Search Observer-Reporter

Search Archive

11/7/2009 3:33 AM

Email this article • Print this article  

Penguins' road show hits pothole

Associated Press

This article has been read 203 times.

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - If the Los Angeles Kings' outstanding start is still escaping attention, maybe a come-from-behind win over the defending NHL champions will attract a little notice for Anze Kopitar and his young, hungry club.

Jarrett Stoll scored the go-ahead goal with 7:51 to play, and the Kings rallied for a four-goal third period in a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins late Thursday night.

Kopitar, the speedy NHL scoring leader, tied it with his second goal early in the third for the Kings, who improved to 6-0-2 in their last eight games for the club's longest point streak since November 2000. Yet that run only begins to illustrate the Kings' confident, gritty play after six seasons out of the playoffs.

Rate This Story:
1 the lowest - 5 the highest

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Current rating:

"Our maturity level is a lot higher," said Kopitar, who has 26 points in 16 games. "We're playing with a lot of desperation, and that's a good thing. We were losing these kinds of games last year, going into the third period behind the champions. Now we're sticking with it for 60 minutes and getting the right result."

Kopitar and his linemates, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams, matched up with Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby's group for most of the night. They kept Crosby off the scoresheet while combining for two goals before their teammates took over in the third period.

Jonathan Quick made a handful of stunning stops among his 21 saves in a standout performance for the Kings, who ended the Penguins' season-opening, seven-game road winning streak with that dramatic late surge.

Michal Handzus scored on a rebound just 23 seconds after Stoll's one-timer on a clever pass from captain Dustin Brown, and Brown added a goal with 2:30 left during a delayed penalty, putting a flourish on a victory.

"You can't deny that (Los Angeles) played well," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "They forced us into a lot of the mistakes that we made. No matter how well you play defensively, when you're forced to play back there for long periods of time, there are going to be loose pucks, and some of them can end up in your net."

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots but couldn't slow down the third-period barrage by the Kings, who haven't lost in regulation since Oct. 17.

"We didn't play great, and sometimes you get away with that," Crosby said. "It's a good lesson for us. We have gotten away with bad periods in the past, but tonight we didn't. We didn't capitalize on our chances and we didn't play well in the third, and in a tight game like that, you can't afford for that to happen."

Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz scored for the Penguins, who lead the Eastern Conference with 24 points.

©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Home

0 comments

All comments will be reviewed by administrators and posted to their respective articles within 24 hours. Comments deemed inappropriate will not be posted.

Subject:
Body:
Poster:

Enter text seen above: