Canucks-Kings Game Review
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Jonathan Quick stopped 41 shots to record his second career postseason shutout and help the Los Angeles Kings gain a stranglehold over the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory.
Dustin Brown netted the game's lone goal for the Kings, who took a commanding 3-0 lead over the Canucks in the series.
Los Angeles will have a chance to record its first series win since 2001 on Wednesday.
Cory Schneider made his second career start in the playoffs in place of the benched Roberto Luongo and stopped 19-of-20 shots.
Vancouver is on the verge of becoming the sixth Presidents' Trophy winner to be eliminated in the first round, joining the 1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks, 1999-2000 St. Louis Blues, 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings, 2008-09 San Jose Sharks and 2009-10 Washington Capitals.
"A great performance by their goaltender," Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said. "Give them credit, they're up and we're in a tough position right now. We know what's at stake. We have to regroup and get ready for Wednesday."
Brown was able to break the scoreless tie at the 6:30 mark of the third period when Justin Williams' shot from the right circle was stopped by Schneider, but the big rebound kicked out to Brown in the left circle and he fired the puck into the open net.
"It was just one of those plays. I got knocked down and when I got up I just happened to be behind the defense," Brown said about his goal. "We worked hard and found a way to be up 3-0."
Soon after the Canucks killed off a Dan Hamhuis high-sticking penalty later in the third, Schneider denied Trevor Lewis' hard wrister from the right circle on a 2-on-1 rush to keep it a one-goal game.
Vancouver's Alexander Edler fired an attempted cross-ice pass over the boards with 1:37 remaining in the game, resulting in a delay of game penalty that made the Canucks shorthanded for the remainder of the contest, and they could not sustain much pressure with the goaltender pulled down the stretch.
The first 20 minutes of the contest passed without a goal, but each team had its chances to break through.
The first scoring chances came for the Canucks as they failed to capitalize on an early power play after Brown was called for an elbowing penalty and Jannik Hansen had a slap shot ring off the left post on a rush.
The Kings could not score on two power plays in the first period and also had Brown's one-timer from the left circle on a 3-on-1 rush turned aside by Schneider to keep them off the board.
Vancouver's Alexandre Burrows was then stoned by the left pad of a sprawling Quick in the closing seconds of the first period to keep the game goalless.
Brown laid a big hit on Vancouver's Henrik Sedin early in the second period to spark a fight between Burrows and Anze Kopitar as he came to the defense of his star player and set the tone for a chippy middle stanza that saw a total of nine penalties and seven power plays.
Sedin was shaken up after the hit and had to be helped onto his bench, but he stayed in the game.
However, neither team would take advantage of its power-play opportunities, including the Kings not capitalizing on a brief two-man advantage and a 4-on-3 power play as Quick stopped 14 shots and Schneider turned aside all six that he faced in the period.
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