Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Alec Martinez scored the game-winner in the first period and Jonathan Quick turned away 36 shots to lead the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of this Western Conference semifinal series from Honda Center.
Marian Gaborik, the Game 1 hero, scored the first goal of the game while Dwight King added an empty-netter to seal the victory as the Kings now hold a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.
"We'll enjoy this one night, but we have a lot of work to be done still," said Martinez.
Patrick Maroon scored the only goal of the game for the Ducks, who had won all three of their home games in a 4-2 series win over Dallas in the opening round. Jonas Hiller gave up two goals on 16 shots in the loss.
"This series isn't over. We can go to Staples Center, get a few bounces and bring this series back tied," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau.
This series now shifts to Los Angeles as the Kings will look to take a stranglehold when Game 3 takes place on Thursday night.
"We're trying to get ready to win a game in a couple days here," said Quick. "That's what we're focused on. They've got a great team. We have a lot to prepare for to get ready."
Gaborik, who tied Game 1 with seven seconds left in regulation then won it at 12:07 of overtime, scored the third straight goal of this series at 34 seconds to give the Kings a quick 1-0 lead.
Taking a pass from Anze Kopitar near the blueline along the left wing, Gaborik charged around a defender to the front of the net then flicked it into the left corner for his sixth of the playoffs.
Skating on the power play, the Ducks were able to tie the game near the midway mark of the first period. Ryan Getzlaf sent a pass from the left point to the low left side for Maroon, who then attempted a backhand pass over to the right side for Corey Perry. The puck, though, hit off Jake Muzzin's skate in front and went in for Maroon's second goal of the season.
Los Angeles, though, went back on top at 12:07 of the first as Tyler Toffoli fired a pass from the right corner to the left point for Martinez, who blasted a big shot on net that knicked off of Jakob Silfverberg and went in for a 2-1 lead.
Quick was sharp in the second period, stopping 12 shots and helping his team kill off two power plays.
He kept it up in the third, making a tough stop on a big blast from Ben Lovejoy at the right point four minutes in and the defense swept the puck away.
The Ducks were given their fourth power play of the game at 5:41 when Slava Voynov was called for holding Silfverberg, but the team only managed two shots on the advantage -- one from Perry and one from Teemu Selanne -- that Quick turned away and didn't allow a rebound chance.
"I'm ticked. I need to be better. We need to be better," said Getzlaf. "This is playoff time and there are no excuses."
Despite allowing 15 shots in the third, the Los Angeles defense did a good job of keeping Anaheim from getting any solid chances, as the last tough stop Quick had to make was on a Saku Koivu wrister with around 3 1/2 minutes to play.
King put the puck into the open net just inside a minute to play as the Kings held on for their sixth straight win after dropping the first three games of their opening-round series against San Jose.
Game Notes
It was the 100th playoff victory for Los Angeles ... The Ducks were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Kings failed on their three chances ... This is the first time these division rivals are meeting in the playoffs ... Quick has allowed just five goals in the past five games ... Kopitar leads all skaters in the playoffs with 14 points (4g, 10a), while Gaborik holds the lead in goals.
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