Labanc’s OT goal boosts Sharks past Kings
Kevin Labanc scored 2:53 into overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.
The Sharks took a 2-0 firstperiod lead before Los Angeles rallied to score the next two and force the overtime.
Martin Jones made 19 saves for San Jose, which notched its first win of the season after losing to Anaheim 5-2 on Wednesday. Jonathan Quick made 30 saves for Los Angeles, which dropped an opener for the first time since 2015.
San Jose scored two goals on its first six shots.
Timo Meier put the Sharks on the board at 9:42 of the first when he directed a MarcEdward Vlasic shot near the blue line past Quick. Evander Kane followed four minutes later with a wrist shot after a turnover deep in the Kings’ end for his second goal of the season.
Los Angeles rallied. Anze Kopitar scored off a deflected shot late in the first period as the Kings cut the deficit in half. Tyler Toffoli grabbed a deflection off the end boards behind the goal and fired it past Jones 37 seconds into the second, tying the score at 2.
Ilya Kovalchuk made his Kings’ debut and saw 20 minutes of ice time. The 35-year-old Russian, playing in his first NHL game since 2013 after five seasons in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, was the right wing on Los Angeles’ top line with Kopitar centering and Alex Iafallo at left wing. Kovalchuk took two shots.
At Columbus, Ohio, Sebastian Aho and Micheal Ferland each had a goal and an assist to back
Curtis Mcelhinney, who had 31 saves three days after Carolina picked him up off waivers.
Mcelhinney, 35, a former Columbus backup, was signed as a backup after starter Scott Darling was injured last weekend. Mcelhinney started Friday after Petr Mrazek played the first leg of a back-to-back Thursday.
Jordan Martinook opened the scoring at 1:43 of the first period for the Hurricanes off an assist from Andrei Svechnikov, 18, the No. 2 pick in the June draft.
Brandon Dubinsky scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky had 32 saves for the Blue Jackets in their home opener.