LOS ANGELES (AP) The new kids kept having their way with the Los Angeles Kings – until late in the game Monday night.
Anze Kopitar tied the score with 10.8 seconds left in the third period and Dustin Brown delivered a power-play goal 3:14 into overtime, rallying the Kings to a 3-2 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was the first win for Los Angeles in three games against the expansion Golden Knights, who sit atop the Western Conference. The teams meet again Tuesday in Las Vegas.
”You know what? We stayed with it,” Kings coach John Stevens said after his team stopped a two-game skid. ”We chased the game a little bit there.”
Jeff Carter, in his second game back after missing 55 with a cut tendon, trimmed Los Angeles’ deficit to 2-1 on a power play at 12:28 of the third. Jonathan Quick stopped 37 shots.
Erik Haula and Reilly Smith scored for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 41 saves.
Los Angeles needed a bit of luck to finally break through against Fleury. Carter scored his first goal of the season when his shot deflected in off the helmet of Vegas’ Cody Eakin.
”It was a great game,” Golden Knights coach Gerrard Gallant said. ”Our team competed hard and played really well tonight. We had a 2-0 lead and, unfortunately, they got a power-play goal that was a bit lucky.”
Los Angeles pulled Quick and, after a flurry of shots, tied it 2-all when Kopitar took a sharp pass from Dion Phaneuf on the left side and fired it past Fleury for his 26th goal.
”The flurry at the end was outstanding,” Stevens said. ”Guys came up with a lot of loose pucks. There was a lot of hunger for loose pucks.”
Fleury appeared to be headed for his third shutout of the season until the Kings’ late rally.
Then they started patiently with their power play in overtime, working the puck around until Brown found Tyler Toffoli’s rebound in front of a sprawled-out Fleury and flicked it in for the game-winner.
It was Brown’s 19th goal of the season.
”You can’t look at the scoreboard during the game,” Brown said. ”I mean, you have to just start with your next shift. It’s a simple thing. There are no three-point plays.”
The Golden Knights appeared to have things in hand early.
In a tight game, they seemed to take command 47 seconds into the third when Smith came around from behind the net to flick William Karlsson’s rebound past Quick for his 21st goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
The Golden Knights struck first 4:37 into the game, which appeared to be particularly bad news for Los Angeles. Vegas had been 26-3 when scoring first.
The opening score came from Haula, who broke through alone on the right side and fired a wrist shot over Quick’s left shoulder. It was his 23rd of the season.
But things turned late.
”They kept creating chances,” Smith said. ”They created a lot of scrambles in front of the net. We played a good team game. Quick made a lot of big saves and kept them in it.”
Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault was happy with the Knights’ play and upset about only one thing: ”Fleury was outstanding and he didn’t get the win. That’s the only thing that’s not positive.”
NOTES: The Kings honored the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team before the game. Each woman was individually introduced and walked onto the ice wearing her gold medal. Team captain Meghan Duggan dropped the ceremonial first puck. . It was Brown’s fourth game-winning goal of the season.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Play the Kings again Tuesday, this time in Las Vegas.
Kings: On the road Tuesday against the Golden Knights.
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