LOS ANGELES (AP)—Anze Kopitar ended a career-worst, 17-game goal drought less than five minutes after defenseman Matt Greene's go-ahead goal in the second period, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 Saturday night in the NHL's final game of 2011.
Coming off a 1-0 overtime loss at Winnipeg on Thursday with backup goalie Jonathan Bernier in net, the Kings began a six-game homestand with their fourth victory in six games since Darryl Sutter took over as coach.
Justin Williams had a goal and an assist, Brad Richardson also scored and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves. Rookie Andrei Loktionov had two assists.
Kevin Bieksa scored Vancouver's goal and Roberto Luongo stopped 29 shots. The Canucks, who came in with the league's best percentage on the power play, were 0 for 4—including a four-minute stretch of the second period after Kings center Mike Richards was sent off for cutting Ryan Kesler with a high stick.
Green put the Kings ahead 2-1 at 8:20 of the second with a one-timer from the right point after getting a pass from Loktionov. Kopitar added his 11th goal at 13:08, slipping behind the defense with a short pass from Williams and putting a nice deke on Luongo before flipping the puck inside the right post with the three-time All-Star goalie spread-eagled on his stomach.
Williams ended the scoring on a power play, redirecting Jarret Stoll's wrist shot from the high slot at 9:33 of the third period while Daniel Sedin was off for hooking Stoll.
The Kings outshot Vancouver 15-7 through the opening period, but could do no better than a 1-all tie. The Canucks scored on their first shot on net, as Bieksa beat Quick to the stick side at the 3:06 mark with a one-timer from 35 feet after Sedin backhanded the puck to him in the slot.
Richardson tied it at 9:13 of the period, scoring on his second whack at the puck after teammate Trevor Lewis overskated the rebound of Loktionov's sharp-angle shot from the right of the net.
Richards had a great chance to give Los Angeles the lead with about 3 minutes left in the first, but his backhander from the right of the crease slid behind Luongo and off the left post after Vancouver's Sami Salo turned the puck over to Richards deep in the zone.
Notes: Henrik Sedin also got an assist on Bieksa's goal for his 46th point, giving him the league lead by one over Philadelphia's Claude Giroux. … The Kings' previous nine games on New Year's Eve all were on the road. The last time they played at home was in 1991, when the Canucks got all of their goals in the third period against Daniel Berthiaume for a 5-3 win. … Vancouver finished the calendar year 54-24-6, and the Kings were 43-29-11. … Los Angeles has allowed just 11 goals over its last seven games following an 8-2 loss at Chicago. … This was only the second time in 18 games that the Kings scored more than two goals in regulation. … Despite Williams' goal, the Kings are 3 for 47 on the power play over their last 13 games. Their opponents are 2 for 47 during that same stretch. Los Angeles has killed off 26 straight short-handed situations. … Kopitar had 49 shots on net during his 17-game drought, which began after his goal on Nov. 22 at St. Louis. … The Kings have garnered 12 standings points in their last seven games after losing six of their previous seven.
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