Rookies are key in Kings’ victory

Anze Kopitar scored two goals and Barry Brust made 34 saves for his first NHL victory, leading the Kings to a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

Derek Armstrong and Michael Cammalleri also scored for the Kings, who avenged a 3-1 loss to the Sharks at Staples Center on Tuesday with a win in the clubs’ fifth meeting this season. The Kings were 1-9-1 at San Jose before Thursday.

Two rookies took starring roles as the Kings built a four-goal lead and coasted to the win. Kopitar scored the game’s first two goals in the opening seven minutes, and Brust backstopped a solid defensive performance against the lifeless Sharks, who avoided a shutout on Christian Ehrhoff’s goal with 10:01 to play.

Brust, who spent last season and most of this fall with the Kings’ AHL affiliate in Manchester, N.H., made his second career NHL start as Dan Cloutier’s temporary backup while Mathieu Garon nurses a groin injury. Brust got the start when a shot hit Cloutier in the arm during pregame warmups.

Kopitar scored five minutes into the first period to end his seven-game goal drought, then had his first career short-handed goal moments later on a beautiful pass from Alexander Frolov.

Kopitar has 27 points in his first 33 games.

After Kopitar’s opening goals, Cammalleri capitalized on a strange bounce to score his 14th goal of the season in the second period. Armstrong scored his sixth of the season in the third.