Lewis leads LA Kings' surge to 4-1 win over Ottawa Senators
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Although Trevor Lewis doesn't score much, the Kings' grinding forward is doing it in bunches lately.
His latest goal barely beat the clock and sent Los Angeles to a win in its final home game for three weeks.
Lewis had a goal and an assist, and Jeff Carter and Alec Martinez scored on the same power play early in the first period of the Kings' 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Lewis is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who plays a key supporting role for the Kings, but he has never scored more than nine goals in the NHL. He has five already this season, including a goal with 0.5 seconds left in a second period otherwise dominated by the Senators.
"I've still got it a little bit," Lewis said after scoring his third goal in four games, calling it one of his best offensive stretches since his junior career a decade ago. "Hopefully, I can keep it up."
Peter Budaj made 19 saves and earned an assist, and Marian Gaborik scored his first goal since Feb. 12 to cap the Kings' final home game before a nine-game stint on the road until New Year's Eve.
The Kings seized an early lead after Mark Borowiecki received a 5-minute major for boarding Tyler Toffoli, who went to the dressing room after getting his face driven into the glass. Carter scored his 12th goal early in the power play on a quick wrist shot, and Martinez scored in the final seconds with a long shot that ricocheted off goalie Mike Condon.
"When we get an opportunity to go on the power play for 5 minutes, we've got to take advantage of that," Martinez said. "That situation a few years ago comes to mind. That's why special teams are important."
Los Angeles famously scored three times during a 5-minute power play in Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final at Staples Center, propelling Martinez and the Kings to their first NHL title.
Condon stopped 15 shots in the fourth loss in six games for the Senators, who couldn't climb out of the early hole created by the Kings' special teams after Borowiecki ran into Toffoli from behind.
"It's a penalty, for sure," Borowiecki said. "I feel bad about putting our team in that (situation). Never mean to hurt anyone or put anyone in a bad spot, but anyone that plays my brand of hockey is going to have a couple of those a season."
Zack Smith trimmed the lead early in the second period by ending his 13-game goal drought, but the Senators struggled to beat Budaj in the second stop of their swing through California.
Budaj, the former Montreal goalie who rose from the AHL this season to take over for injured Jonathan Quick, even got an assist on Carter's goal for his first point since April 4, 2012.
"We've had success coming back," Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. "Guys were showing character, and we were doing it, but I think the biggest deflator was the end of the second period. We have to be prepared in those last few seconds."
Gaborik capped the win in the third period on an exceptional shot. The Slovak wing missed the final two months of last season and the first six weeks of this season with injuries.
Veteran forward Chris Neil played his 1,000th game for Ottawa, joining Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Phillips as the only Senators to reach the mark.
NOTES: Kings coach Darryl Sutter got his 200th victory with the franchise. Only Andy Murray (215) has more. Asked if the milestone meant anything to him, Sutter replied: "Nope." ... Andy Andreoff returned to the Kings' lineup after missing 17 games following an upper-body injury in late October. Devin Setoguchi also was back in the lineup, and the Kings scratched Kyle Clifford and Nic Dowd, who had played in 24 straight games. ... Borowiecki fought Matt Greene shortly after getting out of the penalty box. Toffoli returned to the ice late in the first period.
UP NEXT
Senators: At the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Kings: At the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.