–The Kings’ trip to Colorado couldn’t possibly have been more different than the last one. On Dec. 9 at Pepsi Center, the Kings suffered their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 6-1 loss. In that game, the Kings trailed 6-1 less than 12 minutes into the second period in a game that then-goalie Jason LaBarbera described as “a pretty (expletive) effort by everyone.” This time, it was the Kings who cracked the six-goal plateau in the second period, as Dustin Brown’s goal with 5:28 remaining in the period put the Kings up 6-2.
–There is life in the Kings’ power play after all. The Kings’ first two goals Wednesday came with the man advantage and the Kings went 2 for 3 overall on the power play against the Avalanche. The Kings had endured an 0-for-18 stretch on the power play before they scored one in Tuesday’s victory over Minnesota.
–Wednesday’s 6-5 victory over Colorado, coupled with Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over Minnesota, gave the Kings a combined total of 11 goals in two games. Prior to that, the Kings had scored a combined total of 10 regulation goals in their previous eight games. The 11 goals in consecutive games was the highest total for the Kings this season. Previously, they scored six goals in a victory over Anaheim on Oct. 14 and four goals in a 4-3 victory over Carolina on Oct. 17.
–LW Kyle Calder scored a power-play goal in the first period, his sixth goal of the season and his first power-play goal of the season. Calder scored goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season and tied a season best with three points in his last two games.
–LW Alexander Frolov scored two goals for his second multi-goal game of the season. Frolov’s second goal of the game Wednesday was his team-high 20th of the season.
–C Anze Kopitar had two assists for his 10th multi-point game of the season. Kopitar has at least one point in six of his last eight games. Kopitar now has 37 points in 46 games.
–D Jack Johnson scored a second-period goal, his first goal of the season. Johnson was playing in only his fifth game of the season because of shoulder surgery that cost him more than three months of action.
–LW Patrick O’Sullivan had two assists for his sixth multi-point game of the season. O’Sullivan had not recorded an assist in his previous 10 games.
–RW Dustin Brown had one goal and one assist. Brown has now scored goals in three consecutive games and also has two assists in that stretch. Brown’s next game will be Sunday in Montreal, where he will be the Kings’ lone representative in the All-Star Game.
–C Jarret Stoll had one goal — his 10th of the season — and one assist. Stoll had scored only one goal in his previous 20 games.
–D Kyle Quincey had two assists for his fifth multi-point game of the season. Quincey had not recorded a point in his previous five games.
–G Jonathan Quick has allowed at least three goals in three of his last four starts, but Quick made 36 saves Wednesday and kept his composure in a wild third period after the Avalanche pulled within one goal.
