Kings 4, Canucks 1

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The telepathy that helps Vancouver Canucks forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin work their magic with the puck is easy to understand: They’re identical twins and blessed with an uncanny connection.

The non-fraternal anticipation that enabled Kings forwards Dustin Brown of Ithaca, N.Y., and Anze Kopitar of Jesenice, Slovenia, to combine for the third goal in a 4-1 victory at Staples Center can’t be explained by a shared heritage — but it was as splendid as any of the Sedin twins’ best moves. Kopitar took a pass from Brown and made a beautiful move to cut from the left side to the middle, buying time while Brown barged toward the front of the net. Kopitar then found Brown alone by the left post at 7:43 of the third period and he slam-dunked the puck past a beleaguered Roberto Luongo 50 seconds after Daniel Sedin had finished off a pass from Henrik to cut the Kings’ lead to 2-1.

Brown capped a scramble in front by getting his stick on a shot by winger Alexei Ponikarovsky at 12:53, building a 4-1 margin and ensuring the Kings (3-1) would defeat the Canucks for the second time in a week. Ponikarovsky’s assist was his first as a King.

Much credit for that also goes to Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who stopped 25 shots Friday and has stopped 79 of 82 shots in three games this season.
More later at www.latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott