Kings extend winning streak to five games with victory over Maple Leafs
TORONTO — Jonathan Quick made 33 saves and the Kings beat Toronto 5-1 on Monday night, snapping the Toronto Maple Leafs’ five-game win streak.
Phillip Danault had two goals and an assist for the Kings, who have won five straight. Andreas Athanasiou added a goal and assist, former Leafs forward Trevor Moore scored and Adrian Kempe chipped in with an empty-netter. Alex Iafallo had two two assists.
John Tavares scored for Toronto.
“We just weren’t able to sustain our game,†he said. “They do a really good job in the neutral zone, don’t give you a whole lot.â€
After the New Jersey Devils score in the final minute of regulation, Alex Iafallo scores the winning goal less than a minute into overtime for the Kings.
Jack Campbell, who was Quick’s understudy with the Kings for parts of two seasons, made 24 stops in his first career start against his former team.
“Everybody in the building knows that wasn’t my best,†Campbell said. “It cost us two points.â€
The 29-year-old goaltender said there were plenty of emotions suiting up against his old team.
“I love it there, I love the boys, love what they did for me in L.A.,†he said. “Credit them for getting me to where I am today.
“Just disappointed I didn’t bring more to our team.â€
After hitting a post early, the Kings went up 1-0 at 10:52 of the first period when Moore stepped past Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin before scoring his first goal of the season past Campbell.
The 29-year-old netminder, who rediscovered his game in Los Angeles after the Dallas Stars selected him 11th overall at the 2010 NHL draft, was acquired by the Leafs from the Kings along with bruising forward Kyle Clifford for Moore and two draft picks in February 2020.
Toronto came close at the other end moments later when Quick robbed Wayne Simmonds in front.
Los Angeles had scored just five times in the first period coming into Monday’s game and doubled its lead at 14:21, when Athanasiou blew by Toronto’s Jake Muzzin and sent a shot past Campbell for his first.
“They won a lot of puck battles, they won a lot of races,†Toronto winger Mitch Marner said of the first period. “We weren’t ready to go.â€
Toronto’s power play connected early in the second when Moore went off for hooking. Tavares was robbed by the 35-year-old Quick early in the man-advantage, but buried his seventh goal of the season at 1:51, off a setup from Marner and William Nylander.
The goal was the 99th in Toronto for the Maple Leafs’ captain, and the 14th consecutive goal scored by either Tavares, Marner, Nylander or Auston Matthews.
The Kings restored their two-goal edge at 13:56, when Danault scored his second on a sequence that saw the puck pinball off his skate twice and dribble over the goal line.
The play was reviewed to determine if there was a distinct kicking motion by the Kings center, but the call on the ice stood.
Danault also scored with 4:30 left in regulation.
“That’s what we’re trying to get out of — this team that doesn’t play great one night and has lots of urgency and plays a way that is a recipe to win consistently,†Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “And then comes out the very next game and isn’t the same group.
“Until we get that sorted out, we’re going to continue to ride this wave.â€
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