ANAHEIM, Calif. — Anze Kopitar scored with 55.1 seconds remaining and the Los Angeles Kings rallied for a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.
Kopitar got John Gibson to overcommit and scored on a backhand before barreling into the empty net. It was his 997th career point.
Lias Andersson also had a goal and Jonathan Quick made 33 saves for the Kings, who trail St. Louis by eight points for the final playoff spot in the West Division with eight games remaining.
Haydn Fleury scored, John Gibson made 23 saves and the Ducks have gone 23 straight home games without winning in regulation.
Andersson tied it up 1-all at 14:56 of the third period, burying a shot into an open net off Gabriel Vilardi’s backhand pass between his legs.
Fleury put Anaheim ahead 1-0 at 5:37 of the first with a slap-shot blast off Trevor Zegras’ face-off win. It was the first goal in eight games as a Duck for Fleury, who was acquired from Carolina at the trade deadline, and he has points in consecutive games after picking up an assist in the 3-2 win over the Kings on Wednesday.
Both teams created plenty of chances as they picked up where they left off from a compelling 3-2 late win by the Ducks on Wednesday, but Gibson and Quick shook off down seasons to conjure up one impressive save after another.
Quick, who has seen his workload reduced in favor of 26-year-old Cal Petersen, was at his Stanley Cup-winning best with sprawling saves against Max Comtois in the first and Rickard Rakell in the second.
AMERICAN MADE
With Ducks goalie Ryan Miller set to play Saturday in what could be the final start of his illustrious 18-year career, Quick’s appearance on Friday all but ruled out two of the most decorated U.S.-born netminders sharing the ice one more time.
Quick is first among Americans in career shutouts (54), while Miller ranks second (44). Miller is first among Americans in save percentage (.914) and wins (390), while Quick ranks second (.913) and fourth (335) in those categories.
UP NEXT
The Kings and Ducks will play again in Anaheim on Saturday.
More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
