Recap: Carolina vs. Los Angeles

By Sports Network

Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Randy Jones, who was making his Kings debut, scored the eventual game-winning goal early in the third period, as Los Angeles scored three times in the final stanza to defeat the struggling Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2, at RBC Center.

Jones, who also had an assist, was claimed off waivers from the Flyers on October 29. Justin Williams, Wayne Simmonds and Ryan Smyth each had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who snapped a two-game skid. Jarret Stoll added a score for Los Angeles, which got 22 saves from Erik Ersberg.

Tuomo Ruutu scored twice for the Hurricanes, who extended their longest skid in club history to 13 games. Manny Legace turned aside 26-of-30 shots in his Carolina debut. Legace was signed to a one-year contract on Monday after starting goaltender Cam Ward sustained a left leg laceration on Saturday in Columbus. Ward was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday and is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks.

With the score deadlocked at two, the Kings got set up on the power play. Alexander Frolov controlled the disc at the top of the left circle and slid a pass in front to the left side of the goal. Williams gathered the pass and faked a shot before sliding the puck across the crease to Jones, who chipped the disc into an empty half of the net.

Simmonds' goal with 9:55 remaining gave Los Angeles a 4-2 lead. Williams' empty-net goal with 1:41 left accounted for the final margin.

Smyth's power-play goal at the 3:31 mark of the first gave the Kings an early lead. Anze Kopitar slid a pass to the left side of the net for Dustin Brown, who slid the disc off Smyth's skate. The puck trickled across the crease before Smyth backhanded the disc into the net.

Carolina had only two shots after 20 minutes of action.

Los Angeles scored just 2:01 into the second to build a two-goal margin. Jones' shot from the left point deflected off of Stoll's stick in front and past Legace.

Ruutu's score with 4:35 to play in the second cut the deficit in half. Rod Brind'Amour took a pass from Sergei Samsonov and entered the LA zone before sliding a pass to right circle for Ruutu, who fired a shot off the left post and into the net.

Carolina made it 2-2 on Ruutu's goal at the 4:03 mark of the third. Ray Whitney collected the puck along the left boards before passing to Ruutu, whose shot from the left circle beat Ersberg.