LOS ANGELES — Alec Martinez scored the game winning goal with 54.3 seconds remaining in the final period, that lifted the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon.
The Kings ended a six game losing streak that resulted in the Kings being outscored 29-8 against their opponents during that stretch.
“All around, I think it was the best game that we’ve played in a long time,” Martinez said.
The return of Dustin Brown proved to pay dividends as he scored a power play goal in the second period that ended a two goal lead by the Rangers. Brown missed 10-days due to a broken finger. It was the first points for Los Angeles since Oct. 11 against the Montreal Canadians.
“Yeah, it was a big goal,” Brown said of his first of the season. “Power-play, too. It just felt good to be a part of the group again.”
After Sunday’s victory in front of 18,230 at Staples Center, the Kings are confident that they can start a new streak that gets them more wins.
Head coach John Stevens looked relieved as there was talk regarding his future with the team. However, Stevens took everything in stride and focused on the victory at hand.
“It seems like we’ve done some good things along the way,” Stevens said. “And it just seems like tonight was another one of those nights where they got a bounce and a really good start.”
Kings goalie Jack Campbell made 22 saves against the Rangers in the win.
The Kings face the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at 7:30PM PT at Staples Center
Off The Ice:
*Ilya Kovalchuk registered his first three-point game as a Kings and tallied his first PPG as a King.
*Drew Doughty recorded his second multi-point game of the season.
