LOS ANGELES — Home is where the heart is. But what about points?
Returning to L.A. after winning three of five games on the road, the Kings welcomed the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night searching for their first positive result at Crypto.com Arena this season.
Playing an opponent they had not lost to in their last dozen meetings dating to 2019, the Kings were poised to make the most of the moment.
After losing in regulation on home ice to the Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins by a combined score of 10-3, a four-goal outburst in the second period preceded four goals against in the third, culminating in a wild finish in regulation that guaranteed the Kings would not walk away empty-handed.
Quinton Byfield buried the game-winner at 3:37 of overtime to seal a topsy-turvy 6-5 victory.
Joining Byfield, Erik Haula, Trevor Moore, Mike Anderson, Joel Armia and leading scorer Artemi Panarin also scored Thursday to flip the script at home, where the Kings were the only team to reach the playoffs last spring despite a losing record in their own arena.
The Kings (4-6-2, 10 points) went into the game as the only NHL team without a win in front of their fans this year, and midway through the first period – and for all of the third – the Senators played as if that trend would continue.
Ottawa defenseman Tyler Kleven’s rebound from a Fabian Zetterland shot found its way through goaltender Darcy Kuemper’s legs for a 1-0 lead at 11:24 of the first. The goal could have made it 2-0 had Kuemper not sprawled out to deny a shot a couple of minutes earlier.
An interference penalty on Ottawa defender Artem Zub instigated the Kings’ first power play of the night, which they cashed in at 15:09 when Haula tipped a wrist shot by Brandt Clarke from the point past Senators goaltender Jonas Johansson.
The tight contest then snowballed in the Kings’ favor.
Defenseman Drew Doughty, returning to the lineup after sitting out the last game of the road trip in Chicago, fed Byfield who swung a backhand pass that found Moore at the doorstep at 6:51.
Anderson, assisted by Brian Dumoulin skating in his 800th NHL game, made it 3-1 with a slapshot from the top of the right circle at 10:17.
Thirty-seven seconds later, Armia spun at the top of the left circle and let loose a shot that hit the post, bounced off Johansson and trickled into the goal for a 4-1 lead.
With No. 1 goaltender Linus Ullmark injured, Senators head coach Travis Green pulled Johansson for Samuel Ersson.
The Kings made it 5-1 at 15:43 when Panarin scored unassisted on a power play after Hayden Hodgson charged full speed into Clarke along the boards for a hit that was ruled a game misconduct following a review.
The opener of a seven-game homestand was hardly done, however.
Ottawa (8-5-1, 17 points) went on its own four-goal run – Dylan Cozens twice, Drake Bratherson and, at 18:20, Shane Pinto tied it up – before Byfield and the relieved Kings secured the result.
More to come on this story.