Kings beat Senators, 5-2, to extend winning streak to six

OTTAWA, Canada -- The Kings scored three times in the first period and held off a push by the Senators to earn a 5-2 victory on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Center, extending their winning streak to six and sustaining several other noteworthy streaks.

It was the 18th consecutive game in which the Kings gave up two goals or fewer, and the 18th straight in which they did not surrender a goal in the first period. They’re 13-1-4 in that span.

They also padded their road points streak to 10 (8-0-2), one short of the club record set in the 1974-75 season. Goaltender Martin Jones improved to 5-0.

The Kings chased Senators starting goaltender Craig Anderson by scoring twice on their first four shots, and they built a 3-0 lead before the first period ended.

Dwight King set the tone when he beat Anderson to the short side 21 seconds into the game, set up by Jeff Carter and Jake Muzzin. Carter ended Anderson’s day with a quick shot from the slot at 4:18 after a turnover by the Senators.

Energetic forechecking by the King-Anze Kopitar-Carter line led to the Kings’ third goal, at 12:56. Kopitar scored it, with assists from Slava Voynov and King. Kopitar also scored the Kings’ final goal, with 3:18 left in the third period, off an excellent pass from King.

Jones stopped all eight shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes, the 18th consecutive time the Kings held an opponent without a goal in the first period. The last team to score on the Kings in the opening 20 minutes was the Nashville Predators on Nov. 2.

It took an exceptional effort by Ottawa captain Jason Spezza to get the Senators on the board at 13:51 of the second period. He controlled the puck in the Kings’ zone and fought off several checks before throwing the puck on net, creating a rebound that was converted by former King Joe Corvo.

A long shot by Erik Karlsson got between Jones’ arm and body to cut the Kings’ lead to 3-2 early in the third period, but Jarret Stoll provided an insurance goal at 13:18 of the third, following a fine individual effort by Drew Doughty. A shot by Doughty created a rebound that Stoll easily converted.

Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell did not play in the third period. He had taken a hit in the first period, possibly to his shoulder, but returned for the second period. However, he did not play in the final 20 minutes and the team said only that he had an upper-body injury.

The Kings will conclude this trip Sunday at Chicago against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.

Kings forward Trevor Lewis, out 10 games because of a lower-body injury, was activated before the game and centered the fourth line. Colin Fraser (concussion) was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 11.

Back in Los Angeles, goaltender Jonathan Quick has skated two days in a row, a club official said. Quick’s recovery process from a groin injury will proceed at a slow pace to help guard against possible setbacks.

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