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.