LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Kings returned home to the Staples Center Tuesday night after a 17-day hiatus on the road. They faced off against the Calgary Flames and pulled out their second straight win.
Anze Kopitar has proven himself time and time again as the Kings star and clutch performer and he did it again Tuesday as he scored the game winning goal. The goal came on a power play late in the second period after Flames Captain Mark Giordano committed a holding penalty. It was Kopitar’s team leading 18th goal of the season.
Los Angeles Defenseman Luke Schenn broke the scoreless tie 9:41 into the second period with an even strength goal. The Flames were quick to tie up the contest once again with a power play goal from Sean Monahan at the 11:56 mark of the same period. The score held up until Kopitar’s goal gave LA a 2-1 lead they never relinquished.
Reported by CBS Sports, Kopitar said after the win, “We did grind it out. Maybe we didn’t play our best game, but it’s that time of year where it doesn’t really matter, as long as you get the two points. We certainly realize there’s some room for improvement, but we have a pretty nice homestand now. We just need to keep building momentum at home and taking care of business.”
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 22 of 23 shots, while Flames goalie Joni Ortio faced 37 shots and stopped 35 of them.
The Kings currently sit two points ahead of arch-rival Anaheim in the Pacific Division and face-off next against the struggling Edmonton Oilers. Sunday, February 28 will feature the “Freeway Series” matchup of Kings at the Ducks in what will most likely be a battle for the division lead.
