Loui Eriksson scored the only goal in the shootout helping Dallas to a 5-4 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center Thursday night.
Eriksson led the Stars with two goals, including the game-tying power play goal with less than six minutes remaining in the game. After Dallas earned a four-minute power play when Kings center Mike Richards was called for an instigating penalty for responding to a hit by Brenden Morrow on Anze Kopitar.
The Kings owned the league’s second best penalty kill, but were unable to shut the door on the Stars as they spent over two minutes in the Kings’ zone. Eriksson finally cashed in as he sent a pass to a charging Tom Wandell, but it ricocheted off defenseman Willie Mitchell’s stick past Kings goalie Jonathan Quick for the 4-4 tie.
In a special teams laden match that totaled 64 penalty minutes, the Kings scored two power play goals in the third period after the Stars had built a 3-2 lead.
After Michael Ryder had already taken a slashing penalty, Mark Fistric was called for delay of game for shooting the puck out of play that gave the Kings a 5-on-3 power play. Kings defenseman Jack Johnson rifled a shot top shelf off a Drew Doughty pass through the collapsed Dallas defense.
Kings center Dustin Brown scored the Kings’ third power play goal of the game on the rush as Kopitar sent a pass to Brown streaking to the net for the back door, tap-in goal.
Eriksson scored his first goal of the game on the Stars’ 13th shot of the first period with a strong surge toward the net as he sent a low shot between Kings defenseman Slava Voynov's legs, just under Quick’s glove for his 15th goal of the season.
Nystrom made it 2-0, 51 seconds later as Dvorak won a puck battle in the offensive zone, sent a pass to Nystrom, who stopped in front of Quick and pumped a shot on goal that rebounded right back to him, which he sent low past Quick’s right pad for his 13th goal of the season.
Anze Kopitar tipped the puck just past Lehtonen’s left pad off a well-placed Jack Johnson point shot for the King’s first goal of the night.
Dallas made it 3-1 on a 3-on-1 odd man rush when Ryder sent a pass to Alex Goligoski, who leaned into a slap shot in the slot that beat Quick high, glove side for his fifth goal of the season.
The Kings erased another two goal lead on Trevor Lewis’ first goal of the season as he outraced Stars defenseman Nick Grossman for the breakaway from the blue line that he finished off with a deke past an outstretched Lehtonen. Lehtonen stopped 37 of 41 shots, including all three Kings’ shooters in the shootout.
Lehtonen made a spectacular sprawling save as he stoned Kopitar in tight as Kopitar collected a rebound and tried to slip it backhand, but Lehtonen dove to stop Kopitar on the goal line with his outstretched glove.
Steve Ott had a break away just a minute into the second period. He deked left and tried to sneak it by Quick, but it was snared with the glove.
Dallas trails Los Angeles, who currently sits seventh in the Western Conference, by one point, but have two games in hand. Mike Ribero was out with a knee injury.
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Loui Eriksson
2. Anze Kopitar
3. Jack Johnson
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