The LA Kings both overturned and lost a two-goal lead, as another game progressed into overtime, before they found a way to pick up the victory, a 7-6 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
Toronto opened the scoring with the teams playing 4-on-4, capitalizing on a Joel Edmundson turnover in the neutral zone. Edmundson had his pocket picked at the center-red line, which sent Toronto the other way. Forward Max Domi dropped the puck back to forward Matthew Knies in the high slot, with a shot from a decent way out beating Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper for an early 1-0 advantage.
Midway through the opening period, the visitors scored again off a Kings turnover, taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. On a power-play breakout, Toronto forward Steven Lorentz stripped the puck off of Kings forward Anze Kopitar, creating a shorthanded breakaway the other direction. Lorentz buried the shot, glove side, for his sixth goal of the season and two-goal advantage.
Just 61 seconds into the second period, the Kings executed smoothly in transition to get on the board. Forward Trevor Moore threaded a pass to forward Jared Wright, who attacked into the right-hand circle. Wright then found forward Quinton Byfield at the back post for the tap-in goal, his tenth point in his last ten games, to get the hosts on the board. With the assist, Wright now has helpers in consecutive games.
The Kings tied the game at two still inside the first five minutes of the second period with another goal in transition. Defenseman Mikey Anderson stepped out of the penalty box and into the attack, intercepting a failed clearance by Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll. Anderson fed forward Adrian Kempe off the rush and Kempe buried his team-leading 31st goal of the season to tie the game at two.
The Maple Leafs restored their one-goal lead with a power-play tally midway through the second period. Forward William Nylander was given a lot of space in the left-hand circle and his shot beat Kuemper high glove side, off the post, off the chest of forward John Tavares and into the crease, where Tavares buried it from close range for his 30th goal of the season and a 3-2 lead.
Late in the second period, Los Angeles once again came back to tie the game, with defenseman Brandt Clarke the facilitator. Stationed at the center point, Clarke took a feed from forward Adrian Kempe, with space up top. Clarke worked his way into the slot and fed forward Artemi Panarin down low for a re-direct goal, Panarin’s 27th of the season, tying the game at three.
The visitors scored a goal on special teams for the fourth time in the game, however, with just 11.7 seconds remaining in the second period. Skating on the power play, forward Easton Cowan was uncovered in front and quickly buried a rebound off a shot by Tavares, giving the Maple Leafs a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes.
In a span of 96 seconds early in the third period, the Kings turned a one-goal deficit into a two-goal advantage, opening up a 6-4 advantage.
First, Panarin and Kempe combined on a nice goal between the team’s top two offensive players. Panarin showed terrific patience, as he rounded the net on his backhand, holding onto the puck, before he found Kempe in the slot. Kempe quickly caught and shot through traffic in front, past Woll and in for his second straight multi-goal game, his 32nd of the season, tying the game at four goals apiece.
Less than 30 seconds later, the Kings pulled ahead as the fourth line delivered perhaps their biggest goal of the season. Forward Taylor Ward found forward Samuel Helenius in the circle and with the third member of that line, forward Jeff Malott, providing a moving screen in front, Helenius buried his shot, his fifth goal of the season, as the Kings took their first lead of the game.
Just over a minute after the Helenius goal, the Kings took a two-goal advantage by capitalizing on the forecheck. Byfield forced the puck up the wall, which was intercepted by forward Trevor Moore along the boards. Moore found forward Alex Laferriere in the slot and seemingly in one motion, he caught the puck and shot it into the top corner for his 19th goal of the season, matching his career high from last year.
The roller coaster of a game continued, as Toronto came back to overturn a two-goal deficit of its own, tying the game at six goals apiece. Both goals came off of Kings turnovers in the defensive zone.
First, the Maple Leafs knocked down a clearance by defenseman Brian Dumoulin, creating a tight, 2-on-1 in the offensive zone. Forward Dakota Joshua fed forward Nicholas Robertson in the slot and he buried his 15th goal of the season to make it a 6-5 game. Knies then made tied the game at six, as Toronto took advantage of turnovers by Edmundson and Kuemper, with Knies burying off a Tavares assist to pull the visitors level.
As has been the case for so much of the season, the game headed into overtime, as the Kings set an NHL record for most overtime games played in a single season. With the game tied, Kempe, Panarin and Byfield connected on a tic-tac-toe passing play for one of the prettiest goals of the season, with Byfield burying the game-winning goal to secure the second point in a 7-6 victory.
Hear from Panarin, Kempe and Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith following tonight's victory.
