Game 67: Kings 2, Red Wings 1

To peep out all the videos online about this game, check out today's Hockeywood Dailies.

The Kings started a mini 4-game road trip by starting at the site of the greatest game of the season, a 5-0 shutout against the storied Red Wings.

The Kings started off pretty sluggish, and their play looked pretty uninspired. Goalie Jonathan Quick allowed a shot by Darren Helm to trickle under his pads and innocently slide into the goal mouth.

It was the type of goal that caused many fans to instantly check their TV menu to see when the Clippers were on. The rest of the period was equally as frustrating: L.A. struggled in the faceoff circle and could only muster up three shots on goal, while the Red Wings were pretty much shooting at will.

Thankfully the score was only 1-0 at the end of the first period. Maybe it was the mismatch in shots on goal (11-3 in favor of Detroit) or the hostile nature of the Joe, but something changed at the first intermission. The Kings came out a completely different team.

L.A. opened their offense and... gasp... actually started to shoot. It's one thing to play defensively and try to limit the other team's chances. But when you have a stacked team like Detroit, sometimes it's best to change your tack and release the hounds.

Anze Kopitar tied the game on a rebound near the net, giving the Slovenian his 21st goal of the season. Kopitar has been enjoying a nice resurgence as of late. He has16 points (5G, 11A) in his last 13 games.

Then Dustin Brown scored his team-leading 22nd goal on a power play to give the Kings a slim lead. Turns out that's all the Kings needed. Relying on their strong defensive game and some solid goaltending by Quick, the Kings outlasted Detroit the rest of the way.

When the dust settled, the warrior Kings stood victorious above the slain carcass of the Red Wings. It was an important win, because it allowed the Kings to take the season series, 3-1-0. It was the first time since the 1996-97 season – when the Kings went 2-1-1 – that L.A. held that honor. Not only that, but the Kings have won five out of the last six matchups dating back to last season. Most importantly, it extended Detroit's current losing streak to four games.

The Kings are now 20-0-1 after leading after two periods, rebounding from that disappointing loss to the Stars. Much of the success Wednesday night came from the great two-way play from their forwards, especially Kopitar. His defensive game against the Red Wings has been impressive all season.

Usually matched up against Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, Kopitar stymied them all season. He limited Datsyuk to one goal, while Zetterberg got zero. Meanwhile, Kopitar scored four goals in four games. It's that kind of effort that may prove to be beneficial should these teams meet in the postseason.

The first star of the game was Quick, of course. He showed solid composure in net after giving up that crappy goal in the first period. On the season, he has made 79 saves on 80 shots vs. Detroit. He is one win away from 30, which would make his the first goalie in franchise history to have back-to-back 30-win seasons in his first two seasons.

Was it a statement game? Absolutely. The statement was "We can roll with the Red Wings."

• AP: Kings edge slumping Red Wings 2-1

Alec Martinez’s shot from the point was actually deflected twice — by Alexei Ponikarovsky and then Brown—on its way into the net. Detroit fans voiced their displeasure, because it appeared Nicklas Lidstrom had been high-sticked immediately before the goal by Michal Handzus.

• LAKings.com: Win fit for a Kings, as they beat Red Wings

If they're going to hold on to a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference, the Kings are going to need - among other things - some consistently strong play from Quick. They certainly got it Wednesday night, as Quick turned in one of his best efforts of the season in a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

• NHL.com: Quick's 28 saves lift Kings past Wings

It also bumped the Kings up from eighth to seventh in the Western Conference -- they're tied with Phoenix at 79 points but are ahead because they have played fewer games.

• Detroit Free Press: Red Wings lose on power play that shouldn't have been

The Wings arguably deserved better in the Kings game, which saw them dominate play early. Darren Helm scored the sole goal in the first period, but the Wings launched attacks on Jonathan Quick all night, forcing great saves from him on Kris Draper, Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula.

They said it

"It was a great team win. We have to keep it going here. Just because we won, we have no breathing room at all. We’ve got to keep on it. We’ve got to keep pushing here, to make sure we’re in that top eight at the end of the year.” - Jonathan Quick, on his success at Joe Louis Arena.

“With that save, really. I mean, he had an empty net and Quicker somehow made a save on it. If they score there, it’s 2-0. We didn’t have anything really going. After that save, we got a goal pretty soon after, and we started playing.” - Dustin Brown, on when the game turned around.

“The absolute turning point of that game was when it was 1-0. They had a backdoor play to Kronwall, and he came across, post to post, and made a save. It would have been 2-0. Instead we came back a couple minutes later, and Kopi scored, and I thought that’s when we really turned the corner. He’s the reason we won that game. He’s the reason we were able to turn it around. It was a huge, huge two points for us.” - Justin Williams, on Jonathan Quick’s game.

“That’s what we want to keep focusing on, is moving up. This is a nice start to our road trip for us. Coming into this building is very hard. To get a big two points, and hopefully you can build on that momentum and that confidence and move on.” - Terry Murray, on the importance of the win.

“I thought it was a pretty good game. I really liked our first period. I thought Quick was fantastic. I thought we got in penalty trouble in the second period, and it’s a tough play on the goal where they score, I mean, we could easily have been going on a four-minute power play there. That’s the way it goes.” - Detroit coach Mike Babcock, on the game.