The Los Angeles Kings had their work cut out for them heading into the 2024 NHL Playoffs. They were the third team in the Pacific Division, meaning they avoided the Wild Card in the Western Conference. But, as the No. 6 seed, it meant they had to go on the road and would be underdogs.
Their opponent in the first round is a team they know well; the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton finished second in the Pacific, finishing five points ahead of the Kings and earning home-ice advantage in the first round.
In Game 1, that advantage paid off as the Oilers won a wild, high-scoring affair 7-4. Bouncing back from such a performance is never easier, but the Kings found a way to do so in Game 2, winning 5-4 in overtime.
Los Angeles did their job, splitting the first two games and stealing home-ice advantage away from Edmonton. A huge thank you needs to be given to veteran Anze Kopitar, who scored the game-winner in overtime.
Kopitar, who has spent his entire 18-season career with the Kings, is no stranger to postseason success. He has scored 25 goals with 55 assists in 94 games, but the goal on Wednesday night was a special one, as it made NHL history.
Back in 2010, Kopitar scored an overtime goal to defeat the Vancouver Canucks when he was 22 years old. On Wednesday, he was 36 years old, making him the first player in NHL history to score an overtime game-winner at 22 years old or younger and 36 years or older with the same franchise.
Kopitar has experienced everything there is in hockey during his tenure with the Kings. The highest of highs have been achieved, helping the Kings win two Stanley Cups earlier in his career.
He also stuck with the franchise through a multi-year playoff drought and some tough times as the 2014 run to the cup was the last time the Kings won a playoff series with Kopitar in the lineup. Wednesday was a bit of a full circle moment for Kopitar, who will one day have his jersey number raised to the rafters.
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