Dave Sheldon | Email David.Sheldon@corusent.com
4/13/2012
Dustin Brown scored two shorthanded goals and assisted on the game winner on a third period Kings power play as the Los Angeles Kings doubled the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 and have taken a 2-0 series lead heading home to Los Angeles for the next two games.
In the opening period, the Canucks opened up with more jump but once again found themselves having their momentum stalled by untimely penalties as Kevin Bieksa was whistled for interference at 834. While Vancouver was able to kill the Kings penalty, L.A. generated four shots and overcame a slow start. Late in the period, on the second of two ineffective Canucks power plays, Alex Edler would give up a ‘last man back’ turnover to Anze Kopitar. While Kopitar was stopped on a great save by Luongo, the rebound popped out to Kings Captain Dustin Brown. Brown would make no mistake and bury his second of the postseason at 1951 while shorthanded and the Kings would go to the first break with a 1-0 lead.
The Canucks came out in the second period with some early pressure and found the equalizer just 17 seconds in when Jannick Hansen tipped in a Henrik Sedin point shot on a broken play. However, Vancouver’s special teams were toxic once again, as minutes later; Dustin Brown once again was able to convert, this time on a breakaway after a poor pass to the point by Ryan Kesler and a blown tire by Dan Hamhuis. 2-1 Kings and Vancouver’s power play was being booed on home ice. It would stay 2-1 after forty minutes.
The special teams play for the Kings would strike again mid way through the third as Jarret Stoll would convert a Dustin Brown rebound to make it 3-1 at 8:10. Trevor Lewis would round out the scoring for the Kings with a late goal while Samme Pahlsson scored a late goal for Vancouver to make the final 4-2.
Vancouver goes down 2-0 in the series and must rely on their NHL best road record to get them back in the series. Game three will be Sunday night in Hollywood.
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