Kings defeat Penguins with third-period surge

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings scored three times in a span of 1:23 in the third period to pull away from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 6-2 win at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

"Momentum is real. It's a big part of hockey, a big part of sports," said Kings defenseman Sean Durzi, who had a goal and two assists.
Anze Kopitar had two goals and an assist, and Dustin Brown scored his 700th NHL point for the Kings (19-13-5), who have won three straight. Jonathan Quick made 27 saves.
"They play a fast, aggressive game. They forced us to play that way, and we were able to play with them tonight anyhow," Kings coach Todd McLellan said.

Kris Letang scored to extend his point streak to six games, and Tristan Jarry allowed six goals on 45 shots for the Penguins (21-10-5), who are 1-2-0 following a 10-game winning streak.
"We didn't have our best, and, no, I didn't see it coming," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've played pretty consistent hockey all year long. This, obviously, wasn't our best. It was just a struggle all night long for our group."
The Kings scored the three quick goals shortly after Radim Zohorna tied it 2-2 for the Penguins 1:37 into the third period on a one-timer in the slot off a pass from Teddy Blueger.

Mikey Anderson put Los Angeles back in front 3-2 at 3:07, scoring his first goal of the season on a shot from the blue line.
Viktor Arvidsson made it 4-2 at 3:17 on a one-timer in the right circle off a pass from Trevor Moore.
"Actually, after they scored, I thought the response from the bench was really good," Durzi said. "A lot of guys just talking it through, saying let's bounce back. Good energy, guys really showed it. To get two in one shift was huge. Feeding off that, building off that, I thought the guys responded well."
Kopitar scored at 4:30 to make it 5-2.
"To come back and put those three goals together was powerful," McLellan said. "It deflates the opposition quickly, and guys made good plays. Confident plays."
Durzi scored on a shot from the right point at 18:20 for the 6-2 final.
"My experience of coaching in this league is when you go through it, an 80-plus-game schedule, that some nights it's a struggle, and this was one of them for us," Sullivan said.
Brown put the Kings ahead 2-1 at 14:32 of the second period on the power play. Durzi's shot deflected off Moore, and Brown was able to collect the loose puck and score on a wrist shot from close range to reach the milestone.

Brown is the seventh Kings player to score 700 points. He had an assist on Durzi's goal, giving him 322 goals and 379 assists in 1,266 NHL games.
Kopitar tied it 1-1 at 13:48 of the first period, scoring on a wrist shot from the slot after Alex Iafallo forced Kasperi Kapanen into a turnover. Kopitar had gone eight games without scoring since getting the go-ahead goal in a 4-1 win at the Florida Panthers on Dec. 16.
"It seemed like some of their goals and just some of their chances were just plays through the slot or backdoor plays through down low, so I think that's kind of something that jumps out that I don't think we did a very good job of tonight," Blueger said.
Letang scored his second goal when his centering pass from behind the goal line went in off Quick's skate at 4:42 of the first period to make it 1-0. He has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) during his six-game point streak.
NOTES: It was Kopitar's third game this season with at least three points. He had five points (three goals, two assists) in the season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 14 and three assists against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 27. … Moore had two assists, extending his point streak to three games (one goal, four assists). … Kings forward Samuel Fagemo made his NHL debut. He was minus-1 and took one shot in 11:54 of ice time. … The 45 shots Jarry faced were a season-high, and he has lost all three starts this season when the opponent had at least 40 shots. Jarry allowed four goals on 40 shots in a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 30 and four goals on 40 shots in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 6. … Jarry and Kings forward Adrian Kempe were named to the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game.