The Los Angeles Kings handed the Pittsburgh Penguins their first road loss. The defending Stanley Cup champions’ seven game road streak came to a screeching halt with four third period Kings goals at LA’s Staples Center. Terry Murray’s first place Kings rallied to stun the Penguins 5-2 in a thriller on the ice. Los Angeles improved to 6-0-2 in this young NHL season. Anze Kopitar netted the tying goal in the third period after winning the faceoff. Koptiar backhanded a slap from behind the net past Penguin goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, to even the score. It was Kopitar’s second score of the game. His first was a glove-side gem shot past Fleury. Anze is the first Slovenian player in the NHL. He’s an enchanting and agile athlete rapidly rising in the league. Kopitar’s wraparound second goal was snazzy and he helps fortify the Kings’ offense. Jarret Stoll gave LA the lead for good with under three minutes left. Stoll fired a deep scooting shot for the 3-2 Kings lead. From there, LA controlled the puck. The game was an exhibit of the Kings’ adversity on the ice.
LA’s trio of Kopitar, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams outdueled Pittsburgh’s big three Sydney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. The two number one lines tried to out-battle each other all night. Kopitar is the hockey’s scoring leader, and his line matched captain Crobsy’s in a confident Kings effort. LA kept Crosby off the score sheet. Kings netminder, Jonathan Quick, turned in a standout performance with 21 saves. The dramatic late surge occurred after the Penguins squirted out in front by one goal in the second period. Kunitz scored the go-ahead Penguins goal after redirecting a pass from veteran defensemen, Brooks Orpick. Jordan Staal provided the first Pittburgh goal in the first period. Chris Connor skated up the left wing and delivered a pass to a skating Staal behind him. Staal slapped a 55 foot shot swiftly pass Quick to notch the game at one all. Michael Handzus made it 4-2 Kings when he crusaded past Orpick to jab the puck home. The sellout crowd cheered Dustin Brown’s goal 17:30 into the third to finish off the Penguins 5-2. The Pittsburgh’s credit, they are playing without several of their starters. The Penguins weren’t at full strength without Sergei Gonchar, Max Talbot and Evgeni Malkin. All three stars helped propel the Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals a year ago. Tyler Kennedy was also a late game scratch for the Pens. Still, the Kings accomplished something great by clashing with a tough team and battling back to win. Anytime you score four unanswered goals against a first place team is something to relish. Pittsburgh hadn’t lost a game in regulation under coach Dan Blysma when leading after two periods. Last night, that came to an end when they squandered a 2-1 lead. The Kings forced Pittsburgh to play in their defensive zone for extended periods of time. That proved to be the key to getting ahead late in the contest. It isn’t everyday Fleury allows five goals through his quick stick. LA continued to penetrate the zone and the Pens were unable to control the damage in the third period. The Pens lead the Eastern Conference but Malkin’s absence could slow their pace. The Kings weren’t mentioned as a preseason favorite to win anything. Now, with decent goaltending and tons of offense, LA is on the verge of becoming an overlooked team to reach the top.
Parting Points: Song of the day- “Ice, ice baby” by Vanilla Ice
Ohio State vs. Penn State tomorrow. Today, Knicks and Cavs.
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