LOS ANGELES -- The Vancouver Canucks came into Staples Center with nothing more at stake than playing for pride and departed with a victory that slowed the Los Angeles Kings drive for the postseason.

Ryan Miller made 41 saves, Sven Baertschi scored two goals and Bo Horvat registered three assists as Vancouver defeated Los Angeles 4-3 on Saturday night.

The Canucks (27-30-7) defeated the Kings for the second time in three games this season and won for the ninth time in 32 road games.

Henrik Sedin and Nikolay Goldobin added goals for Vancouver.

The Kings (32-28-8) lost for the third time in four games to remain one point in front of the St. Louis Blues for the second wild-card spot, with the Blues holding two games in hand.

Anze Kopitar and Trevor Lewis scored power-play goals and Alec Martinez added a short-handed tally. Ben Bishop made 17 saves for the Kings.

The Canucks, who snapped a four-game losing streak, were outshot 44-21.

"The Kings are in a playoff race and we're right there trying to catch some people, so the intensity was going to be there," Miller said."

Horvat's line with Baertschi and Loui Eriksson was the difference maker. Though the group did not register a high shot total, they executed when given opportunities.

"That line's a good line," Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said. "Bo plays hard, Loui is starting to pick up his game and Baertschi has played well since he's come back."

For Los Angeles, it was just more of the same level of execution that has them in a dogfight for a wild card position. With a difficult schedule ahead, most assumed a victory against the Canucks.

"The most disappointing part of the game was that our top didn't have a very good night," coach Darryl Sutter said.

Anze Kopitar concurred with Sutter pointing to the team's slow start, an issue that has plagued them all season.

"On the scoresheet we may be close, but it the first two periods, it was nowhere near close to our game," Kopitar said.

The Kings rallied with two third-period goals for the final margin. Lewis got the Kings within 4-2 with his ninth goal of the season at 12:03 and Martinez scored at 18:39.

The Canucks took a 1-0 lead on Baertschi's 14th goal of the season at 11:37 of the first period. Eriksson got position on Derek Forbort on a right wing rush for a backhand shot. Baertschi beat Jarome Iginla to the puck after Bishop's initial save for the score.

Vancouver extended the lead to 2-0 on Henrik Sedin's 13th goal of the season at 18:28 of the first period.

With the team skating four aside, Sedin broke in on a 2-on-1 rush and his pass intended for Alexander Edler struck Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty's stick and popped into the air and past Bishop.

The Canucks took a 3-0 lead at 6:38 of the second period when Baertschi was credited with his second goal of the game after the Kings' Nic Dowd inadvertently kicked the puck into the net.

Vancouver took an insurmountable 4-0 lead on Goldobin's first goal of the season and with the Canucks at 12:43 of the second period. Goldobin converted off a breakaway on a wrist shot after taking a pass from Ben Hutton after a Los Angeles turnover at the Canucks blue line.

Kopitar narrowed the deficit to 4-1 with his eighth of the season at 16:40 of the second period. Kopitar scored on wrist shot from the left faceoff circle off a feed from Martinez.

NOTES: The teams meet for the final time in their four-game series March 31 in Vancouver. ... The Canucks did not dress C Reid Boucher and D Philip Larsen. ... Nikolay Godolbin, acquired in a deadline day trade with San Jose, made his debut in a Canucks uniform wearing number 82. He appeared in two games with San Jose this season and did not register a point before scoring Saturday night. ... Vancouver finishes its three-game California road trip Sunday in Anaheim. They meet Montreal on Tuesday to kick off a five-game homestand. ... Los Angeles scratched C Nick Shore, D Kevin Gravel and C Jordan Nolan. Shore and Nolan are injured. Gravel was a healthy scratch. ... The Kings have four days off before facing the Nashville Predators on Thursday. The matchup is the third of seven consecutive home games for Los Angeles. ... In three games since returning from injury, Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick posted a 2-0-1 record and stopped 91 of 99 shots.