Vladislav Gavrikov scores in OT as Kings top Lightning
Vladislav Gavrikov scored 25 seconds into overtime as the host Los Angeles Kings captured their third straight win by edging the hot Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Saturday night.
Gavrikov streaked down the middle of the ice, took a feed from Adrian Kempe, who scored the game’s first goal, and beat goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (19 saves) for his sixth tally of the season.
Los Angeles (37-22-11, 85 points) got goals from Trevor Moore and Mikey Anderson as the club won its fourth consecutive at home.
It is 9-2-1 on home ice since the All-Star Break and improved to 28-0-3 when leading after two periods of play.
Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 21 shots for his 22nd win this season.
The Kings moved to 4-6 in three-on-three overtime and 17-9-6 against Eastern Conference competition.
Steven Stamkos scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and an assist and Nikita Kucherov notched an assist to extend his franchise-record assist streak to 13 games for the Lightning (38-25-7, 83 points).
The Atlantic Division team went 2-for-3 on the power play but had its season-high-tying five-game winning streak snapped.
In an intense first period, the Kings forced a turnover in the offensive end and made it 1-0 behind some quick passing.
Quinton Byfield immediately set up Anze Kopitar, who skated through the right circle and slid a pass through the crease. Behind a defender, Kempe then directed the puck in at 7:03 for his 22nd goal.
During a matchup of the NHL’s top power-play unit against the best penalty-kill group, the Lightning tied it on their first-man advantage when Point was credited with his 41st marker on an own goal as a collection of sticks swatted at the puck with just six seconds left.
The Kings took their second lead 2:18 into the second when Moore chipped in his team-leading 26th goal off a feed from Pierre-Luc Dubois through traffic.
Just 72 seconds into the third, Anderson increased the lead to 3-1 when he grabbed a backward pass by defenseman Darren Raddysh, led a two-on-one rush and scored just his second goal this season.
Stamkos one-timed a power-play goal with 4:34 remaining and tied it with 46 seconds left on his 29th goal.
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