Los Angeles 4, Columbus 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Brandon Blandina, Brandon Schrader
Linesmen:
Justin Johnson, Brad Kovachik
Attendance:
15088
By Field Level Media
Drew Doughty scored 33 seconds into overtime as the Los Angeles Kings scored four unanswered goals to beat the host Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Tuesday night.
With the victory, Los Angeles tied an NHL record with 10 straight road wins to open a season. The 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres also accomplished the feat.
The Kings finally got on the board 23 seconds into the third period when Matt Roy sent the puck toward the net, where Phillip Danault redirected it past Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (35 saves).
Then with 14:52 remaining in regulation, Danault made it 3-2 by pushing a sitting puck lodged behind Merzlikins over the goal line. Los Angeles tied it 1 1/2 minutes later when a collective crash to the net resulted in Arthur Kaliyev getting enough of his stick on the puck to get it past Merzlikins and stun the home crowd.
Doughty's one-timer early in the extra session capped the improbable and historic night for the Kings, who have won seven of their past eight games overall.
Columbus got a goal and an assist from Johnny Gaudreau but lost for the fourth time in six games. Moments after the Blue Jackets rightfully had a goal taken off the scoreboard when replay showed Gaudreau's shot hit iron, the hosts grabbed a lead.
On the power play, Kirill Marchenko converted from the right side, sending a shot past Pheonix Copley (26 saves) to give Columbus a 1-0 lead at 9:07 of the first period.
The Blue Jackets went up 2-0 when Gaudreau sent a no-doubter over the shoulder of Copley at 5:24 of the second after a Los Angeles turnover. It came shortly after Columbus had a second goal overturned via replay, this time for a skate kicking the puck into the net.
The Blue Jackets were not done scoring in the second. With 6:57 remaining in the period, Mathieu Olivier pounced on the puck amid a broken play in front of the net and converted his first goal of the season for a 3-0 lead.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Los Angeles |
|
Columbus |
|
Phillip Danault 2 |
Points |
Johnny Gaudreau 2 |
|
Phillip Danault 2 |
Goals |
Johnny Gaudreau 1 |
|
Vladislav Gavrikov 2 |
Assists |
Johnny Gaudreau 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Kirill Marchenko 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Pheonix Copley .897 |
Save Percentage |
Elvis Merzlikins .897 |
|
Pheonix Copley 26 |
Saves |
Elvis Merzlikins 35 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Los Angeles
|
39 |
4 |
0-2 |
0-1 |
2 |
29 |
| Columbus
|
29 |
3 |
1-1 |
2-2 |
4 |
28 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .222 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Los Angeles will play their next game on the road against Montreal. The Kings have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .625 after a loss.