … Don’t want to give up 40 shots every night, but when you do, he only gives up two.”

LA dropped to 40-20-10, but are 7-0-2 in their nine-game point streak.

“The chances we got were well-executed chances, and we were pretty solid in our end,” Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. “Usually when a coach is saying that he’s leaving quite pleased and the team has won, but sometimes these nights happen.”

Vancouver got even at 11:33 of the third when Elias Pettersson potted a power play goal.

“The power play, obviously, was a big goal for us. Some good kills (2-for-2),” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “Yeah, we had a couple meetings on our special teams that really helped us.”

Vancouver scored on its only power play chance of the game.