Kunitz leads Pens to 3-2 shootout win over Kings
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Chris Kunitz scored the tying goal with 2:57 left in regulation and netted the deciding tally in the fourth round of a shootout to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Steve Sullivan scored his first of the season, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the Penguins (9-3-3), who lead the NHL with 21 points.
Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist, Simon Gagne also scored, and Justin Williams had two assists for the Kings, who have lost four straight. Jonathan Quick had 31 saves.
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Mike Richards was taken down from behind by defenseman Kris Letang took him down and was awarded a penalty shot with 9½ minutes left in regulation. Richards missed wide of the left post with a wrist shot, making him 0 for 6 on penalty shots and keeping the game tied 1-1.
The Kings pulled ahead 2-1 when Gagne scored with 6:11 remaining.
Kings captain Dustin Brown thought he had an insurance goal with 3:20 to go, but referee Kelly Sutherland waved it off because Brown hit the puck above the crossbar. Video replays upheld the decision.
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The Penguins tied it with 2:57 remaining when Kunitz lifted a backhander over Quick's outstretched right leg from the edge of the crease.
Three minor penalties were called against the Kings during a 1:34 span late in the first period, leading to a goal by Sullivan at 18:45.
Willie Mitchell and Ethan Moreau received staggered slashing penalties, giving Pittsburgh a 5-on-3 advantage for 30 seconds. The two-man power play was extended another 1:31 by a delay-of-game penalty against defenseman Rob Scuderi.
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The Kings, who lost 3-0 in their two previous home games, tied it 1-1 at 13:34 of the second period with Kopitar's seventh goal.
That ended Los Angeles' home scoreless drought at 158 minutes, 31 seconds, dating to Jack Johnson's third-period goal in a 1-0 win over Dallas on Oct. 22.
Los Angeles had a two-man advantage for 1:18 earlier in the period and recorded only one shot. Fleury has stopped all 38 shots he's faced while killing penalties, and Pittsburgh has allowed only three power-play goals in 44 chances.
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Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, sidelined since Jan. 5, 2011 because of a concussion, was with his teammates for the first two games of the trip before returning to Pittsburgh on Saturday for a doctor's appointment.
This win came exactly two years after the Penguins' previous visit to Staples Center, when the Kings won 5-2 with a four-goal third period against Fleury.
NOTES: The Penguins are 32-16-8 during Crosby's absence, not counting their first-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay last season. ... Penguins D Robert Bortuzzo, promoted from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on Friday, made his NHL debut. He replaced Ben Lovejoy, who broke his left wrist during Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss at San Jose. ... Pittsburgh played short-handed more than twice for the first time in six games. ... The Kings have been held to three goals in four home games after beating St. Louis 5-0 on Oct. 18. ... Penguins C Jordan Staal returned to the lineup after missing two games with a leg injury.