Kings Beat Blues In Shootout To Move Into 1st Place
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jonathan Quick held his own in a brilliant goaltending duel with Brian Elliott, posting his franchise record-tying eighth shutout of the season for the Los Angeles Kings, and Jeff Carter got the deciding goal in the fourth round of a shootout for a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
The Kings took over first place in the Pacific Division with their season-high sixth straight victory. Los Angeles outshot St. Louis 35-32 in regulation. The Kings had 32 shots in the second and third periods after getting outshot 13-3 in the first. Quick matched Rogie Vachon's shutout total from 1976-77.
The Kings are 3-4-1 in 1-0 decisions this season, including a loss to the Blues on Feb. 3 in St. Louis, when Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 Los Angeles shots. The Blues are 4-1 in games decided by a 1-0 score, the other games decided in regulation.
St. Louis and Los Angeles came in 1-2 in the NHL in goals-against average, the Blues having allowed 1.85 goals per game and the Kings 2.06. Elliott came in with a league-best 1.62 goals-against average, and Quick was fourth with a 2.00 GAA.
Elliott made 37 saves for his eighth shutout of the season and 16th of his career.
Quick's shutout was the 23rd of his career.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
