Game report: Kings 3, Flames 0

Key plays: Jeff Carter scored twice in the first 6 1 /2 minutes of the second period and the Kings reclaimed first place in the Pacific Division with a 3-0 victory Thursday over the Calgary Flames at Staples Center. Carter scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season and later added an assist on Andy Andreoff’s third-period strike.

Playoff update: The Kings (46-26-5, 97 points) moved past the idle Ducks (43-23-10, 96 points) into first place in the Pacific. The Kings have five regular-season games remaining and the Ducks have six left, including a home date Friday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Quote, unquote: It’s going in the right direction,” Carter said of the Kings’ play heading down the home stretch. “We want to finish first. We want home ice. We’ve got five games left here. We know what we have to clean up and we’ll continue to work on it.”

Pivotal performer: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for his 39th victory of the season, tying his own franchise record for victories in a season. Quick (39-21-4) also extended his club record for shutouts with the 42nd of his career.

Chart climber: Drew Doughty’s assist on Carter’s power-play goal 46 seconds into the second period moved him past Steve Duchesne into second place on the Kings’ all-time list for defenseman with 316 points. Rob Blake hold the franchise record with 494 points.

Game report: Ducks 8, Flames 3

Key play: Corey Perry’s goal 57 seconds into the game propelled the Ducks to a x-x victory Wednesday over Calgary, sending them past the idle Kings and into first place in the Pacific Division. The Ducks’ win also was their 23rd in a row over the Flames at the Honda Center, dating to 2003-04.

Playoff update: The Ducks (43-23-10, 96 points) lead the Kings (45-26-5, 95 points) by one point and the third-place Sharks (43-28-6, 92 points) by four. The Kings can retake first place with a victory Thursday over the Flames at Staples Center.

Quote, unquote: “You know what? We’re not even talking about that,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of chasing a fourth consecutive Pacific Division championship. “We’ve got six games left. Let’s play as well as we can. No matter who choose in the playoffs, it’s going to be a battle. We’ve won the division three years in a row, it’s not a big deal for us.”

Pivotal performer: Ducks center Ryan Kesler had a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) in his second game back in the lineup after a two-game absence to attend to a family matter. He also won 12 of 18 faceoffs (67 percent) as the Ducks went 38-25 in the circle (60 percent).

Injury update: Ducks goalie John Gibson left the game after teammate Hampus Lindholm accidentally crashed into him midway through the second period. Frederik Andersen replaced Gibson for the final 9:40 of the second before Gibson returned to the net to start the third.

Game report: Kings 6, Oilers 4

Key play: Tyler Toffoli’s tiebreaking goal early in the second period propelled the Kings to a 6-4 victory Saturday over the Edmonton Oilers at Staples Center. Toffoli raced down the right wing and broke a 2-all tie with his second goal of the game and his team-leading 29th of the season.

Pivotal performer: Kings left wing Milan Lucic assisted on the Kings’ first three goals to tie his career high for assists in a game. It was his fifth three-assist game in the NHL, his first since Oct. 21, 2014 against the San Jose Sharks while with the Boston Bruins.

Quote, unquote: “We need to clean things up defensively and stuff like that,” Lucic said after the Kings ended a three-game losing streak. “I know it was great we got six goals tonight, but giving up four against is kind of unacceptable. We’ve got to clean that up with seven games left.”

Injury update: Kings left wing Kris Versteeg sat out for the fourth consecutive game because of a foot injury suffered when he blocked a shot during a March 19 game against the Boston Bruins, a 2-1 victory. Versteeg skated on his own after his teammates completed their morning skate.

Game report: Kings 2, Bruins 1

Key play: Defenseman Alec Martinez’s goal early in the second period proved to be the game-winning score as the Kings held on for a 2-1 playoff-clinching victory Saturday over the Boston Bruins at Staples Center. The Kings returned to the postseason after a one-season absence.

Pivotal performance: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made several spectacular saves among the 27 shots he stopped to bail out his teammates. His best might have been a right toe save on the Bruins’ Brad Marchand in the first period to keep the game scoreless.

Between the pipes: Quick appeared in his 58th game of the season, with his career high of 72 still within reach. Tuukka Rask returned to the Bruins’ net after Jonas Gustavsson suffered the loss in a 4-0 defeat to the Ducks on Friday. Rask made 18 saves.

Quote, unquote: “A lot of credit goes to our first period, our goaltending and our penalty-killing,” Kings left wing Milan Lucic said. “That’s the goal of the season, to clinch a playoff spot as early as you can. Last year, falling just short, definitely gives you motivation. There are still 11 games and we want to finish as high up as we can in the standings.”

Dropping the gloves: The Kings’ Dwight King and the Bruins’ Adam McQuaid fought a lengthy battle in the first period, with King sending McQuaid’s helmet flying with a haymaker. McQuaid landed several punishing body shots with his right hand. In the end, it was a draw.

Game report: Ducks 4, Bruins 0

Key plays: Jamie McGinn and Ryan Kesler scored 1:16 apart in the opening minutes of the first period and the Ducks went on to take a 4-0 victory Friday from the Boston Bruins at the Honda Center. The win moved the Ducks within four points of the Pacific Division-leading Kings.

Pivotal performer: Team captain Ryan Getzlaf assisted on goals by McGinn and Hampus Lindholm to help the Ducks take a commanding 3-0 lead by the opening minute of the third period. Getzlaf has seven goals and 21 points in his past 19 games.

Between the pipes: Frederik Andersen returned to the Ducks’ net one game earlier than expected because John Gibson was too ill to play. It would have been Gibson’s turn to start in Boudreau’s two-on, two-off goalie rotation. Andersen made 38 saves for his fifth career shutout.

Quote, unquote: “They’re both playing good,” Boudreau said of deciding between Andersen and Gibson as his No. 1 goalie sooner rather than later. “I’m not sitting there marking, ‘Oh, this guy is better on this night, this guy is better on that night.’ They’re both playing exceptional. It’s something we don’t have to decide for another 3 ½ weeks yet. … It’s going to be a group decision.”

Familiar faces: Boudreau reunited The Twins, Getzlaf and Corey Perry, for Friday’s game. McGinn joined them on the Ducks’ top line. David Perron, Rickard Rakell and Brandon Pirri formed the second line. Rakell scored the Ducks’ fourth goal.

Game report: Kings 4, Rangers 3 (OT)

Key play: Anze Kopitar scored on a deflection 1:34 into overtime to give the Kings a 4-3 victory Thursday over the New York Rangers at Staples Center. Kopitar’s second goal of the game and fifth in two contests this season against the Rangers capped a rally from a 3-1 deficit in the third period. The victory enabled the Kings to extend their lead to six points over the Ducks in the Pacific Division.

Pivotal performer: Kings captain Dustin Brown scored one goal, assisted on another and had the puck swiped for still another. Brown scored the Kings’ first goal, assisted on their second and gave up the puck to set up Dan Boyle’s score for the Rangers that made it 2-1 in the second period.

Quote, unquote: “Yeah, we’re looking at the standings, but for us the most important thing is our play and our game,” Kopitar said. “If we take care of that, we believe we’ll be in good shape. It’s that time of the year. You’ve got to sharpen up. You’ve got to tighten up. We’re sitting pretty well, but what is it? Twelve games now? You want to make sure come mid-April you’re game is on. These are the games to sharpen up and get ready for the playoffs.”

Gone streaking: Brown’s first-period goal extended his scoring streak to three consecutive games, the first time he’s scored in that many games in a row since March 2013. Brown ended a 15-game goal drought when he scored Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Between the pipes: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was 6-2 with a 1.74 goals-against average in eight career games against the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist before Thursday. Lundqvist returned to the net after Antti Raanta was in goal for New York’s 2-1 victory Wednesday over the Ducks.

Game report: Rangers 2, Ducks 1

Key play: Kevin Klein scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period and the New York Rangers went on to take a 2-1 victory Wednesday over the Ducks at the Honda Center. The Rangers also ended the Ducks’ 9-0-1 point streak on home ice.

Pivotal performer: Klein more than made up for a first-period giveaway that led to Jamie McGinn’s goal that gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 14:03. Klein scored the first goal for the Rangers off a long rebound and then had the puck deflect off his stick for their second one.

Quote, unquote: “I thought they deserved at least one,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of going without a power play opportunity for only the third time this season and the first time since a 2-1 victory Dec. 19 against the New Jersey Devils.

Between the pipes: John Gibson returned to the Ducks’ net after Frederik Andersen played the last two games as Boudreau continued his two-on, two-off rotation. Antti Raanta started for the Rangers in place of Henrik Lundqvist, who is expected to play tonight against the Kings.

Injury updates: Ducks defensemen Kevin Bieksa and Sami Vatanen didn’t play against the Rangers. Bieksa sat out for the second consecutive game because of a lower-body injury. Vatanen couldn’t play for the third game because of an upper-body injury.

Game report: Ducks 7, Devils 1

Key play: Left wing Andrew Cogliano ignited a four-goal second-period outburst by scoring at the 32-second mark and the Ducks took a 7-1 victory Monday from the New Jersey Devils at the Honda Center. The Ducks remained two points behind the first-place Kings in the Pacific Division.

Pivotal performer: Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg scored three goals and added an assist for his first hat trick and four-point game in the NHL. He had two goals and one assist during the pivotal second period, helping the Ducks take a commanding 4-1 lead.

Quote, unquote: “I think we’re a great checking line, but we have the skill to score goals, too,” Silfverberg said after he scored three times, and Cogliano and Kesler scored once apiece and each had two assists. “It’s great for the confidence. It’s good for all three of us. … It’s was a fun night.”

Between the pipes: Frederik Andersen started in goal for the Ducks as coach Bruce Boudreau stuck to his two games on, two games off rotation. Andersen made 24 saves. John Gibson is expected to play Wednesday against the New York Rangers.

Milestone moment: Boudreau won his 200th game as Ducks coach, reaching the mark faster than any other in team history. Boudreau is 200-100-38 during four-plus seasons as coach. Randy Carlyle holds the record for most victories as Ducks coach with 273 in 516 games.

Injury updates: Defenseman Kevin Bieksa didn’t play because of a lower-body injury suffered during the Ducks’ 5-2 loss Friday to the St. Louis Blues. Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen sat out for the second game because of an upper-body injury.

Game report: Devils 2, Kings 1 (OT)

Key play: Defenseman John Moore scored 4:44 into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 victory Saturday over the Kings at Staples Center. Moore picked up the puck at the red line, skated down the left wing and then circled the net and fired a shot from a sharp angle past Kings goalie Jonathan Quick.

Pivotal performer: Kings center Anze Kopitar scored the tying goal in the closing minutes of the second period, capping a prolonged stay in the Devils’ end of the ice. Kopitar swatted home a loose puck for his 21 st goal of the season, with assists from left wing Milan Lucic and defenseman Alec Martinez.

Between the pipes: Quick made his 55th appearance in goal in the Kings’ 67th game of 2015-16. Quick and backup Jhonas Enroth could split the workload when the Kings play Monday at Chicago and Tuesday at St. Louis. Quick made 22 saves.

Injury update: Kings center Vincent Lecavalier played only 3:12 during the first period. He spent the bulk of the period in the dressing room after taking a tumble over a fallen teammate. He played 5:01 in the second, his more usual ice time.

Milestone delayed: Kings coach Darryl Sutter remained deadlocked with Bob Pulford with 178 victories as their coach, second-most in franchise history. Sutter is 178-106-44 with the Kings. He can break the tie with Pulford with a Kings victory Monday over the Blackhawks in Chicago.

Game report: Kings 4, Capitals 3 (OT)

Key play: Jeff Carter scored 2:50 into 3-on-3 overtime to give the Kings a 4-3 victory Wednesday over the Washington Capitals at Staples Center. Carter joined the play after the Kings changed forwards on a rush up the ice. The Capitals lost track of him and he scored from the right wing. The Kings squandered a three-goal lead in the third period but returned to first place in the Pacific Division with their win and the Ducks’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche..

Pivotal performer: Winger Tanner Pearson assisted on the Kings’ first two goals, a power-play strike by center Vincent Lecavalier and an even-strength marker by defenseman Jake Muzzin. The Kings went on to take what appeared to be a commanding 3-0 lead by the end of the first period.

Quote, unquote: “We played a good first period, started to slow down a bit,” Carter said. “We can’t let teams back in the game like that. We have to play the full 60 (minutes). These games are huge. We’ll take the two points, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Welcome back: The Kings honored ex-teammates Mike Richards and Justin Williams with separate scoreboard videos during TV timeouts during the first period. Richards and Williams were given standing ovations by Kings fans during their first games back at Staples Center.

Dropping the gloves: Dwight King of the Kings and Mike Weber fought to a draw near the end of the first period, with King earning a takedown to end it. In the second, Kyle Clifford of the Kings fought a spirited battle with Tom Wilson of the Capitals.