The Los Angeles Kings had a chance Wednesday night to complete their first NHL playoff series sweep in franchise history, and even held a lead after the first period. But the No. 1 seed Vancounver Canucks scored three unanswered goals for a 3-1 lead over the No. 8 seed Kings Wednesday night at Staples Center.
Second-string goaltender Cory Schneider saved 43 of 44 shots in the win for the Canucks, who stayed alive but still trail the series 3-1. The Kings have not won a playoff series since 2001.
Anze Kopitar scored in the first period to give the Kings a 1-0 lead, but a pair of second period goals gave Vancouver a 2-1 advantage. The Kings were aggressive in the first two periods, outshooting the Canucks 31-16, but Vancouver outshot the Kings 14-13 in the final period.
Henrik Sedin gave the Canucks a 3-1 lead at 5:45 of the third period, assisted from his brother Daniel Sedin, playing his first game since March 21.
Jonathan Quick saved 27 of 30 shots in the loss for Los Angeles. Game 5 will be played Sunday in Vancouver.
For more on the Los Angeles Kings, make sure you check out Jewels From The Crown. For the Canucks side of things, make sure you head over to Nucks Misconduct.
