Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar are a winning combination for Kings in 4-1 victory over Canucks

The telepathy that helps Vancouver Canucks forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin work their magic with the puck is easy to understand: They’re identical twins and blessed with an uncanny connection.

The nonfraternal anticipation that enabled Kings forwards Dustin Brown of Ithaca, N.Y., and Anze Kopitar of Jesenice, Slovenia, to combine for the third goal in a 4-1 victory at Staples Center on Friday night can’t be explained by a shared heritage — but it was as splendid as any of the Sedin twins’ best moves.

Kopitar took a pass from Brown and made a beautiful move to cut from the left side to the middle, buying time while Brown barged toward the front of the net. Kopitar then found Brown alone by the left post at 7:43 of the third period, and he slam-dunked the puck past a beleaguered Roberto Luongo 50 seconds after Daniel Sedin had finished off a pass from Henrik to cut the Kings’ lead to 2-1.

“Oh, yeah. You didn’t know we’re blood related?” Kopitar joked.

Brown capped a scramble in front by getting his stick on a shot by winger Alexei Ponikarovsky at 12:53, building a 4-1 margin and ensuring the Kings (3-1) would defeat the Canucks for the second time in a week. Ponikarovsky’s assist was his first as a King.

Much credit also goes to Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who stopped 25 shots Friday and has stopped 79 of 82 shots in three games this season.

“He was pretty decent back there,” Kopitar said, smiling. “Up a goal or up two goals he makes some big saves and everybody on the bench goes, ‘OK, now we’ve got to get back on track and win it for him,’ and that’s exactly what he did a few times today.”

The Kings scored the only goal of the first period, the first time in four games that they had scored before the final period.

They needed a lucky bounce to get it. Jarret Stoll was in front of the net looking for rebounds or deflections and was in perfect position when Jack Johnson’s shot from a deep angle on the left wing came toward the net. The puck appeared to glance off Stoll’s foot and stick before eluding Luongo at 2:48.

Vancouver defenseman Keith Ballard, who was crunched into the boards by Kings forward Brad Richardson late in the first period and appeared to injure a hip or leg, did not return for the second.

Again getting a good bounce — but being as good as they were lucky in this instance — the Kings scored off someone’s foot to take a 2-0 lead at 3:36 of the second. Justin Williams’ low shot caromed off the inside of Kevin Bieksa’s right foot and between Luongo’s pads, capping a passing sequence that gave rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin his first NHL point.

Ryan Smyth was at center ice when he sent a lead pass to Muzzin, who slid the puck back to Williams in the slot. After Williams’ shot deflected off Bieksa, Muzzin got the second assist, his first point in the NHL.

“I think if you consistently work hard, over time good things are going to happen for you,” Brown said.

As they did on that third goal, when he knew if he drove to the net and drew one defenseman to him that Kopitar would take out the other defenseman.

“He just beat him laterally and fed me back door. It was a good play,” Brown said.

Against a good team, though the Kings’ third line, centered by Michal Handzus, did fine work in neutralizing the Sedins’ wizardry.

“I think we’ve proved we can play a pretty physical game, a checking game,” Kopitar said. “It’s not easy to play against the Sedins. I think Zeus’ line did a great job to shut them down. Yes, they scored a goal but they’re great players and they make great plays and sometimes it resolves into a goal. I think overall we had a strong game.”

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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