DENVER -- Jeff Carter scored twice and Jonathan Quick stopped 42 shots, helping the Los Angeles Kings extend their winning streak to six games with a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
Tyler Toffoli and Dustin Brown also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings, who are firmly back on track and in playoff contention after scuffling a few weeks ago.
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Gabriel Landeskog added a goal for the Avalanche as they dropped what coach Patrick Roy said after the morning practice was a "big game for us."
Colorado wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 2-2 record and lost more ground in the standings.
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Trailing by two goals, Colorado pulled Semyon Varlamov for an extra skater with just under three minutes remaining.
But Alex Tanguay drew a penalty with 1:39 remaining to negate the advantage. Varlamov stayed on the bench, leading to Carter's empty-net goal with 52.3 seconds left.
The Kings draw the San Jose Sharks for their next game Saturday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
The rivals, tied for 66 points with just over 20 games apiece left in the season, will be battling for position in the Pacific.
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