DENVER: Anze Kopitar had two goals, including the decisive score in the third period, and the Los Angeles Kings rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-4 on Wednesday night.
Kopitar’s second goal of the night and 19th of the season put the Kings, who trailed by two goals midway through the second period, back in front.
The Kings were on the power play when Jeff Carter, in the middle of a scramble in front of the net, swung at a loose puck, sending it straight up in the air. When the puck hit the ice, Kopitar got his stick on it and sent it into the net past goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere at 3:13 of the third period.
Justin Williams added an empty-net goal with 11 seconds left to round out the scoring as both teams returned to action after the Olympic break.
Jamie McGinn snapped a 2-2 tie when he scored on the power play at 8:57 of the second period off a centering pass from Ryan O’Reilly, who scored the Avalanche’s first goal earlier. It was McGinn’s 15th goal of the season.
Colorado went up 4-2 later in the second on Andre Benoit’s third goal of the season. He knocked in a rebound on the power play, Colorado’s third score with the man advantage. Nathan MacKinnon helped set up the score with a shot that was stopped by Martin Jones, but the puck trickled out and Benoit punched it with his stick into the net.
The Kings re-tied it at 4 with a pair of goals little more than two minutes apart. Kopitar back-handed a shot into the net at 16:49 and Carter put in an equaliser at 18:53 of the second, redirecting Mike Richards’ shot past Giguere.
Los Angeles opened the scoring on Robyn Regeher’s first-period goal and pulled even at 2-all when Jarret Stoll knocked the puck past Giguere 24 seconds into the second period.
P.A. Parenteau gave the Avs a short-lived 2-1 lead at 16:32 of the first. Matt Duchene sent a pass across the slot and Parenteau slapped into right corner of the net before Kings goalie Martin Jones could slide over to block it.
