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  Saturday, Apr. 1 6:00pm ET
Enforcer Laperriere delivers winner
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ian Laperriere's first game-winning goal put the Los Angeles Kings back into the playoffs.

Laperriere got the go-ahead goal with 12 minutes left in the third period and Kelly Buchberger scored on Los Angeles' first shot on net -- 24 minutes and 29 seconds in -- as the Kings hurt the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' playoff hopes with a 2-1 victory Saturday.

 Kelly Buchberger
Los Angeles' Kelly Buchberger celebrates his goal against Anaheim's Guy Hebert.
The Kings, who extended their unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-2) despite getting outshot 26-18, advanced to the postseason for only the second time since losing to Montreal in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals. They were swept by St. Louis in the first round of the 1998 playoffs.

"Two years ago we clinched a playoff spot sooner, and we didn't win too many games before we went to the playoffs," Laperriere said. "So the thing we've got to do now is to keep winning and go into the playoffs with a winning attitude.

"The playoffs isn't a switch you can turn on or off. We can't just lay back now and say we made it. I mean, It's good to be there, but you've got to do something when you get there."

Teemu Selanne scored for the Mighty Ducks, who lost to Los Angeles for only the second time in 11 meetings (7-2-2). The Ducks are tied for ninth place in the Western Conference. The top eight teams advance to the playoffs.

"It's disappointing, but there's a lot of fight left in this team," left wing Ted Donato said. "We have four more games. Hopefully we'll win them and see what happens."

Laperriere scored his eighth goal and first game-winner, stuffing the puck under the fallen Guy Hebert. It was Laperriere's second goal in three games following an 18-game drought.

The Kings, who had no shots in the first period, went an entire period without a shot for only the second time in franchise history. The other was Oct. 28, 1997 at Florida.

After the Kings were outshot 13-0, coach Andy Murray burned the team's only timeout at 3:27 of the second period.

"He was angry -- everybody was angry," Laperriere said. "He said to us, 'Come on, guys, it's embarrassing. We don't have a shot on net yet, and we've got to play better than that. We're that close to making the playoffs, and we've got to do something about it.' We responded after that."

Just 62 seconds later, Los Angeles tied it when Buchberger beat Hebert -- 7-0-2 with a 1.41 goals-against average in his previous nine starts against the Kings.

"It's harder on the other goalie -- facing no shots," said Kings goalie Stephane Fiset, who made 10 of his 25 saves in the first period. "Coming into the second period like that is not easy. I'd prefer to have to face a lot of shots -- so I think Guy was feeling more pressure at the other end than I was."

It was Buchberger's seventh goal and second since joining the Kings in a trade from Atlanta nine games ago.

Hebert had to stop one other puck less than a minute before Buchberger's goal, when Mattias Norstrom's clearing pass from the other end of the rink ricocheted off the left boards.

League guidelines specify that intent has to be involved before a shot can be awarded.

More than six minutes elapsed before the Kings got their second shot.

"We controlled the play the first half of the game and kept the puck in their zone, so it was tough for them to generate much offense," Donato said. "To be perfectly honest, it didn't even cross my mind that they didn't have a shot yet. I mean, we needed a win. That was the most important thing."

The Ducks, who had never allowed fewer than two shots in a period during their seven-year history, opened the scoring at 8:39 of the first with Selanne's 31st goal.
 


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Kings sign NCAA scoring leader Reinprecht


RECAPS
Philadelphia 3
Pittsburgh 2

Detroit 0
St. Louis 0

NY Rangers 2
Boston 2

Chicago 2
NY Islanders 2

Los Angeles 2
Anaheim 1

Buffalo 2
Montreal 0

Toronto 4
Washington 3

Tampa Bay 3
Florida 3

Calgary 3
San Jose 0

Edmonton 4
Phoenix 3

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Ian Laperriere scores the game-winner. (Courtesy:ABC)
avi: 658 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Teemu Selanne blasts a shot past Stephane Fiset.(Courtesy:ABC)
avi: 744 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Kelley Bucherger scores.(Courtesy:ABC)
avi: 471 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1