The LA Kings improved to 3-1-0 on their current roadtrip as they skated to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The Kings opened the scoring just over three minutes in, turning an offensive-zone faceoff win into the game’s first goal. Forward Alex Laferriere won the draw cleanly, back to defenseman Drew Doughty at the point. Doughty’s shot was bounced around in front, with both Laferriere and forward Corey Perry getting a touch on it, before forward Adrian Kempe put it home to extend his point streak to six games with a 1-0 Los Angeles lead.
Kempe doubled his output just over four minutes later as he made no mistake from the slot in burying his 20th goal of the season. After Kempe sent the puck below the goal line, Laferriere poked it free to Perry, who quickly fed Kempe in the middle of the ice, where he buried his second goal of the afternoon of the period to put the Kings ahead 2-0. It marked the second multi-goal game of the season for Kempe and the second multi-assist game for Perry.
Less than 60 seconds into the second period, Philadelphia got on the board to pull back within a goal. Skating on its first power play of the game, carried over after a Drew Doughty cross-checking minor late in the first period, forward Bobby Brink found forward Trevor Zegras in front on a nice passing play, finished from close range by Zegras, his 20th goal of the season, to make it a 2-1 hockey game.
The Flyers added a goal inside the first minute of the third period to tie the game at two just 25 seconds into the final frame. Philadelphia worked the puck from low to high, as forward Nikita Grebenkin fed the puck to defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen at the point. Ristolainen’s shot looked like it deflected off Kings forward Anze Kopitar and in, past goaltender Darcy Kuemper, to tie the score 2-2.
After neither team was able to win the game in regulation, forward Quinton Byfield won the game in overtime with a heck of a shot off the rush. Byfield took a feed from Kempe and drove down the right wing, attacking off the rush. Byfield kept the puck himself and fired past Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar on the blocker side, his tenth goal of the season, securing the two points for the Kings.
Hear from Byfield, forward Anze Kopitar and Head Coach Jim Hiller after tonight’s victory.
