GREG BEACHAM
AP Hockey Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After the Los Angeles Kings streaked away to an early five-goal lead, complacency seemed to be a whole lot tougher opponent than the winless Edmonton Oilers.
Tanner Pearson thinks the defending Stanley Cup champions handled both foes impressively.
Pearson had two goals and an assist, and linemates Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli added a goal and an assist apiece in the Kings’ 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
Jonathan Quick made 31 saves for the Kings, who have won two straight in dominant fashion after an 0-1-1 start. Los Angeles led 5-0 on Pearson’s first goal early in the second period, but the champs didn’t let up until Edmonton’s Matt Hendricks slipped in a last-minute score.
“It’s one of those wins that you’re up by a couple of goals and you just try to stay in it,” said Pearson, who set a career high in points. “It’s more mental, once you’re up by however many. That was the big thing going into the room. We wanted to stay focused and keep playing our kind of game, even though the score was what it was.”
Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown and Justin Williams also scored, but the Kings thrived with another huge game from That 70s Line, the jersey-number-inspired nickname for Carter, Toffoli and Pearson. Toffoli’s beautiful short-handed goal and Pearson’s first career multigoal game were the highlights of another big night for the trio, which has 16 points in five games.
“Guys in this room did a good job keeping everyone in it and making sure you’re making the right plays instead of playing lazy,” Pearson said.
Quick lost his bid for his club record-tying 32nd career shutout on Hendricks’ goal with 20.9 seconds left, falling agonizingly short of matching Rogie Vachon’s mark.
Darryl Sutter also earned his 100th regular-season victory in 182 games with the Kings, reaching the mark 15 games faster than any coach in club history.
“I would have preferred to get Jonathan the cob,” Sutter said, using an old-time hockey term for shutouts.
After missing the playoffs for the past eight years, Edmonton has lost its first three games of the season for the first time since 1995.
The Oilers couldn’t keep up without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. Both top-line forwards sat out with undisclosed injuries on the second stop of a three-game trip.
“Two of our best players, two of our leaders, weren’t in the lineup,” Hendricks said. “They’re the defending champs for a reason. They’re a great team. They could probably sense a little bit of a weakness at the start, and they capitalized on a lot of chances.”
Viktor Fasth stopped eight of 11 shots before leaving in the first period with a groin injury. Former Kings goalie Ben Scrivens finished up the Oilers’ seventh straight loss to Los Angeles.
The Kings stepped on the Oilers early, scoring three times in the first 10 minutes to thrill another sellout crowd. After Toffoli set up Carter’s opening score, he added an exceptional short-handed goal over Fasth’s shoulder to put Los Angeles up 3-0.
“We knew how hard they were going to come out, and we weren’t ready,” forward David Perron said. “It was really frustrating. We have to be better on the (penalty-kill), the power play and five-on-five. We still have a lot to learn still.”
The Kings added two more goals in a 25-second span after forcing turnovers early in the second period. Shortly after Brown got his first goal of the season, Carter separated Benoit Pouliot from the puck, and Pearson winged a wrist shot past Scrivens.
Andy Andreoff made his NHL debut for the Kings, getting into a fight just 1:50 after the opening faceoff. The former third-round pick got his shot in place of Marian Gaborik, who sat out for the first time this season with an undisclosed injury.
Defenseman Darnell Nurse made his NHL debut for the Oilers, taking Jeff Petry’s lineup spot. The 19-year-old Nurse, the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft, is the nephew of former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb, who attended the game.
Bogdan Yakimov, a Russian center who turned 20 this month, also made his NHL debut for Edmonton.
NOTES: Nurse’s sister, Kia, is an incoming freshman basketball player at UConn. … Kings D Jake Muzzin still hasn’t played this season due to injury. … The Kings placed F Trevor Lewis on injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment. … Referee Mike Leggo worked his 1,000th NHL game. He was honored in a pregame ceremony with his family.
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