LOS ANGELES – Daniel Sedin scored the tiebreaking goal with 8:24 to play, Roberto Luongo made 21 saves, and the Vancouver Canucks opened a five-game road trip with a gritty 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Jannik Hansen scored in the first period and Alexandre Burrows added an empty-net goal for the Canucks, who have stayed on top of the NHL standings despite alternating wins and losses for a full month.
Jonathan Quick stopped 33 shots, and Dustin Penner scored his first goal for the Kings, who lost in regulation for just the third time in 18 games.
Sedin, the NHL scoring leader, broke open a tight-checking game with his 33rd goal on a rebound of Christian Ehrhoff's shot.
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was irate, claiming Sedin shoved him into Quick right before the goal. Doughty, a Norris Trophy finalist last season, kept complaining throughout the final minutes, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct minor followed by a misconduct penalty after Burrows' 18th goal in the final minute.
Vancouver hasn't won consecutive games since early February, but also hasn't lost back-to-back games since late January. The Canucks' defense mostly stifled the Kings after an early goal from Penner, who got his 22nd of the season in his second game since arriving in a trade with Edmonton.
The clubs met for the first time in nearly five months since the Kings beat the Canucks twice in the first week of the regular season. Vancouver knocked Los Angeles out of the first round of the playoffs last spring, ending the Kings' first postseason appearance in eight years.
Quick returned to the net despite giving up six goals and getting pulled from his last start against Detroit. Kings coach Terry Murray loves Quick's resilience, choosing the starter over backup Jonathan Bernier, who shut out Phoenix on Thursday.
Penner scored early in the first period with a move that showed why the Kings were eager to add his size to an already large lineup that excels in puck possession. Penner got the puck in the corner and muscled to the net with a defender hanging on his arm before flicking a shot that deflected off Maxim Lapierre and caught Luongo leaning the wrong way.
Vancouver tied it on the forechecking of Hansen, who ambushed Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi and forced a turnover behind the net before taking a pass in front for a backhand past Quick.
Los Angeles spent much of the first period killing penalties, but also failed to score during a 75-second, two-man advantage.
Notes: Kings D Willie Mitchell played against his former Vancouver teammates wearing a visor. The veteran needed 54 stitches Thursday to close a gash on his face opened by a shot by Phoenix's Kyle Turris. ... Vancouver LW Tanner Glass barely escaped serious injury in the second period when Scuderi's slap shot hit him inches below the neck. Glass dropped to the ice in pain, but kept playing. ... Henrik Sedin earned his 60th assist of the season on his twin brother's goal. ... Burrows' goal was his first in 10 games.
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