Kopitar's OT Heroics Lift Kings to Game 2 Win Over Oilers

In a tightly contested game that had all the intensity of playoff hockey, Anze Kopitar played the hero, scoring the game-winning goal just 2:07 into overtime to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers and even their Western Conference First Round series at 1-1.

Kopitar’s heroics capped off a wild back-and-forth affair at Rogers Place. The Kings had raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on a pair of goals from Adrian Kempe. However, the high-powered Oilers battled back, with Dylan Holloway scoring twice to help Edmonton draw level at 3-3 after two periods.

Kempe’s teammate Kevin Fiala briefly put LA back in front early in the third, but Holloway completed his hat trick to knot the score yet again and set the stage for Kopitar’s overtime dramatics.

“Honestly, it was kind of a whacky play,” Kopitar said of the winning goal. “Mikey (Anderson) throws it up the boards, and I think it was (Quinton) Byfield who tipped it, or was trying to tip it just to prevent the icing. Next thing you know, I had it right on my stick, so I figured I’d make the most of it.”

Make the most of it he did, beating Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner with a perfectly-placed shot to send the Kings faithful into raptures and silence the raucous Edmonton crowd.

“He had a big hand in winning us the hockey game tonight,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said of his starting netminder Cam Talbot, who made 27 saves. “You get to overtime, he makes some big saves, and the guys leave with the win and now we’re squared up. So, I would say he’s done his job pretty well.”

For the Oilers, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow after clawing back from multiple deficits. Head coach Kris Knoblauch felt there were too many avoidable mistakes that cost his team.

“I think there’s a lot to clean up,” he said. “They are a good team, they’re going to get their chances, but we were giving them some opportunities we didn’t need to.”

The series now shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday with the teams all square at 1-1. If this opening salvo is any indication, fans of both sides are in for an thrilling ride the rest of the way.

“One game for them, one game for us,” Hiller said. “And now we go to L.A.”