"I thought LA came out with a good start and it put us on our heels a little bit," Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I think if we could've come out of the first period with the score being 0-0, got out of that last minute; then I thought that would've put us in a position to regroup in the second and come out better. I just thought they came real hungry and ready. That's what happens."
Calgary has surrendered 13 first-period goals. Only the Philadelphia Flyers, at 15, have allowed more.
"I think we were a little intimidated, to begin with," Gulutzan said. "I think we could've gotten out of that first period … we had a mistake at the blueline, a turnover. They get two quick goals with a minute left. That was a killer after some good penalty killing. We needed to get out of that period and regroup. We just couldn't do it."
Clifford put Los Angeles up 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. Nick Shore blocked Nicklas Grossmann's shot, and on the ensuing 2-on-1, saucered a pass over a sprawled Grossmann that Clifford knocked by Elliott.
Setoguchi scored his second of the game to put the Kings up 4-0. Elliott stopped Dustin Brown's shot from the high slot after a turnover from Dougie Hamilton, but Setoguchi knocked in the rebound at 16:09 to record his first multi-goal game since Jan 31, 2014, as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
"You have to sit back and watch that again just to see what was going on," Elliott said. "It felt a little bit like they were coming wave after wave on odd-man rushes and stuff like that. It's not really winning hockey when you're chasing from behind a little bit."
Lewis extended the lead to 5-0 after tipping Drew Doughty's point shot between Elliott's legs 1:12 into the third period.
"I just didn't think we were prepared to play in the beginning. I didn't think it was our best," Gulutzan said. "I thought we were a little bit intimidated. We came out better in the second, but we couldn't sustain it. They're a real good hockey club. They had their groove on today, the LA-style game. We just couldn't match it. We have to find a way to match it."
The win is Los Angeles' first in regulation this season.
"We kind of got our game handed to us a little bit," Elliott said. "You have to take that away. It's a big boy's game. The last minute of a period you can't give up a couple goals. That's what hurt us. It just went on from there."
NOTES: Troy Brouwer finished with a game-high five hits. Deryk Engelland had a game-high four blocked shots. Lance Bouma left the game after the second period and did not return. Defencemen Dennis Wideman and Jyrki Jokipakka, and forward Hunter Shinkaruk, were scratched. Shinkaruk was recalled from Stockton of the American Hockey League earlier Saturday.
UP NEXT: The Flames will visit the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Sunday (7:30 PM MT; SN360, FAN960).
