The Streak Continues! Los Angeles Kings Defeat Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2

Monday night the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2, for their fifth straight win.  The Kings once again had a strong finish, scoring two goals to take the lead in the third period and hang on for the win.

Tampa Bay’s Nikita Nesterov opened the scoring on a rebound off an Ondrej Palat shot.  Palat broke into the Kings zone and made a great move around a Matt Greene poke check.  Palat cut to the net, flipping a backhand on goal from the hashmarks.  Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made the save, but the puck was kicked to the opposite circle’s dot.  Matt Greene fell into Quick, and while the Kings goaltender was sitting in his goal with confusion in front of him Nesterov shot the puck into the net for his first goal.

Los Angeles Kings

In the second period Kings All-Star center Anze Kopitar tied the game.  Trevor Lewis passed the puck up to Kopitar splitting the Lightning defense in the neutral zone.  Kopitar broke in with speed and zipped a shot low-blocker and past Tampa Bay goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy.

The goal was Kopitar’s 12th of the season.

Heading into the third period the game was tied.

Then, 3:36 into the third Jordan Nolan took a pass from Dwight King, cut into the slot and roofed a backhand shot to give the Kings the lead.

Ten minutes later Drew Doughty grabbed the puck, leading the Kings breakout.  Doughty carried through the neutral zone, crossed the blue line pulled-up and made a ‘saucey-sauce’ pass across the ice to the tape of Jeff Carter.  Carter took the pass and ripped a wrist shot top-corner.

In the last-minute of play with the goaltender pulled Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman took a shot from the point.  Quick made the save and Doughty attempted to clear the puck.  Instead, Doughty had his pocket picked by Tyler Johnson who turned and snuck a shot past Quick.

The Lightning had another good chance as time was running out.  Jonathan Quick robbed sniper Steven Stamkos on a  one-time attempt in the dying seconds of the game, ensuring an L.A. victory.

The Kings went 0-for-3 on the power-play; the Lightning went 0-for-2.

Dwight King is now on a 4 game point streak.  Jeff Carter is on a 4 game point streak with 2 goals and 7 points.  Jordan Nolan has 2 goals in his last 3 games, giving him 4 goals and 4 points on the season.

That 70’s Line is at it again.

Drew Doughty played extremely well.  Dewy showcased a Norris Trophy like performance.  Doughty was given first star honors for his effort in the game.  Doughty had 1 assist, 1 point, and a +1 rating.

The game was an end-to-end thriller that came down to the wire.  It was a game between two teams that looked to be some of the best in hockey.

L.A. has extended their winning streak to five games.  With a record of 26-18-12 the Kings have 64 points.  They are now in 5th place in the Pacific Division and 9th place in the Western Conference.  With two games in hand the Kings are 2 points behind the San Jose Sharks.  The Kings have their sights set on taking advantage of an old foe.

With the season winding down and the playoff race getting tighter and tighter, the looming Stadium Series outdoor game could have grave implications.  A better story couldn’t have been scripted.  Not even in Hollywood.

The Kings next game is Wednesday night in Colorado against the Avalanche.  Puck-drop at the Pepsi Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PST.

Next: Kings Interested in Andrej Sekera

Feb 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings players Drew Doughty (8), Tyler Toffoli (73) and Dwight King (74) celebrate after a goal in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Lightning 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports