Carter lifts Kings past Flames in OT

CALGARY -- Instead of a Pacific Division title, the Los Angeles Kings are more concerned with finding their game heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They took a step towards each Tuesday.
Jeff Carter scored 40 seconds into overtime, and Milan Lucic had two goals to help the Kings to a 5-4 win against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Andy Andreoff and Kris Versteeg scored for the Kings (47-28-5), who avoided a three-game losing streak and won for the third time in nine games since clinching a playoff berth on March 19.
"Your goal to when you start the season is to make the playoffs, and then finish as high up in the standings as you can," Lucic said. "That's still a goal of ours before the playoffs start, but I think the most important thing moving forward is get our game and identity back to what it was that got us the playoff spot."

The Kings and Anaheim Ducks each have 99 points atop the Pacific. Los Angeles has two games remaining; Anaheim has three. The Kings and Ducks play Thursday at Staples Center.
"It's a big game," Carter said. "We want to win the rest of the games here and get on a roll. I think the main focus is really dialing in our game. We've got a lot of work to do still, cleaning up some errors in our game and whatnot. We've got a few games left here to do it."
Mikael Backlund, Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark Giordano and Deryk Engelland scored for the Flames (33-40-7).
"[Los Angeles] used their size to their advantage, but I really liked the way that we competed," Flames coach Bob Hartley said.

Carter stripped Sean Monahan at the Kings blue line and skated the length of the ice before fighting off a check from Giordano and sliding a shot by Flames goalie Joni Ortio.
"We lost the draw and they kept cycling back, cycling back," Carter said. "I think they got crossed up a bit at the blue line there. I think he fumbled the puck and I just jumped on it. It's one of those plays where I made a read and either it's going to work out or they're going back 3-on-2 on our net. Luckily it did."
The win establishes a single-season Kings record.
"You get 47 wins in a year and your goal going into the year is to try and get 100 points, and we're close," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "That's pretty good for a team that didn't make the playoffs last year."

Carter's goal came after Versteeg tied the game with 35.1 seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime.
"Good job for us sticking with it and tying it up," Lucic said. "Wins haven't come easy for us on the road as of late, losing five in a row on the road before this one. It took all the way to the end to get it into overtime and first shift in overtime we make it count. It's nice to get a win. We can take some positive energy from this win and bring it into the last few games of the season here."
Calgary scored on its first shot of the first period.
Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth misplayed Calgary's dump-in behind the net, and Backlund's pass from below the goal line into the crease banked off Anze Kopitar's skate and across the goal line to make it 1-0 at 3:41.

Lucic tied the game at 9:53. He picked up the puck near the top of the right faceoff circle after it was poked off Kopitar's stick and surprised Ortio with a shot five-hole.
Lucic gave Los Angeles the lead with his second goal 14 seconds into the second period. Ortio stopped Kopitar's initial shot from the point, but Lucic scored on the rebound to put the Kings up 2-1.
Shinkaruk, in his home debut with the Flames after being recalled from Stockton of the American Hockey League on March 28, tied the game with 4:09 remaining in the period. Enroth stopped Johnny Gaudreau's initial shot from the slot and a rebound attempt by Giordano, but Shinkaruk, a Calgary native, shot a third attempt past Enroth.
"It was very cool," Shinkaruk said. "I watched a lot of games growing up in Calgary. To be out there was pretty neat. At the end of the day, the most important thing is getting the win and we didn't get that. It's going to kind of sting."

Giordano gave the Flames a 3-2 lead 33 seconds into the third with a shot from the high slot that beat Enroth stick-side. The goal, Giordano's 21st of the season, is the most by a Flames defenseman since Al MacInnis scored 28 in 1993-94.
"He's a reflection of our team," Hartley said. "The culture of this hockey club starts with him. We tell every young player coming into our organization to look at Giordano."
Andreoff tied the game 32 seconds later, swatting a loose puck by Ortio before Calgary defenseman Jakub Nakladal could clear the slot.
Engelland gave Calgary a 4-3 lead at 15:59, but it was erased late by Versteeg's goal to send the game to overtime.
Flames forward Lance Bouma left the game in the third period because of an upper-body injury.