NHL: Los Angeles 3, Dallas 1

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LOS ANGELES, April 2 (UPI) -- Matt Greene scored the go-ahead goal with less than 8 minutes left in the third period Saturday, boosting the Los Angeles Kings past Dallas 3-1.

Green got a stick on a shot by Wayne Simmonds that went off the skate of Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski and poked it past Kari Lehtonen to give Los Angeles a key win in the tightly packed Western Conference.

Simmonds scored in the first period and Dustin Brown added an empty-netter for the Kings, who with 96 points established a four-point playoff cushion in the West with four games to play.

Jonathan Quick stopped 24-of-25 Dallas shots to earn the win.

Brad Richards found the net for the Stars, whose dwindling playoff hopes took a possibly fatal blow with the setback. Dallas came into the game five points out of a post-season berth.

Lehtonen finished with 29 saves.