The Kings earned another two points on home ice on Friday night by defeating the Western Conference powerhouse Dallas Stars 5-4 in a shootout. Coming in the first half of a back-to-back, the third period comeback win improves the Kings NHL-best home record to 17-3-1.
It took just 11 seconds for the Kings to strike in tonight’s game. Immediately following a Stars turnover in their defensive end, Phillip Danault gained possession of the puck and fired the puck towards to the front of the net. Danault’s shot rebounded straight out in front of the crease and Warren Foegele gathered, fired and went post-in past Jake Oettinger to give the Kings the very early lead. Each team went unsuccessful on their opening power play in the game and the Kings took a lead into the period’s final minute. The final 60 seconds of the period belonged solely to the Stars as the puck remained in the Kings zone for the full minute and a late goal with two seconds left on the clock from Matt Duchene evened the score at 1-1. Period not over just yet, the Stars Brendan Smith and Tanner Jeannot dropped the gloves as time expired on the clock and a heavyweight fight from both parties ensued, washing the late goal’s taste away from the team and crowd as the game went into the first intermission with new energy.
The Kings retook the lead 8:16 into the middle stanza and did so with a beautiful individual play by Kevin Fiala. Continuing his streak of outstanding play as of late, Fiala buried his fifth goal in the last three games by deking the puck through and around a Stars defender just above the goal line, followed by a short-side high shot over the glove of Oettinger and in the net off the back bar. Fiala’s goal now gives him 21 on the season. Lead not lasting long, the Stars responded with another game-tying goal just over one minute later. A Duchene point pass returned a one-timer from Cody Ceci and a rebound off of David Rittich found the crashing defenseman Thomas Harley, who potted the loose puck into the net. All even again, the Kings cashed in on a fortunate bounce off the end boards behind Oettinger and Alex Laferriere put the team ahead 3-2, tapping the puck into an empty net with 8:17 to go in the period. No offense followed in the remaining eight and change of the period and the Kings took a one goal lead into the third period.
The back and forth game went into the third period and beyond. Knotting the game at 3-3 was Mavrik Borque 6:53 into the period, finding the back of the net on a rebound. The Stars then took the lead just under three minutes later when Duchene picked up his second goal and third point of the game with a wrist shot from the high slot after a neutral zone turnover by the Kings presented the opportunity. Now trailing for the first time in the game with half of a period remaining, the Kings responded. Entering the zone with possession, Adrian Kempe found a streaking Anze Kopitar on his way to the back post and a pass from Kempe deflected off of the captain’s skate and into the net to tie the game. Not only a big goal on the scoreboard, but the goal also snapped two lengthy streaks from the two main characters. With the goal, Kopitar snapped a 15-game goalless drought and with the assist, Kempe snapped an eight-game pointless drought. With four goals apiece, the game headed to overtime.
Back and forth still, the game continued. Thinking the Kings won, Fiala thought he had his third consecutive two-goal game after blistering another one-timer past Oettinger, but incidental contact was deemed to be made with Drew Doughty and Oettinger in the crease, negating the goal. With just over a minute remaining in overtime after re-dropping the puck, both Fiala and Doughty had opportunities for the victory, but came up empty, ultimately sending the game into a shootout.
The Kings made quick work of the Stars in the shootout as it lasted just two rounds. Both Kempe and Fiala found the back of the net, while Jason Robertson and Duchene’s attempts went unsuccessful, giving the Kings the extra point they thought they’d earned just minutes prior.
Kings: ✅ ✅
Stars: ❌ ❌
Rittich returned to the net for the Kings and stopped 26 of 30 shots, snapping his personal three-game losing streak and earning his 12th win of the season.
