Los Angeles @ Toronto 3-1 - Jeff Carter's goal at 9:40 of the third period and Martin Jones' 37 saves extended the Los Angeles Kings' winning streak to five games with a 3-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. Carter's eighth goal of the season came on a 2-on-1 rush with Daniel Carcillo against Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Fraser. Carter decided to shoot instead of pass and beat Bernier cleanly through the five-hole. Fraser's defense partner, Paul Ranger, was caught out of position after pinching too deep into the Kings zone. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty made it 1-0 on the power play at 10:30 of the first period. Doughty skated into the top of the faceoff circle and sent a wrist shot past Bernier, who was screened on the shot by Kings forward Tyler Toffoli. It was Doughty's sixth goal of the season. The Maple Leafs tied the game at 14:30 of the second period when Cody Franson scored a power-play goal. The defenseman's first goal of the season came on a 5-on-3 while Doughty and Willie Mitchell were each serving a penalty. The goal snapped Jones' shutout streak at 177:16. Kyle Clifford's third goal of the season with 1:59 to play in the third padded the Kings' lead. Kings forward Colin Fraser left the game at 7:19 of the second period with an injury after being hit into the boards by Maple Leafs forward Frazer McLaren. Fraser needed help off the ice after McLaren finished a check on him in front of the Maple Leafs bench.
Minnesota @ Anaheim 1-2 - Minutes after Corey Perry lay prone on the ice from an accidental collision with teammate Hampus Lindholm, he clumsily pumped his fist in celebration. Such is the home-ice mojo of Perry and the Anaheim Ducks that they can only be stopped briefly by such freak plays before their impressive streaks continued with a 2-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night at Honda Center. Perry extended his goal-scoring streak to an NHL-leading seven games and the Ducks remained the only team in the NHL that hasn't lost in regulation at home (12-0-2). Jonas Hiller made 23 saves, including a dazzling stop on Charlie Coyle's breakaway in the third period, to edge Wild goalie Josh Harding, who finished with 29 saves. Perry was felled by Lindholm in the second period and appeared to be in discomfort on the bench. He came back out later and swiped in a loose puck out of the air from the left side at 13:27. Perry’s 21st goal this season stood as the game winner, and he shrugged off the Lindholm play. While the Ducks cook at home, the Wild are floundering on the road. Minnesota has scored three goals in its past four road games, including two shutouts. The game was the first of seven of eight games away from Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota did get its first power-play goal in four road games on Jason Pominville's team-leading 15th goal 3:48 into the third. The Wild also held a Ducks team that was averaging 3.64 goals per game at home to two. But the forecheck was weak and the chances few. The Wild looked overpowered by the Ryan Getzlaf line in the second period. Getzlaf created the scoring chance on Perry's goal when he stopped below the goal line and fed Lindholm for the shot to extend his point streak to 13 games, tied for longest in the League (Getzlaf has points in the past 15 games he has played). Even Anaheim rookie defenseman Alex Grant is enjoying success two games into his NHL career. He gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead at 2:37 when he came down the right side, 1-on-4, and beat Harding on the short blocker side. Grant has two goals on two shots since he was recalled Nov. 29. Grant's other goal came against the San Jose Sharks when he caught Antti Niemi off guard. This one came when Harding cheated slightly. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau didn't see Grant in training camp because he was hurt, but one aspect has become clear while Grant fills in on the Ducks' banged-up blue line. Harding, who entered the game with an NHL-leading 1.50 goals-against average, was otherwise brilliant in keeping Minnesota in the game. He made a remarkable glove grab midway through the second on what appeared to be an open net for Teemu Selanne, who is trying to end an 18-game goal-less streak. Harding also gloved a shot from Perry moments after Dustin Penner hit the cross bar in the second period during a Ducks power play. Harding was the game's best player in the opening period; he stopped Matt Beleskey when the latter split a pair of defenders and broke in for a backhand. Minnesota's top line of Zach Parise, Koivu and Pominville was matched up against the Daniel Winnik-Saku Koivu-Andrew Cogliano line most of the night and broke through when Pominville easily backhanded in a loose puck after Ryan Suter wristed a shot on net. But that was it for Minnesota and coach Mike Yeo, who put Jason Zucker on the second line and dropped Dany Heatley to the fourth in order to send a message and generate some more goals. Heatley put no shots on goal and Zucker was a guilty party on Grant's goal. Nino Niederreiter has now gone nine straight games without a goal.
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