Brown OT goal lifts Kings past Canucks

VANCOUVER -- Dustin Brown scored 53 seconds into overtime, and Calvin Petersen made 32 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

Vancouver's Markus Granlund tied the game 1-1 on a deflection with 3:43 left in the third period, but Brown put the rebound of an Alec Martinez shot into an open net to win it.
The play started with Anze Kopitar, who had two assists, telling Brown where to line up to receive the puck off a face-off win. Brown fed it back to Martinez, and then went to the net.
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"[Martinez] had a nice shot and it landed nice and flat for me, and I just had to put it in," said Brown, who also had an assist after he had a hat trick in a 5-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. "If you go around the net, that's where you are going to score goals. Other than an empty net, probably my farthest goal away from the net is maybe seven feet, but that's where you have to go to score in this league."

Alex Iafallo also scored for the Kings (9-14-1), who have won two straight games after losing six of the previous eight, including 4-2 to the Canucks on Saturday.
It's the second time this season Los Angeles has won consecutive games (Nov. 3-6).
"We've got to build on it and it's probably more important it's two (Pacific) Division wins because the position we're in," Brown said. "It's the only way we are ever going to get back in is if we beat our division. If you look at the math and the way it works out over the course of the season, these division games are pretty much life and death for us."

Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves for the Canucks (11-13-3), who ended an eight-game losing streak in Los Angeles on Saturday but are 1-7-2 in their past 10.
"We've got to keep the regulation losses to a minimum. One point is important," Markstrom said. "In the third, we responded. We came out strong and kept grinding the whole third, and we got rewarded."
Jonathan Quick, who missed 13 games because of a knee injury that required surgery, dressed for the first time since Oct. 28, but the Kings' No. 1 goalie backed up Petersen, a rookie who made his seventh straight start.
Petersen made his best saves in the first period, sliding across to deny Antoine Roussel on a backdoor chance at 5:07 and sprawling to make the save on an open-net chance by Loui Eriksson after a cross-ice pass at 11:21.
"He made a couple saves that first period that were outstanding, and you know that could change how the game went," Kings coach Willie Desjardins said. "And he's pretty calm. For a young guy to come in and do that is pretty impressive."

Canucks forward Brock Boeser, back after missing 11 games with a groin injury, hit the post on a backhand chance in tight at 6:11 of the second period.
"I'm moving better and skating-wise I feel a lot better," Boeser said.
Iafallo scored at 10:45 of the second to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. Brown won a battle for a loose puck in the corner and passed up to Iafallo at the left face-off dot for a one-timer that beat Markstrom under the glove.
Petersen made a tough save on Bo Horvat in tight with 6:40 left to keep it 1-0, and he didn't panic after Granlund beat him over his glove with a close-range deflection of an Alex Biega shot.
"The whole time it was our game to win and it was just a matter of time, really," Petersen said. "Obviously, when they get one that late in the game, it could be deflating, but I think we have been through too much as a team to let stuff like that continue to bother us. It showed in the overtime. We controlled the play and luckily we were rewarded."

They said it

"Vancouver always means something different to me than other clubs whenever you come back in here, but lots of good guys in that room over there and I know that and I know they hate to lose as well, but I certainly enjoyed a win." -- Kings coach Willie Desjardins on his first game in Vancouver since being fired by the Canucks on April 10, 2017, after three seasons
"When you play L.A., you're playing a team that plays a pretty tight game. You've got to fight for space against them, they're a bigger team." -- Canucks coach Travis Green

Need to know

Kopitar has nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past six games. … Kings rookie forward Matt Luff's goal streak ended at four games. … Quick is expected to start at the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday or at the Calgary Flames on Friday. … Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson was scratched and is day to day after tweaking his neck in practice Monday.

What's next

Kings: At the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Canucks: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)