Kings shut out by Avalanche, 3-0
Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves for his second straight shutout, Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Compher scored on the power play, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the L.A. Kings 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, and the Avalanche continued their push for a second straight Presidents’ Trophy by becoming the first team this season to pass the 90-point mark.
Kuemper followed up his 46-save showing in a 3-0 win over Calgary on Sunday by getting his fifth shutout of the season.
Jonathan Quick allowed three goals on 27 shots for the Kings, who are 1-2-1 in their last four games.
Colorado’s dangerous special teams cashed in on each of its first two power plays, with Nichushkin racing through the slot to put in Rantanen’s centering pass at 6:36 of the first period.
Compher put Colorado ahead 2-0 with 29 seconds left in the second by redirecting Cale Makar’s shot long. Makar was instrumental in the sequence by racing down to break up Anze Kopitar’s short-handed breakaway and forcing his shot wide before the Avalanche got their league-leading 51st goal with the man advantage.
Jonathan Quick comes up with a big save and Trevor Moore scores the decisive goal in the shootout to lift the Kings to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers.
Defenseman Josh Manson made his Avalanche debut after being acquired from Anaheim in a trade Monday. Manson quickly settled in after eight seasons with the Ducks, finishing with a plus-one rating, one shot and 10 hits in 18:13 as he hopes to add some grit to a group known for its offensive skill.
“I think they have so much talent here that really all I need to do is just come in and fly under the radar and help keep pushing the team in the right direction,†Manson said before the game. “Doing the little things that I do that a lot of times just go unnoticed, and I think that’s kind of the best way to describe it is if I’m not being noticed, then it’s probably a good thing.â€
Go beyond the scoreboard
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