Canucks beat Kings to end 8-game skid

Elias Pettersson scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period Saturday as the visiting Vancouver Canucks ended their eight-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Pettersson intercepted a pass near the Kings' blue line and ripped a blistering shot past Kings goalie Cal Petersen from just inside the left circle for his 13th goal of the season. The center also had a second-period assist.

Adam Gaudette, Sam Gagner and Tyler Motte also scored for the Canucks, who won for the first time since Nov. 8 at Boston. Vancouver had been outscored 34-16 during its losing streak. Motte sealed the victory with a short-handed goal into an empty Kings net with 1:19 remaining.

Drew Doughty and Matt Luff scored for the Kings, who lost their fifth consecutive game at home and are 2-6 over their last eight games overall, scoring two goals or less in six of those contests.

After a scoreless first period, the Canucks took a 1-0 lead at 5:12 of the second period when Gaudette scored his first career goal. He charged in and took a pass from right wing Jake Virtanen and slipped a shot past Petersen.

Just over two minutes later, Doughty tied the score 1-1 on a power-play goal. It was a rare man-advantage goal for the Kings, who entered with an NHL-worst 12.7-percent power-play rate.

Vancouver regained the lead at 2-1 when Gagner scored on the power play. Pettersson sent a pass to Bo Horvat on the side of the Kings goal and Horvat sent a pass out front to Gagner, who delivered his first goal of the season.

Just over four minutes later, the Kings tied it again, when Luff, a rookie, scored on a breakaway for his third career goal, all coming in his last three games.

After a Vancouver turnover in the Kings' zone, Carl Hagelin sent a pass to Luff near center ice, and the right wing took it the rest of the way for the score.

The Kings and Canucks entered as the bottom two teams in goal differential in the NHL. The Kings were last in the league at minus-24, while the Canucks entered at minus-19.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)