Kings 5, Flames 4 (OT)
CALGARY — Jeff Carter scored 20 seconds into overtime to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-4 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.
Milan Lucic had a pair of goals for the Kings (47-28-5), while Andy Andreoff and Kris Versteeg also scored.
Anze Kopitar had two assists and goalie Jhonas Enroth finished with 19 saves.
Defencemen Deryk Engelland and Mark Giordano had a goal and an assist each for the Flames (33-40-7), while Mikael Backlund and Hunter Shinkaruk also scored. Johnny Gaudreau set up a pair of goals and goalie Joni Ortio made 21 saves.
Backlund gave the Flames a 1-0 lead at 3:41 of the first period when his pass from behind the goal line banked into the Kings’ net off Kopitar’s skate. Enroth attempted to play the puck behind his net, but he missed it and it went right to Backlund, who was attempting to pass the puck out front to Lance Bouma.
The Kings, who outshot the Flames 12-4 in the first period, drew even at 9:53 when Lucic scored. Although Flames defenceman Jyrki Jokipakka knocked the puck off Kopitar’s stick, it went right to Lucic, who quickly snapped a shot past Ortio.
Lucic then put the Kings up 2-1 just 14 seconds into the second period when he swatted a rebound past Ortio, who initially stopped a booming shot from the point by Drew Doughty.
The Flames outshot the Kings 12-4 in the second and were rewarded when Shinkaruk scored his second NHL goal and his first at the Saddledome in front of his hometown fans.
After Enroth stopped a shot from the slot by Giordano, the puck bounced right to Shinkaruk for an easy tap-in goal.
After Shinkaruk drew a hooking penalty on Luke Schenn, the Flames nearly took a 3-2 lead late in the second, but Sean Monahan’s shot hit the crossbar behind Enroth as time expired in the period.
Still on the power play, the Flames took a 3-2 lead just 33 seconds into the third when Giordano’s point shot through traffic beat Enroth low to the stick side. The Kings answered right back only 33 seconds later when Andreoff backhanded a shot past Ortio.
Engelland then snapped a shot to the short side past Enroth at 15:59 of the third before Versteeg scored a fluke goal with 35.1 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Ortio stopped Versteeg’s initial shot before he accidentally put it into his own net with the knob of his stick.
Notes: Kopitar recorded at least one point in all four games L.A. played against Calgary this season. Kopitar scored once and had five assists as the Kings swept the season series against the Flames. … Giordano’s goal was his 21st of the season. That’s the most by a Calgary defenceman since Al MacInnis recorded 28 in 1993-94.