Los Angeles 3, St. Louis 1

KINGS 3, BLUES 1: Matt Greene scored the game winner late in the second period and Jonathan Quick stopped 28 shots as Los Angeles opened its Western Conference semifinal series with a win in St. Louis.

Quick outdueled St. Louis counterpart Brian Elliott, who made 26 stops in a showdown between two of the top netminders in the regular season.

Game 2 is set for Monday night in St. Louis.

With the score tied 1-1, Los Angeles claimed its first lead on a shorthanded marker with 1:03 remaining in the second frame. With Dwight King in the penalty box for boarding, Greene pounced on a rebound of a Dustin Brown shot and beat Elliott for his first career playoff goal.

The Kings failed to add to the lead despite enjoying back-to-back power-plays near the midway point of the third. St. Louis responded with its best chance of the frame inside three minutes remaining, but Quick stood his ground to deny Scott Nichol on a wrist shot from in close.

Penner completed the scoring with 15 seconds remaining, banking the puck from 150 feet off the boards and into the empty net.

David Backes gave St. Louis its only lead 9:16 into the game, redirecting an Alex Pietrangelo point shot past Quick. The Kings responded with 3:02 remaining in the period as Slava Voynov gathered a slick feed from Dustin Penner and beat Blues netminder Brian Elliott.

GAME NOTEBOOK:Neither team did anything on the man advantage. The Kings were 0 for 5 while the Blues finished 0 for 3. ... Greene's goal was his first since March 6 against the Nashville Predators. ... Kings C Jarret Stoll led all players with five hits.

• St. Louis will play their next game at home against Los Angeles . The Blues have a W/L % of .604 after a win and .588 after a loss.
• Los Angeles will play their next game on the road against St. Louis . The Kings have a W/L % of .425 after a win and .548 after a loss.