The Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers opened up their 2011-2012 regular season against each other in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday. The teams didn’t disappoint the fans as the back and forth game ended in an overtime affair. Though the majority of fans were behind Swedish-born goaltender Henrik Lundquist of the New York Rangers, L.A. Kings’ center Anze Kopitar said he felt right at home, and looked the part.
"I did play in Sweden for three years, so I feel good here," the Slovenian-born Kopitar said. "It was good to get that first goal, to get it out of the way -- for me and for the team."
Kopitar nearly scored the first goal just 40 seconds into the game as Lundquist denied him with the glove. Minutes later Kopitar really got things going for the Kings at 10:51 of the first period, as he tried Lundquist again glove-side on a powerful one-time slapshot on a feed from Justin Williams that beat the Swede cleanly. Rangers’ newly appointed captain Ryan Callahan would even the score at 15:22 of the first period, catching Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick off-guard on an off-angle shot.
The focal point of the game was namely on two headline grabbing offseason acquisitions, a set of Richards, made by each of these clubs in the form of Kings’ center Mike Richards and Rangers’ center Brad Richards.
After a scoreless second period, Marian Gaborik would tally his first of the year at 10:28 of the third as Brad Richards dug deep in behind the Kings’ net and dished it out in front. Brandon Dubisnky’s attempt on net would leave the puck on the deadly sniper, Gaborik’s, stick as he buried it for the go-ahead goal. Brad Richards picked up his first point as a Ranger on the secondary assist.
But it was the other Richards that would respond to even the game once more as Kings’ center Mike Richards broke to the net and scored his first as a King on a tip-in tally from a one-timed feed pass from winger Brad Richardson.
"It was nice to finally get started," said Mike Richards, who was traded to Los Angeles from Philadelphia in June. "For me, there was a lot of anticipation to get this started."
The two clubs would settle the game in overtime, and once again Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar were involved. With 2:09 left in overtime, Rangers’ defenseman Ryan McDonagh took an untimely tripping penalty to give the Kings a powerplay – which, especially after the offseason, is quite a formidable special teams unit.
Jack Johnson would play the hero as the overtime goal scorer with just 52 seconds remaining before a shootout would have ensued. Kopitar had dug into the corner, looking to set himself up for a give-and go with Jack Johnson at the point. The pass was made to Johnson, who passed back to Kopitar and burst to the far side of the net. Kopitar would then turn to Mike Richards who was planted short-side at the goal mouth. After a stopped backhand shot from Richards, he would collect his own rebound and in one swoop pass the puck across the blue paint to the waiting Jack Johnson.
"A 4-on-3 is the biggest prime opportunity in hockey," said the overtime hero, Johnson. "We had drawn up something and were waiting for opportunity to drive through."
Each of these two clubs have some of the deadliest arsenals to draw from in terms of powerplay units league wide.
"We know we have the personnel to (score on the power play), it's just a matter of doing it," Kopitar, after the game. "They have some good penalty killers and for sure a top-five goalie in the League, so you can't get frustrated. We stuck with it and it came through for us."
Each of these two teams have made moves on the offseason to legitimately push for a Stanley Cup championship this year, and the skills displayed on the ice by both sides gave us a preview on an exciting season ahead for both teams.
The Rangers match up against the Anaheim Ducks this afternoon in Stockholm, while the Kings will meet the Buffalo Sabres in Berlin, Germany today.
- Kendall Grubbs
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