Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Michal Handzus scored in the sixth round of the shootout, and the Los Angeles Kings snapped their three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins. After the first 11 shooters of the shootout were unable to find the back of the net, Handzus skated up and fired a simple wrister from the slot that beat Tim Thomas to the stick side. Handzus also scored in regulation for the Kings, who have won the last four meetings with Boston -- all past regulation, including the last three by shootout. Jarret Stoll and Brad Richardson also scored, while Jonathan Quick made 38 saves through the first 65 minutes and six more in the shootout.
Blake Wheeler had a goal and an assist, while Gregory Campbell and Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins, who recovered from a 3-0 deficit to earn a point but had a three-game win streak snapped. Thomas stopped 23-of-26 shots in defeat. The Kings needed only 57 seconds to get on the board. Richardson took a feed from Kevin Westgarth in the neutral zone and skated into Boston's end of the ice. He moved around one defender before firing a wrister past Thomas from the left circle.
Dustin Brown was called for a holding penalty 9:03 into the game, but Los Angeles killed off the Boston power play and scored 14 seconds later. On the attack, Thomas stopped an initial shot, but remained screened as the puck squirted into the slot. Handzus picked it up and fired through daylight at 11:17 for a 2-0 lead. The Bruins' power play was dreadful in the opening stanza, failing on all three of its opportunities.
Stoll extended Los Angeles' lead to three with his seventh tally 2:50 into the second period before Boston made a game of it. Wheeler got the Bruins on the board 1:40 after Stoll's goal, and Campbell grabbed a rebound off a Shawn Thornton shot, flipped from forehand-to-backhand and flicked the puck up high out of Quick's reach for a 3-2 game with 8:03 until the second intermission.
The margin remained at one until Boston tied the game with 6:16 to play in regulation. Johnny Boychuk fired a slapshot from the point that was swept aside by Quick, and Blake Wheeler grabbed the rebound to the side of the net. Bergeron skated into the play, took a feed in the left circle from Wheeler and sent a floater past Quick for a 3-3 contest. Not many shots found the target in overtime, as Quick made two saves and Thomas one to send the game to a shootout.
Linesman Steve Miller was helped off the ice with 30 seconds left in overtime after taking an errant puck to the head...Quick improved to 11-2-0 this season, while Thomas fell to 10-1-1...The Kings have won four straight in Boston since 2002...Bruins forward Marc Savard was medically cleared to practice on Saturday. He has been out the entire season thus far with post- concussion syndrome related to a hit he took last season. It's unknown exactly when he will rejoin the active roster...Boston held the Kings scoreless on five power play chances and has now been successful in 19 of its last 20 penalty kill situations.
For more Kings news and analysis, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Jewels From The Crown.