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Associated Press

While improved offensive play and some solid defense has keyed the Los Angeles Kings' two-week run of success, a sudden goal surge has the Detroit Red Wings in position to equal their longest winning streak of 2013.

The Kings can extend their season-high run to five games by denying the visiting Red Wings a third straight victory Wednesday night.

Los Angeles (9-6-2) was outscored 31-22 while starting 3-5-2, but has posted a 23-10 goal advantage in winning six of seven. The Kings have allowed more than one goal twice during that stretch following a 5-2 home win over Anaheim on Monday.

Dustin Brown and Slava Voynov each had a goal and an assist while Anze Kopitar added three assists for the Kings, who rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits to snap the Ducks' six-game winning streak.

"We showed a lot of character coming back and sticking with it (for) the full 60 minutes," said defenseman Jake Muzzin, who scored his second goal. "We've been preaching about that for the last couple of weeks, and we feel like we've been getting better and better at it."

Jonathan Quick, who made 24 saves Monday, has posted a 1.33 goals-against average during a three-game win streak after dropping three straight starts with a 3.02 GAA. Backup Jonathan Bernier has given up one goal each time in winning all three of his starts during the Kings' surge.

Los Angeles' run has followed a two-game slide that concluded with a 3-2 loss at Detroit (9-7-3) on Feb. 10. Quick made 28 saves but the Kings lost for the fifth time in seven games in the series despite a season-high 47 shots on goal.

The Red Wings followed that victory with an 0-3-2 stretch, but they responded with a 4-0 win over Nashville on Saturday and an 8-3 rout of Vancouver on Sunday. Detroit had not scored more than three goals in the previous seven.

"It's a better feeling when you're winning games, but in saying that, those five games that we lost ... we still have to get back to a winning streak," captain Henrik Zetterberg told the Red Wings' official website. "We have to go down and win games. We have to regroup and starting Wednesday we have to be good again."

Defenseman Niklas Kronwall has recorded a goal and two assists in each of the last two and rookie Damien Brunner added two of each against the Canucks on Sunday.

A star in the Swiss league, Brunner has scored four of his team-leading 10 goals in the last five contests.

"I have high expectations for myself and I wanted to come over and prove that I can play in this league," said Brunner, who had a goal against the Kings on Feb. 10.

Detroit has gone 4 of 7 on the power play in the last two games after going 1 for 17 in the previous five.

The Wings' Jimmy Howard was in goal for the last two games after going 0-2-1 with a 4.08 goals-against average in his previous four starts. He's won three of four versus Los Angeles, though the loss came at Staples Center by a 5-2 score March 13.

Kopitar has eight of his 10 assists in the last seven games, and has recorded six goals and five assists in his past nine against the Red Wings.

Los Angeles traded struggling left wing Simon Gagne to Philadelphia on Tuesday for a conditional draft pick. Gagne hasn't scored a goal in 11 games this season, and the seven-time 20-goal scorer has been a healthy scratch recently.




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STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

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