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Kings after one period: Kings 3, Canucks 0

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The Kings scored three times on their first six shots against Canadian Olympic gold-medal goalie Roberto Luongo, a surprising feat that gave them a 3-0 lead through the first 20 minutes.

Alexander Frolov got the scoring parade started at 5:26 when he redirected a Dustin Brown pass beyond the reach of Luongo, who had come well out of his crease. The assist for Brown was his 29th, tying his career best.

The Kings increased their lead to 2-0 at 14:01 on stellar work from all three players involved in the goal. First, Ryan Smyth won the puck in a scrum and got it back to Jack Johnson, whose 60-foot shot bounced off Luongo’s chest. The rebound dropped in front of the net, and Luongo wasn’t quick enough to get to the right post to prevent Anze Kopitar from flicking a short shot home. The point was Kopitar’s 77th of the season, tying the career best he recorded in the 2007-08 season.

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Brown figured in the Kings’ third goal too. Johnson kept the puck in at the right point and made a nice foray into the zone. He made a backhand pass to Brown, whose 35-foot wrist shot from the inner edge of the right circle eluded Luongo at 18:02.

As the period ended, the Kings were killing a penalty called against Drew Doughty for delay of game. He had dislodged the net after Mason Raymond’s close-in shot grazed the post.

There were no surprises in the Kings’ lineup, but there were a few changes to the Canucks’ lineup. Winger Daniel Sedin, linemate and twin of NHL scoring leader Henrik Sedin, was scratched because of back spasms. He was replaced by Pavol Demitra, who hadn’t been expected to play after missing the previous four games to be with his ailing wife. Demitra’s wife was reported to be on the mend, freeing him to play Thursday.

There was a scary moment when Vancouver forward Alexandre Burrows was hit in the upper chest or throat by a Jarret Stoll slap shot at 16:07. Burrows left the ice in apparent discomfort and did not return for the rest of the period.

More later at www.latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott

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