Canes 2, Kings 1

RALEIGH — In the grand scheme of things, moving out of last place in the Eastern Conference may not seem all that notable. But the Canes will take it, and especially after a hard-working 2-1 victory Saturday over the Los Angeles Kings at the RBC Center. Jeff Skinner and Jiri Tlusty scored, Cam Ward again was rock-solid in net and the Hurricanes overcame a slumbering start to lift their record to 20-25-9. With 49 points, they moved out of 15th place and ahead of the Montreal Canadiens in the East. "It looks nicer," Muller said of the standings. "But the key is the way we've been playing. The nice thing now is we're finding ways to pick up points in these tight games as opposed to a month ago." Skinner's goal early in the third period was the difference and the product of some hard work as Skinner scored on the rebound of a Jussi Jokinen shot with 16:58 left in regulation. Skinner first battled for the puck along the left boards, poking it away fr...