Canucks’ comeback falls just short in SO loss to Kings

The Canucks rallied from down 3-0 but fell in the shootout to end their season-opening win streak as the Kings won 4-3.

LOS ANGELES — Tanner Pearson scored for the fourth time this season and got the lone shootout goal, lifting the Los Angeles Kings over the previously unbeaten Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night.

Alexander Edler tied it on a power play with 34.4 seconds left in the third period.

The Kings had a power play for the final 1:16 of overtime but Jacob Markstrom made two keys saves to send it into a shootout. Markstrom made 28 saves.

Pressed into service after Jeff Zatkoff injured his groin in the morning skate, Peter Budaj stopped 22 shots for his second straight win. Budaj played in his 300th NHL game and is the third goalie the Kings have used this season. Jonathan Quick also injured his groin in the season opener in San Jose and is expected to miss the next three months.

Brayden McNabb and Dustin Brown also scored while Los Angeles built a 3-0 lead, but the Canucks rallied to force overtime for the fourth time in five games this season. Vancouver is 4-0-1, including three wins after trailing going into the third period.

This time, Markus Granlund scored 8:40 into the second period and Henrik Sedin got a goal with 4:03 left in the second to cut the deficit to 3-2, setting up Edler’s equalizer.

Edler tied it with a wrist shot from the left point.

Pearson’s shootout goal came on a wrist shot from the right hash marks, beating Markstrom five-hole.

McNabb scored 4:35 into the first when he banked a wrist shot off the crossbar and behind Markstrom. Pearson scored with 1:36 left in the first when Markstrom failed to cleanly glove Alec Martinez’s point shot and Pearson knocked in the rebound.

The Kings scored again 33 seconds into the next period when Markstrom lost his footing in the crease and let Brown poke in a rebound for a shorthanded goal. Brown also had two assists.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Play at Anaheim on Sunday night.

Kings: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.

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