LOS ANGELES — The Kings trailed 2-1, 3-2, 4-2 and 4-3, but ultimately prevailed, 5-4, over the Philadelphia Flyers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night, concluding a perfect weekend at home after beating rival Edmonton just 29 hours earlier.
Anže Kopitar scored two goals in the third to swing the game in the Kings’ favor. Linemate Adrian Kempe added a goal and an assist. Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele also scored. David Rittich stopped 17 shots.
Matvei Michkov and Scott Laughton contributed a goal and an assist apiece for Philadelphia, which also got goals from Tyson Foerster and Joel Farabee. Aleksei Kolosov came up with a meager 15 saves of 20 shots.
The Kings seized control during the third period, producing nine of the game’s 10 shot attempts through an early stretch to tie the score and then converting on a power play to earn their first edge since they led 1-0.
Kopitar scored both goals, eking Quinton Byfield’s rebound across the line after the Kings sustained heavy pressure at 6:44 and then deflecting Kempe’s shot home 2:11 later and just 5 seconds after Travis Sanheim took a hooking penalty.
Philadelphia had scored consecutive goals for the second time in the game, at the 11:03 and 13:42 marks of the second period, but the Kings recouped a critical goal before the intermission.
Michkov’s resourcefulness came into play on two scoring plays, the second of which was his heady shot from below the goal line that banked in off Rittich’s skate. Michkov had gone pointless in seven prior games but still led rookies in scoring before adding two points Sunday.
A failed keep-in at the blue line by Joel Edmundson and a heady pass by Ryan Poehling created a two-on-one rush, during which Garnet Hathaway found Farabee, who had driven hard to the back post to beat Brandt Clarke for position and a goal.
Foegele devoured Travis Konecny’s blind, between-the-legs pass at the blue line, dashing off on a breakaway so clean that he was able to shoot, recover his rebound and score with no defender within 10 feet of him.