PALFFY RESCUES THE KINGS
LA GETS PAST EDMONTON, 4-3 IN OT
LOS ANGELES -- Ziggy Palffy scored two goals, including the
game-winner at 0:28 of overtime, to rescue a 4-3 win for his Los
Angeles Kings over the Edmonton Oilers, in front of an overflow crowd
of 18,311 at Staples Center on Saturday night.
Brad Chartrand and Philippe Boucher also scored for the Kings.
Anson Carter scored two goals for the Oilers. Ryan Smyth also scored
for Edmonton.
With the Oilers having lost at Anaheim on Friday night, 2-0, the Kings
needed to start the game fast, making the Oilers play like a tired
team. But while the Kings did not play badly to start the game, they
were only able to keep up with the hungry Oilers, who are hanging onto
a playoff berth by the skins of their teeth, rather than outwork them
like they should have been able to.
Smyth opened the scoring late in the first period, with a power play
goal on a two-man advantage at 19:36.
The Kings held on for much of the second period, as both teams played
more conservatively.
Palffy tied the game on the power play, taking advantage of a
breakdown by the Edmonton penalty-killers, and scoring on a wrist shot
in front of Edmonton goalie Tommy Salo at 11:36.
After a prolonged forechecking shift by the Oilers late in the period,
Kings' Brad Chartrand poked a rebound past Salo, after line mate Mikko
Eloranta slid the puck towards the net while being knocked down.
Chartrand's goal gave the Kings a 2-1 lead going into the third
period.
The Oilers asserted themselves to start the third period, and Carter
tied the game, 2-2, with a power play goal at 5:13 of the third
period, taking advantage of a poor clearing attempt by Kings'
defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, who was forced to take a penalty to
cover up his mistake, as the Oilers were able to easily knock down the
clearing attempt.
Edmonton continued to play well in the third period, limiting the
Kings' scoring chances. But after Kings' center Bryan Smolinski was
checked off the puck in the slot while on a partial breakaway, Boucher
got the puck at right point, and he scored at 17:36 on a slap shot
with traffic in front, screening Salo.
The Oilers pulled Salo for the extra attacker late in the game, and
the gamble paid off when Carter scored his second of the game from
right crease at 19:49.
But in overtime, Kings' center Jason Allison got the puck on the left
wing, and went in on a two-on-one break with Palffy on the right side.
His pass through the slot was right on Palffy's tape, and he scored on
a low backhand for the game-winning goal.
With the win, the Kings moved into fifth place in the Western
Conference one point ahead of St. Louis Blues. They also extended
their lead over the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars (ninth and
tenth place, respectively) to five points.
With the playoff race in the Western Conference so close--just six
points separate third place from eighth--both teams were desperate for
points, and the extra point the Kings earned with the overtime win is
huge.
"It was hard to still keep going [after allowing the game-tying goal],
but we had to get those two points," said Palffy. "We gave up the goal
with ten seconds left--we should have won [in regulation], but
everything turned around. We stayed positive on the bench, and we just
worked our tails off."
"We just said, 'It's over with, let's go out and win the game
anyway,'" Allison said. "That's the type of character we have on this
team."
"There was a lot of emotion on the bench [after giving up the
game-tying goal]," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "But we said,
'We're not done yet. Are we going to whine about giving up the goal,
or are we going to go for it?' Guys were saying on the bench, 'Let's
go for the win here,' and fortunately we got a chance and buried it."
"We wanted to retain a firm grip on the reins where we're in charge of
what happens," Murray added.
For the Oilers, they were disheartened by the loss, but took solace in
the fact that their effort was not a total loss.
"Obviously, it's very disappointing to give the overtime goal up,"
Edmonton head coach Craig MacTavish said. "Anytime you're down a goal
with under a minute to go and you come out of it with a point, it's a
positive thing."
"We're pretty happy to squeeze out one point," said Oilers' forward
Anson Carter. "If we can get a point in every game, we'll be in good
shape. It was a tough game. We were battling from behind most of the
time."
Scratches
---------
Edmonton: Shawn Horcoff, Jussi Markkanen, Ales Pisa (all healthy)
Los Angeles: Jaroslav Bednar, Nelson Emerson, Steve Heinze, Andreas
Lilja, Adam Mair (all healthy)
Goalies
-------
Edmonton: Tommy Salo
Los Angeles: Felix Potvin
Referees: Blaine Angus, Rob Schick
Linesmen: Gerard Gauthier, Mark Wheler
First Period
------------
A fairly even period, but with the Oilers having played the night
before, it should not have been so evenly played. The Kings simply did
not come out hard enough.
But in the end, the difference in the period came with the Oilers on a
two-man advantage...
1. EDMONTON Smyth 15 (Carter, Janne Niinimaa), 19:36 POWER PLAY
With Kings' defenseman Aaron Miller in the box for interference at
18:00, and then with Boucher off for high-sticking at 18:33, the
Oilers had a two-man advantage for 1:27. Niinimaa got the puck above
the right circle. He played catch with Carter at the top of the left
circle. But on the second pass back to him, Carter fired a low
one-timer that was stopped by Potvin, but Smyth was on the goalmouth,
and he knocked the puck between Potvin's pads while it was still in
mid-air.
"You can't give a team like that a five-on-three," said Kings' forward
Ian Laperriere. "They have so much skill, and we paid the price right
there. They scored a goal."
Second Period
-------------
The Kings played better in the second period, doing a good job of
keeping the Oilers on the perimeter, allowing just two shots on goal.
2. LOS ANGELES. Palffy 29 (Adam Deadmarsh, Allison), 11:48 POWER
PLAY
With Edmonton defenseman Eric Brewer off for interference at 10:48,
Allison carried the puck from the Kings' zone, through center ice, and
down left wing. He moved into the left corner of the Edmonton zone,
and then behind the net. He tipped the puck to Palffy in the left
corner, and he passed to Kings' defenseman Mathieu Schneider at right
point. Schneider passed right back to Palffy, who quickly backhanded
the puck to Allison in the right corner. Just as he was hit, Allison
passed to Deadmarsh behind the net. Deadmarsh threw a one-touch pass
to Palffy at the bottom of the right circle. All alone Palffy moved
in front and wristed the puck low, beating Salo just inside the left
goal post.
The Oilers blew their coverage on the penalty-kill. Forward Marty
Reasoner was covering the front of the net, as Niinimaa and Edmonton
defenseman Jason Smith were covering Allison and Deadmarsh,
respectively. But when Deadmarsh went behind the net, Reasoner
decided to vacate the front of the net, leaving it wide open for
Palffy.
3. LOS ANGELES. Chartrand 7 (Eloranta, Laperriere), 18:00
After a long, very effective forechecking shift by the line of Mike
Comrie, George Laraque, and Smyth for Edmonton, Laperriere finally
wound up with the puck on left wing, in the Kings' zone. He lifted it
into the neutral zone. Eloranta got to it at the red line, and he had
a head of steam moving down right wing. Smith checked him at the right
face-off dot, but as he was being knocked down, the puck slid in on
Salo. He made the save, and Brewer was there to knock it away, but
Chartrand flew in, and knocked the loose puck into the net, with Salo
down.
An obvious tactic by the Kings worked. They let the Oilers wear
themselves out by cycling the puck in the Kings' zone before the Kings
decided to head up ice...
Seriously speaking, Eloranta and Chartrand both made great plays.
Eloranta did not get off a shot, but he was determined to get the puck
to the front of the net, and he did just that. And Chartrand never
gave up on the play, and it was that fact that created the scoring
opportunity, along with his speed.
Third Period
------------
The Oilers came out harder to start the third period...
4. EDMONTON. Carter 27 (Comrie, Niinimaa), 5:13 POWER PLAY
With Kings' defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky in the box for holding at
4:23, Niinimaa got the puck at right point. With Smyth in front
screening Potvin, Niinimaa fired a low slap shot that was deflected by
Comrie in front. Potvin made the save, but could not control the
rebound. Carter was all alone at left crease, and he had a wide open
net to knock the puck into.
Potvin had no chance on Carter's chance. He made a great save on the
deflected shot, especially since he was screened.
It looked bad for the Kings until late in the period...
5. LOS ANGELES. Boucher 7 (Bryan Smolinski, Cliff Ronning), 17:36
Smolinski dug out a loose puck at right point in the Kings' zone. He
turned, and moved through center ice. He got around Oilers' forward
Mike York at center ice with a nice move, and then he split the
defenders. For a brief moment, Smolinski had some daylight heading
towards the net, but Smith and Niinimaa both dove, and poked the puck
away from Smolinski in the slot. Ronning picked up the loose puck in
the left circle, and fired a wrist shot that was deflected to
Smolinski in the right corner. He passed back to Boucher at right
point, and with Kings' winger Craig Johnson in front, Boucher fired a
blast that beat Salo low, just over his right leg pad.
Smolinski made a great move to get past York, Niinimaa and Smith,
creating confusion for the Oilers on the defensive coverage. His
effort created the scoring chance.
Johnson also gets some credit for heading straight for the front of
the net, drawing Smith to him. Both wound up screening Salo, who
never saw Boucher's shot.
But Boucher went from hero to goat in a matter of minutes...
6. EDMONTON. Carter 28 (Smyth, Jochen Hecht), 19:49
With Salo off for the extra attacker, Boucher got the puck at the left
face-off dot, and had plenty of time, but he tried to throw a little
pass of the left wing glass, but did not come close to clearing the
zone. The Oilers held the puck in, and Hecht knocked it away from
Boucher. Smyth came in, and moved to the bottom of the left circle.
He then passed to Carter, who was all alone at right crease, and he
slid the puck under Potvin's left leg pad before Potvin could get back
to the right goal post.
Boucher's blunder was very costly. He had more time than he thought
he had to clear the zone, and he could have made a better, smarter
play. He had other options, but rushed his attempt and got burned.
"It's still not out of my head," Boucher said. ""It was my
responsibility to get the puck out of there. I had time, but the guy
made a good play to keep it in. Let's say that I'm really glad that we
won it in overtime."
Overtime
--------
The Kings turned disappointment into joy rather quickly...
7. LOS ANGELES. Palffy 30 (Allison, Miller), 0:28
On the breakout, Miller had the puck on right wing in the Kings' zone.
He passed ahead to Allison, who was just past the red line, along the
left wing boards. Oilers' right wing Mike Grier stopped Allison just
outside the Edmonton blue line, and the two fought for the loose puck.
Just as Smith moved in to help Grier, Allison was able to slip past
them, and he quickly moved up ice, on a two-on-one break with Palffy
on right wing. Allison moved into the left circle, and from inside
the left face-off dot, Allison passed across the low slot to Palffy,
who got the puck just outside right crease. He backhanded the puck
low, beating Salo into the wide open right side of the net.
"[Niinimaa] was pretty much holding, but I was able to fight him off
and the goal was pretty much easy," Palffy explained.
Allison made a great play to get past Grier and Smith. He won the
battle by kicking the puck to his stick, and that got him past both
players. And then there was that pass to Palffy...
"I definitely wanted to give [Palffy] a good chance," Allison
explained. "I didn't want to give it to him too early. I wanted him to
have something to shoot at, so I moved over a little bit to give him
some room."
Allison sure impressed his coach.
"I thought we played it really well," Murray said about the
two-on-one. "It was a great play to win it. It's tough to have that
responsibility to score in this league every night. Jason and Ziggy
have that, and they came through. It was pretty exciting."
And for the Oilers, they could not have played this any worse. They
had two forwards up ice, waiting for a clearing pass, instead of
coming back to take care of their defensive responsibilities. And to
make matters worse, Smith moved up to play the puck, and that left the
Oilers outmanned in their own zone.
Shots on Goal
-------------
Edmonton: 9 2 9 0 -- 20
Los Angeles: 8 9 11 1 -- 29
Power Play Conversions
----------------------
Edmonton: 2/5; Los Angeles: 1/7
Zone Time
---------
Edmonton: 8:33 7:11 8:49 0:07 -- 24:40
Los Angeles: 7:12 8:52 6:08 0:17 -- 22:29
Neutral: 4:15 3:57 5:03 0:04 -- 13:19
Three Stars (official)
----------------------
#3 - Allison; #2 - Carter; #1 - Palffy
A win is a win, two points is two points, especially in such a tight
playoff race. But the Kings coughed up another two points--a gift to
the Oilers, a team the Kings need to put away in terms of the playoff
race, and handing them a point in the standings is certainly not the
way to do that.
Allison has eight points in his last four games and leads the NHL with
thirty-one power-play assists.
The Kings 8-0-2-0 in their last ten home games.
Next Game: On Monday, Mike Modano leads the more-than-desperate Dallas
Stars into Staples Center to face the Kings. Game time: 7:30 PM PDT.
Televised in the Los Angeles area on Fox Sports Net West beginning at
7:00 PM with the "Break the Ice" pre-game show.
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