Kings overcome goalie's match penalty, beat rival Ducks 6-3

Updated Feb. 17, 2023 11:51 p.m. ET

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Viktor Arvidsson scored two goals, Kevin Fiala had a goal and two assists, and Adrian Kempe scored his eighth goal in four games during the Los Angeles Kings' 6-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night in a feisty edition of the Freeway Faceoff.

Pheonix Copley made 16 saves before the Kings’ unlikely No. 1 goalie got a match penalty in the final minute of the second period for throwing punches with his blocker during a big brawl. Copley also skated out to accept John Gibson’s invitation for a center-ice goalie fight, but linesmen intervened first.

Captain Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist for the Kings. Blake Lizotte also scored and Jonathan Quick made eight saves after relieving Copley for the Kings, who have won three straight and six of eight.

Gibson stopped 35 shots and Kevin Shattenkirk scored goals in back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two years for the last-place Ducks. Mason McTavish and Frank Vatrano scored in the third period for Anaheim, which has yielded 26 goals during a four-game losing streak following a two-week stretch of solid play.

The Southern California rivals separated by 30 miles of traffic engaged in a heated brawl in the final minute of the second period, leading to Copley's match penalty for whaling on Vatrano during the scrum.

Gibson then skated to center ice and slapped his stick to get the attention of Copley, who threw off his mask and skated out to tangle before getting stopped by a linesman.

The scrap was another intriguing chapter in the improbable rise of Copley, the 31-year-old native of North Pole, Alaska, who seized Los Angeles’ No. 1 job after Quick and Cal Petersen faltered early this season.

Lizotte opened the scoring by ending his 19-game goal drought, but Shattenkirk evened it with a long shot past a screen. The veteran defenseman ended his 60-game goal drought Wednesday against Buffalo.

After Los Angeles reclaimed the lead on Arvidsson's 15th goal, Kempe caught Gibson out of position during a Kings power play and wired home his 28th goal. The Swede has goals in four consecutive games, highlighted by his landmark four-goal performance against Pittsburgh last weekend.

McTavish scored his 12th goal with 2:09 left in the power play resulting from the brawl, but the Kings reclaimed a two-goal lead midway through the third period on Kopitar's power-play goal through traffic. The Los Angeles captain has 11 points in his last seven games, while Fiala got his 10th point in eight games with his second assist of the night.

Vatrano scored with 6:50 to play after Quick stopped his first two attempts from the slot, but Arvidsson walked in from the corner and scored on a power play 2:20 later. Fiala added an empty-net goal.

Kings forward Gabriel Vilardi returned from a 10-game absence since mid-January due to an undisclosed injury.

UP NEXT

Kings: Host Arizona on Saturday.

Ducks: At Florida on Monday.

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