LOS ANGELES — The Kings won a battle of weary legs against the Vancouver Canucks, 2-1 in overtime, at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, where there were as many disallowed goals as actual ones.
Both teams played and lost on Friday afternoon, and it showed on Saturday evening in their lackluster attacks. Vancouver had even less going than the Kings, who struggled to generate chances against an opponent that entered the match last in the NHL in both penalty kill percentage and goals allowed per game.
In the first period, three goals were wiped off the board, and only two would actually be scored in regulation. In the end, it was Adrian Kempe firing in his second goal in 11 games to give the Kings their third home win of the season. Even that marker was reviewed for potential goalie interference, but it stood.
The Kings have a five-game points streak (2-0-3) while Vancouver has lost eight of its past 10 games.
Anže Kopitar scored a goal for the Kings in regulation, which was set up by the overtime hero Kempe. Anton Forsberg made 19 saves
Evander Kane tallied on a breakaway for Vancouver. Kevin Lankinen (personal) rejoined the Canucks to repel 21 pucks.
With 2:22 to play in overtime, Brandt Clarke nicked the post with a clean look just before Kopitar failed to convert on a partial breakaway.
Quinton Byfield then led an odd-man rush that fizzled out and missed the net on a shot attempt. But the chaos left Lankinen way out of position for Kempe’s follow-up try, which sent the Kings home with two points.
The Kings came up empty on the only power play of the third period. An analytically even game headed, fittingly, to overtime with each team just a hair over one expected goal in a 1-1 deadlock through 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.
The Kings have killed 24 straight penalties, but they also moved to 5 for their past 56 on the power play with an 0-for-4 performance a man up. A dicey sequence at the end of their second power play left the game tied after a Vancouver goal, 2:52 into the second period.
Clarke ignored the tapping stick of Forsberg as he jammed a shot attempt that was blocked effortlessly by Tyler Myers, after which Drew O’Connor zipped the puck ahead to Kane as he exited the penalty box. Kane’s breakaway was his fifth goal of the 2025-26 season. He has 13 goals in the regular season against the Kings in his career and 14 more in the playoffs.
The first period was lengthened by penalties, ice repairs and, above all, video reviews. Three pucks entered the net in the first five minutes but no goals were on the board until 2:41 before the first intermission, when the Kings led 1-0.
Kopitar finally opened the scoring after he and Kempe crisscrossed awkwardly in the slot. Kopitar kicked the puck onto his stick and flicked it past Lankinen’s glove for his fifth goal of the campaign. Brian Dumoulin’s secondary assist gave him three helpers in two days.
Aatu Räty tipped Quinn Hughes’ shot off the ice to bounce it past Forsberg, but a successful challenge for offside nullified the goal.
That was close, but not nearly as close as Vancouver’s first invalidated tally, when Elias Pettersson put all but perhaps a millimeter of the puck across the goal line 36 seconds into the contest.
In between those video-review rectifications, the Kings appeared to be in business when Trevor Moore rifled in a wrist shot. But the goal was annulled after an offside challenge by Vancouver.