Three second-period goals gave the Los Angeles Kings a nice end to their first half of the season, beating the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Monday night at Staples Center. The win propelled the Kings (24-16-10) into a first-place tie in the Pacific Division with the San Jose Sharks, who lost 2-1 in a shootout in Edmonton Monday night.
Drew Doughty had two assists for the Kings, who improved to 9-2-6 under new head coach Darryl Sutter. The Kings are 11-1-1 all-time against the Senators.
Willie Mitchell scored his third goal of the season in the first period to open the scoring for the Kings, and Los Angeles extended their lead to 4-0 in the second period with goals from Kyle Clifford, Jack Johnson, and Trevor Lewis. The goal by Lewis, his second of the year, came on a penalty shot.
Jonathan Quick saved 27 of 28 shots for the Kings for his 21st win of the season. Quick heads into his first All-Star game leading the NHL in shutouts with six, and is fourth in save percentage (.934) and third in goals against average (1.93).
The Kings are off for the next eight days, and return after the break with a single home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, before hitting the road for six games on their Grammy road trip.
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