Grundstrom scores twice, Kings defeat Senators to end skid at five

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings won for the first time in six games, defeating the Ottawa Senators 4-2 at Staples Center on Saturday.

Carl Grundstrom scored twice for his first NHL multigoal game, and Anze Kopitar had three assists for the Kings (9-8-3), who were 0-3-2 in their previous five games following a seven-game winning streak. Cal Petersen made 30 saves.
"We were desperate for a win, and wins help no matter how you get them," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "I thought we played a fairly solid game there."

Connor Brown and Michael Del Zotto scored, and
Filip Gustavsson
made 33 saves for the Senators (4-14-1), who have lost five in a row.
"Definitely not what we wanted, and we really wanted to get something going and get over this little slump we're in here, but we just got to find a way," Ottawa forward Nicholas Paul said. "Work ethic's there, but we got to get the job done."
The Kings took a 2-1 lead at 10:23 of the second period when Grundstrom was credited with his fourth goal. He couldn't get the shot away off Kopitar's pass, but the puck still went into the net as Grundstrom made contact with Gustavsson.
Following a huddle by the on-ice officials, they ruled it was a good goal since the contact happened because Zach Sanford pushed Grundstrom forward into the goalie.
"They originally called it off, but the back ref said that Sanford pushed him in, and that negates any kind of goalie interference," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "And after looking at it between periods, everyone's confident that would have stayed as a goal."
Arthur Kaliyev made it 3-1 at 13:14, getting enough of the puck on a pass from Alexander Edler to sweep it into an open net at the far post.
Kaliyev started the sequence by using his body to break up a pass in the defensive zone. That play and how he finished at the other end reflect the growth Kaliyev has made in his all-around game, McLellan said.
"When you compare him and his one game last year against Anaheim to his 15-20 games that he's played this year, it's significantly different," McLellan said. "We're trying to train him for a full 20 minutes that he could eventually end up playing, and he's getting it."

Brown cut the margin to 3-2 at 18:33, beating Petersen to the left on a wrist shot from the right circle.
Ottawa could not capitalize on a five-minute power play that began at 13:51 of the third period. Brendan Lemieux received a match penalty for his part in a confrontation with Brady Tkachuk.
"It's not a good situation to put the team in, and not only for tonight but moving forward," McLellan said. "Brendan Lemieux has become a really valuable player to our team. I think he knows that. We all believe it, and we need him in the lineup. We need him playing every night. We need him playing every minute that he gets. Offensively, defensively, physically, emotionally. And if we happen to lose him for any period of time, we'll miss him. And he has to understand how important he's become."
Grundstrom came out of the penalty box to score into an empty net at 19:26 for the 4-2 final.
"It's just details," Paul said. "A couple mistakes this road trip ended up in the back of our net, and then the momentum changes. I think we just got to be detailed and hard and stick together."
Viktor Arvidsson put Los Angeles ahead 1-0 at 4:59 of the first period when he was in the slot to tip Kopitar's pass on the power play. It was Arvidsson's third power-play goal, with Kopitar picking up his eighth point (three goals, five assists) with the man-advantage.
Ottawa tied it 1-1 at 19:41 when Del Zotto's shot off a face-off win by Josh Norris deflected off Alex Iafallo's stick and over Petersen.
Del Zotto, who had been scratched the previous two games, has scored six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games this season.
NOTES: It was the 250th multipoint game of Kopitar's NHL career. Since coming into the NHL in 2006-07, Kopitar ranks sixth in multipoint games, trailing Sidney Crosby (366), Alex Ovechkin (354), Evgeni Malkin (299), Patrick Kane (293) and Nicklas Backstrom (258). … Kings rookie defenseman Sean Durzi got his third NHL point in two games (one goal, two assists), all of which have come on the power play. … The Senators claimed center Adam Gaudette off waivers Saturday. Gaudette scored two points (one goal, one assist) in eight games for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. … Los Angeles swept the two-game season series; it won 2-0 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Nov. 11. … The Senators played the second of back-to-back games. They lost at the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 on Friday.