Kopitar scores twice as Kings continue best start
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Los Angeles Kings are off to the best start in franchise history.
Anze Kopitar scored his second goal of the game with 2:14 left in the third period and the Kings remained the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss after a 6-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.
The Kings (6-0-1) have won four straight.
The Blue Jackets (5-3-0) lost their second consecutive contest at home after having a four-game win streak ended Thursday.
Trevor Lewis, Jake Muzzin, Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown also scored for the Kings. Brown's goal was an empty-netter with 1:33 left and he also had three assists.
Nick Foligno, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Matt Calvert and Sonny Milano scored the Blue Jackets' goals.
Jonathan Quick finished with 32 saves for the Kings and Sergei Bobrovsky had 26 for the Blue Jackets.
Two goals in the first four minutes of the second period gave the Kings the lead at 4-3. Muzzin scored 40 seconds into the period and Doughty came back at 3:59 with his third goal of the season.
Milano's team-leading fifth goal at 15:15 of the second period tied it again at 4. His unassisted backhander eluded Quick on the glove side and found the top of the net.
An action-packed first period ended with the Blue Jackets in front 3-2. Calvert scored the go-ahead goal -- his first goal of the season -- at 14:02 from a pileup in front of the net just after a power play ended.
The teams combined for four goals in a 2:17 flurry earlier in the opening period.
The Blue Jackets wasted no time ending their power play drought. Foligno scored on the man-advantage 5:43 into the game for a 1-0 lead. Columbus was 0 of 18 on the power play since converting in the opener.
The Kings answered just over a minute later when Kopitar fired a shot over Bobrovsky's blocker at 6:51. Lewis came right back at 7:33 and lifted a shot that bounced off Bobrovsky's left shoulder into the top of the net for a 2-1 Los Angeles lead.
The Blue Jackets didn't trail for long. Bjorkstrand was alone in front of the net to gather a rebound on a hard shot by David Savard and lift the puck past Quick to make it 2-2 at eight minutes.
NOTES: The previous three games between the Blue Jackets and Kings were decided after regulation. ... Blue Jackets F Boone Jenner (middle body) was activated from injured reserve after sitting out the first seven games of the season. Jenner had not missed a game the previous two seasons. ... The Blue Jackets sent F Markus Hannikainen to Cleveland of the American Hockey League to make room for Jenner. ... The Kings entered the game with the best penalty kill in the NHL and extinguished two of three penalties Saturday. ... The Kings played their first game this season without C Jeff Carter, who underwent surgery Thursday to repair a cut from a skate and is out indefinitely. He had three points in the first six games.