Kings get OT Do-Over
- Updated: February 27, 2018
(Featured Photo Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
I have a dream. A dream that one day I’ll get to write a recap in which the Kings didn’t give up the first goal. Alas, this is not that recap. Not that the Kings didn’t strive for it. A few plays in they had a shot that ricocheted out of the net like Marc Andre Fleury used Quick’s Jedi force (I’m actually not kidding that’s what it looked like). While I spent four minutes of continuous play wondering why Toronto hadn’t called to stop play and go back to that mark, the Kings were hustling to get a goal that would count. Of course when they play did stop it was because of a Vegas goal at 4:37, courtesy of Haula’s slap shot because the Kings just aren’t comfortable playing with a lead apparently. They didn’t let it get to them, however, even when Kyle Clifford got a penalty. They even tried for a few shorthanded chances. Their power play, however, left me almost wishing we were back on the penalty kill because it was painful. Not on the scoresheet thankfully, and when it was over the two teams went back to smashing each other into oblivion. (Also only a slight exaggeration.) Miller smashed Brown so he smacked him with his stick. Phaneuf, Clifford… The lost of players getting feisty was getting long. And the list of Kings chances they shot seemingly directly into Vegas defenders was also getting longer, but they had gusto and shot attempt after shot attempt so I had faith their persistence would pay off soon.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
It didn’t. Not in the second anyway. The period leaned slightly towards Vegas and while I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, they have drawn more penalties than their opponent in the last 7 of 8 games. So when Alex Iafallo was tripped on the ice with his stick in the air and he was called for high sticking not McNabb for tripping, I wasn’t happy. It may have also had something to do with the Kings penalty kill this period – if ever we have relied on Jedi Quick to bail us out it was in the last five minutes and two penalties of the period. Sure they had a power play too earlier in, but it was nothing to write home about. In fact, their special teams were slightly disastrous and it bled through into their regular 5-on-5 play. If it weren’t for Quick, the Kings would have had a prayer to mount one of their infamous comebacks in the third.
And about that infamous comeback… For a second I was having serious flashbacks to last game against Dallas… Especially when Vegas made it 2-0 43 seconds into the third. The Kings were slow and Quick’s defense helped him out not at all – really how much more can a Jedi do? His offense wasn’t helping at all either. The fear of another ‘too little too late’ game was creeping in as the minutes ticked by and the Kings weren’t capitalizing on their chances. Clearly it was up to Drew Doughty to change the momentum of the game – which he did by sticking up for his teammate and roughing up Perron, who cross-checked him back, though it was a little bit of chicken and the egg there timing-wise; either way both ended up on the ice, Perron on top of Doughty and to the box they both went for two minutes. Two stressful minutes where Jedi Quick was in top form but the camaraderie both Doughty and Quick evoked in their teammates spurred the Kings on. With exactly 9 minutes to go, Anze Kopitar drew a hooking penalty and we all prayed that the power play went better than the last few. It did. Oh Jeff Carter, how we’ve missed you and your beautiful, beautiful scoring hands. It was an odd goal – he didn’t exactly shoot it, he kind of elevated it in the direction of the net but clearly not at an angle where he expected to score, more like get it to the net and hope that Alec Martinez could finish it off. He did, but with his face. It rebounded in off Martinez and just like that the Kings were within one. 7:32 minutes remaining, the Kings can do this right?
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Goodness the Kings just don’t like to make things easy on themselves do they? Down to the final minutes, again. Pulled their goalie, again. Peppered Fleury with shots. There were so many bodies I couldn’t see the goal line. I’m so sure if a puck does manage to make it in Toronto is going to crush our dreams again. And yet. This time the hockey Gods looked at us and said ‘yeah, last game wasn’t really fair, we’ll let this one count.’ After too many mad scrambles to count (I’ll give the Kings this – they don’t make it easy on themselves but damn they never give up) Dion Phaneuf (I’m liking this trade y’all, I’m liking it a lot) fed a hungry Kopitar who demonstrated why he’s the Kings leading goal scorer, getting his 26th of the season. With 11 seconds to go and such a similar situation watching the clock count down to OT and actually getting it was invigorating. And the Kings felt it too. It would take a power play in OT to get it done, but the hockey Gods once again felt bad about Dallas and gave Dustin Brown his do-over goal. Front net presence guys, it’ll do it every time. And chances are if it’s Brown parked there he’ll either provide the necessary screen or make it count himself. It was a shot so stunning he couldn’t even stay upright after. The win kicked the Kings back up into a wild card spot over Calgary. For now – there’s still work to be done and those divisional games will make or break them. But for now, the Kings have won and the world is a happy place again. Even Chris Sutter stopped by to congratulate us! (Anyone else miss the dance cam King? So much.)
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