Music: {allcanada} Kings rally late, edge Canadiens in shootout

Thursday, March 5, 2015

{allcanada} Kings rally late, edge Canadiens in shootout

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LOS ANGELES -- Anze Kopitar scored in the fourth round of the shootout and goalie Jonathan Quick stopped two of four attempts to give the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Staples Center on Thursday.

Kopitar scored on a snap shot past goalie Dustin Tokarski, and Montreal's Lars Eller hit the crossbar to seal the win for the Kings (31-21-12). Los Angeles is even with the Calgary Flames in the race for third place in the Pacific Division, the final guaranteed spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; however, Calgary owns the tiebreaker because it has two more non-shootout wins.

Los Angeles was 1-7 in shootouts this season. Kopitar got his first goal in eight attempts in the tiebreaker.

The Eastern Conference-leading Canadiens (41-18-6) are 0-2-1 on a four-game road trip that ends with a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.

Los Angeles forward Marian Gaborik tied the game 3-3 with 45 seconds left in regulation when he scored his second goal of the game on a 6-on-4 advantage, with Quick off for an extra attacker. Gaborik got the puck in the slot, spun and shot it past Tokarski with Eller serving a high-sticking penalty.

Montreal was on the verge of a come-from-behind win when Max Pacioretty scored his 31st goal on a tap-in of a David Desharnais pass at 7:12 of the third for a 3-2 lead after Montreal erased a 2-0 deficit late in the second period.

Defenseman Tom Gilbert and Brendan Gallagher scored 94 seconds apart in the second to get the Canadiens even at 2-2 after Montreal had five shots in the first 35 minutes of the game.

Gilbert drove to the net off a faceoff win by Desharnais and scored at 15:15. The Kings' Justin Williams was slightly impeded by a referee while trying to get to Gilbert, who scored his first goal since Jan. 3.

Gallagher scored on a backhand in front at 16:49 after P.K. Subban kept the puck in to set up Tomas Plekanec's initial shot and rebound.

Montreal was outshot 17-5 before the two-goal flurry.

Gaborik scored his 17th goal and Jeff Carter his 22nd in a first period controlled by the Kings, who outshot the Canadiens 13-2. Montreal's second shot was by Alex Galchenyuk with one second left in the period.

Gaborik deflected Brayden McNabb's point shot past Tokarski at 4:02 for a power-play goal. Carter finished a give-and-go play with Dustin Brown at 8:03 when Montreal's defense left Carter alone to go to the net.

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