Kings Squander 5-goal First Period, Edge Coyotes in SO

Kings Squander 5-goal First Period, Edge Coyotes in SO
Los Angeles Kings right wing Gabriel Vilardi (13) and Arizona Coyotes center Jack McBain (22) battle for the puck in the first period Los Angeles on Feb 18, 2023. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media
Field Level Media
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Kevin Fiala had two goals and an assist, and the Los Angeles Kings held on for a 6–5 shootout win against the visiting Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night, Feb. 18.

The Coyotes trailed 5–1 late in the second period before sending the game into overtime.

Blake Lizotte, Anze Kopitar and Matt Roy each had a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for the Kings, who have won four straight since the All-Star break.

Clayton Keller scored two goals. Josh Brown and Travis Boyd each had a goal and an assist, and Christian Fischer also scored for the Coyotes, who have earned points in eight straight games (4–0–4) for the first time in 11 years.

Karel Vejmelka gave up five goals on 14 shots before he was replaced by Connor Ingram, who stopped all 23 shots for Arizona.

Ingram made 47 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 1–0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

The Kings scored five goals in the first period to build a 5–1 lead, but Arizona scored four unanswered goals, including three in the third period, to tie the score 5–5.

Keller scored on a power play at 15:40 of the second period to make it 5–2, and he scored again off a 2–on–1 rush 37 seconds into the third period to trim the lead to 5–3.

Boyd scored off a feed from Matias Maccelli to cut it to 5–4 at 7:06, and Fischer scored 44 seconds later to tie the score at 5–5.

Los Angeles took a 1–0 lead after Brown tried to clear the puck from in front of the Arizona net while on a power play, but it hit Fiala in the midsection and skittered across the goal line.

Brown scored from the bottom of the right circle to tie it 1–1 at 9:06.

Kopitar scored on a breakaway 50 seconds later to move Los Angeles back ahead 2–1.

Lizotte became the third Los Angeles player to score for the second straight night when he hit the net with a backhand for a 3–1 lead at 11:56.

Roy made it 4–1 at 14:48, redirecting Kopitar’s shot from the point.

Fiala scored his second goal from in close at 15:48 to stretch the lead to 5–1 and end the night for Vejmelka.