Knights-marish outcome: Vegas tied late, falls in OT
Kings tie contest with 10.8 seconds left, win with power-play goal
LOS ANGELES — One team got the puck to bounce its way, the other didn’t.
Sometimes, it’s that simple in hockey.
The Golden Knights hit the crossbar in overtime after the Los Angeles Kings had used a fortuitous bounce to get some momentum in the third period. Then Dustin Brown’s power-play goal with 1:46 remaining in OT gave the Kings a 3-2 come-frombehind win over the Golden Knights at Staples Center.
The two teams will meet again at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at T-mobile Arena.
“It’s tough sometimes,” said Reilly Smith, whose third-period goal had given the Knights a 2-0 lead but whose shot two minutes into OT rang off the crossbar. “Obviously a few bounces helped them out. We had some chances and we didn’t finish them.”
Anze Kopitar’s one-timer with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation forced OT. The Kings had a sixth attacker and Dion Phaneuf made a perfect cross-ice feed to Kopitar who beat Marc-andre Fleury. Moments before, Fleury made three huge stops to keep the Kings from tying it.
“It was a good game but it’s disappointing to not get the two points,” Fleury said. “They made a strong push late to tie it.”
Moments after Smith caught the crossbar in OT, Colin Miller was called for hooking and Los Angeles had a 4-on-3 man advantage. Brown was uncovered and he was
KNIGHTS
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as general manager of the Golden Knights followed his pre-christmas assertion, and whether or not he surrendered too much for a thirdline winger from Detroit or wasn’t willing to mortgage the house and cars and perhaps even his first born for one of the world’s best players, the concluding message was clear:
He’s rolling with this group, all-in on the key guys who have a first-year expansion side a betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
“This team deserves to be together,” Mcphee said. “They have played well and we kept them together for a reason. We’re trying to win right now. I like what this team has accomplished so far. That’s all there is to it.”
GRANEY
able to put the puck past Fleury for the game-winner and his 19th of the season.
“I’m not disappointed at all. I thought we played great,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “The first goal goes off our guy’s face and in the net and they made a great play to tie it up 2-2. It was a big point for us and they got two.”
Erik Haula opened the scoring after James Neal chipped the puck ahead to him and Haula wristed a shot over Jonathan Quick’s arm 4:37 into the contest. For Haula, it was his 23rd goal of the season. Neal had missed the last three games with the flu.
Smith made it 2-0 47 seconds into the third period on a great individual play in front of the Los Angeles net as he out-muscled Drew Doughty for position and swatted the loose puck