Eurolanche

Avs edge Kings in shootout

Milan Hejduk scored in the shootout and Semyon Varlamov stopped all three attempts as Colorado scored a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at the Staples Center.

Colorado improved to 7-0 this season in the shootout. The Avalanche have won eight of their past nine games.

Jonathan Quick was six minutes away from his sixth shutout this season when Ryan O'Reilly snapped in the puck from the right side to tie it at 1 after the Kings' fourth line couldn't get the puck out of its zone.

Los Angeles has still gained points in seven straight under (4-0-3) under coach Darryl Sutter. The Kings have not allowed a power play goal in 21 attempts under his watch and have killed 27 straight penalties.

That streak was kept alive thanks to Quick, who robbed TJ Galiardi during a third period Colorado power play that seemed to be Colorado's last gasp before O'Reilly's tying goal.

L.A. couldn't score on a power play with 1:35 remaining in regulation. It also missed a power play opportunity with 2:32 to go in regulation when Stefan Elliott hooked Drew Doughty, but the latter was called for diving on the play.

Colorado scored four goals in a victory against Anaheim on New Year's Eve, but looked out of sync for most of the night in its second game without second-leading scorer Matt Duchene, who is out for about a month with a knee injury.

On its only power play of the game, Colorado made an errant back pass and Galiardi made the blooper reel when he tripped with the puck at center ice.

L.A.'s new top line, on the other hand, produced on its first shift of the second period.

Mike Richards cycled the puck to Anze Kopitar behind the goal line and Kopitar's rebound found Dustin Brown, who swiped a backhand through Varlamov's pads for a 1-0 lead.

Both sides had quality chances in the second but Quick and Varlamov held ground, including a terrific right pad save by Varlamov on Jack Johnson during a Kings' power play.

It was scoreless after the first period, but the Kings continued to start games well under Sutter. They enjoyed a 12-5 shot advantage and were in Colorado's zone for so long at one point they were able change out Andrei Loktionov's line for Jarret Stoll's.

Justin Williams had a goal disallowed when he tipped Jack Johnson's shot with a high stick. Kopitar has five goals and 15 points in his last 11 games against Colorado.

Los Angeles wore its retro purple and gold uniforms and did a pre-game tribute to former King Daryl Evans, who scored the overtime goal in the club's famed "Miracle on Manchester" playoff victory against Edmonton in 1982.

-by Curtis Zupke for NHL.com-