LOS ANGELES — Anze Kopitar scored at 4:04 of overtime to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,118 fans at Staples Center on December 4.
Kopitar, defenseman Alec Martinez and right wing Justin Williams each scored a goal and added an assist in the game.
The Red Wings got out to a fast start and controlled play in the first period.
Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson drew first blood for the Red Wings at 15:29 of the first period, after Kopitar coughed up the puck in the neutral zone. Ericsson jumped into the play from left point, cleaning up a rebound after Red Wings star forward Pavel Datsyuk missed on a scoring chance off the rush from right wing.
The Kings tied the game early in the second period when Williams deflected a shot from left point by defenseman Rob Scuderi just 24 seconds into the period.
But the Red Wings answered just 48 seconds later after Kings defenseman Matt Greene’s giveaway in the left corner of the Kings’ zone. Detroit right wing Todd Bertuzzi wristed a rebound chance off the right goal post, beating Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick to give Detroit a 2-1 lead.
Martinez’ wrist shot through traffic from left point tied the game at the 7:18 mark, and from that point, the Kings turned the tables on the Red Wings, controlling the play and even putting them on their heels for significant lengths of time.
Each team had ten shots on goal in the third period, but the Kings continued to control the pace. There was no scoring in the period.
It looked neither team was going to score in the overtime period, but Martinez got his stick on a cross-ice pass, catching the Red Wings with both forwards up ice, giving the Kings a three-on-two rush.
With Martinez driving down the slot, taking a Detroit defenseman with him, Brown carried the puck down left wing and threw a flat, cross-ice pass to Kopitar at the top of the right circle for a one-timer that beat Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood for the game-winner.
- Kopitar scored his second career overtime goal in this game. His first was scored on November 10, 2007 against the Dallas Stars.
- Kopitar now has 15 points in the last 13 games on seven goals and eight assists.
- Williams now has points in 16 of his last 19 games on eight goals and twelve assists.
- Martinez recorded his first multi-point game in the National Hockey League.
- The Kings are still the only team in the NHL not to have allowed a power play goal at home (43/43). The last team to not allow a power play goal in twelve straight home games was the 2009-10 Buffalo Sabres.
- Drew Doughty played a career-high 30:41 tonight.
- Jarret Stoll is 54/78 on face-offs the last five games (69.2 percent).
- Greene had seven hits tonight and has 15 in the last two games.
- This game was the Kings’ first of twelve straight against Western Conference rivals.
- Through 25 games last season the Kings were 14-9-2 for thirty points.
- The Kings are now 10-2-0 at home. The best twelve-game home start in franchise history is 11-1-0 in 1992-93; that club started 12-1-0 at home.
Raw audio Interviews
(Edited to remove extraneous material and dead air)
Justin Williams (1:31)
Anze Kopitar (3:30)
Alec Martinez 2:23)
Terry Murray (7:27)
Game Highlights From NHL Video On YouTube
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