Setoguchi, Budaj lead Kings to 5-0 win over Flames

“You’ve got to try to stay focused on the puck and nothing else,” Budaj said. “You watch it on the ice as much as you can and don’t try to think too much or try to think, ‘Oh we have a lot of shots, they don’t have any shots.’ Those thoughts are going to creep up on you but you eliminate those thoughts,”

Setoguchi’s two-goal effort was his first since Jan. 31, 2014. He scored with 14 seconds left in the first period when he caught a rebound on the doorstep and swept it past a diving Brian Elliott to make it 2-0. His second came with 3:51 left in the second when he jammed a loose puck under Elliott’s pad to push the lead to 4-0.

“It’s been a long time. I can’t even remember the last time I scored,” Setoguchi said. “It was a good feeling tonight. I feel like I was trending in the right direction after the last game and I’ve got to consistently work at it and keep getting to the net and getting shots.”

Setoguchi was part of an increased effort by the Kings to get to the net. The results were positive four goals scored off rebounds.

“That’s how you score,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “That’s not a reward, that’s real. It can;t hit you in the ass and go in the net if you’re not close to the net.”

Elliott had 34 saves for the Flames, who lost for the third time in four games. Elliott has allowed nine goals his last two starts.

Flames coach Glen Gulutzan felt his team was intimidated by the heavy checking Kings.

“I think we were a little bit intimidated to begin with,” Gulutzan said. “Two quick goals with a minute left, that was a killer after some good penalty killing. We needed to get out of that period and regroup and we just couldn’t do it.”

Lewis made it 5-0 when he scored his second goal in two games 72 seconds into the third period. Elliott stopped Drew Doughty’s point shot but kicked it right to Lewis in front of the crease, who buried the rebound.

The Kings got out to a hot start in the first period, outshooting the Flames 15-5 and scoring twice in the final minute to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

Carter opened the scoring when he sniped one past Elliott from the right circle with 58.7 seconds left to play in the first, 45 seconds before Setoguchi’s first.

Clifford scored his first goal of the season when he finished off a feed from Nick Shore by banking it off the crossbar at 8:11 in the second period, making the score 3-0.

NOTES: Five goals was a season-high for Los Angeles. … Setoguchi’s first-period goal was his first since March 1, 2014. … Flames RW Kris Versteeg was scratched with a groin injury. … Kings C Jordan Nolan was a healthy scratch. … Kings D Tom Gilbert sat out the second game of his three-game suspension for boarding. … Flames D Jryki Jokipakka and D Dennis Wideman were healthy scratches, and C Hunter Shinkaruk was a healthy scratch after being called up in the afternoon to replace Versteeg.

UP NEXT

Flames: At Anaheim on Sunday in the finale of a four-game road trip.

Kings: At Toronto on Tuesday to begin a five-game road trip.

Abbey Mastracco, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Setoguchi, Budaj lead Kings to 5-0 win over Flames

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