Kings crown Rangers in OT
LOS ANGELES – The Rangers got at least one point on a second straight evening in California, but the last Blueshirt off the ice Thursday night, Derek Stepan, left screaming at the officials.
Stepan’s frustration was born out of the Blueshirts surrendering a two-goal lead in the third period of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings at Staples Center, including Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar’s game-tying goal 15:50 into the third period that Alain Vigneault challenged unsuccessfully, looking for a goalie interference call on Tyler Toffoli.
Kopitar scored off Dominic Moore’s faceoff loss, then tipped home the game-winner after beating the struggling Derick Brassard on a draw 1:34 into OT to hand Henrik Lundqvist (33 saves) a frustrating loss. Lundqvist made his first start at Staples Center since the Rangers’ Game 5 double-OT Cup Final elimination on June 13, 2014. Ex-backup Cam Talbot started last year’s 4-3 win here on Jan. 8, 2015.
Backup Antti Raanta made 22 saves in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win in Anaheim in the first game of this back-to-back, but Lundqvist is likely to start at least eight of the Blueshirts’ 11 remaining games given the tight standings, with the third-place Islanders (85 points, two games in hand) and wild-card Pittsburgh Penguins (84 points, game in hand) close behind the Rangers (88 points).
Twice the Rangers surrendered Kings goals shortly after scoring one of their own. In the third period, shortly after taking a 3-1 lead on Kevin Hayes’ 12th of the year, Keith Yandle turned it over on a struggling defensive pair with Dan Girardi, and Brassard lost Kyle Clifford in front after being hobbled by a blocked shot for an L.A. goal that made it 3-2 at 4:46.
J.T. Miller (goal, assist), the Rangers’ best skater on this night, created Hayes’ goal 2:46 into the third but driving forcefully to the net for an initial shot and crowding Jonathan Quick’s crease with a screen as Kevin Klein (assist) threw the puck low and Hayes buried after a block. Dan Boyle’s snap shot off a Viktor Stalberg assist at 13:05 of the second period had given the Rangers a 2-1 lead entering the third. Boyle pounced on a misplay by Kings captain Dustin Brown (goal, assist).
The Kings controlled the start and outshot the Rangers 11-4 through the game’s first 11-and-a-half minutes. But Miller roared down ice after a huge Lundqvist 4-on-4 save on L.A.’s Tanner Pearson and snapped a right wing shot past Quick short side unassisted for a 1-0 lead at 11:34.
That lead held for all of 19 seconds. The Kings’ Brown abused Boyle off the wall and fired far side from the high slot through a screen by Jeff Carter (two assists) for the 1-1 tie at 11:53.
The Rangers responded with a strong push, but Quick made two amazing saves in the final four minutes of the first at the doorstep on Brassard off a forecheck and Tanner Glass off the rush.
AP