Kempe does it all as Kings defeat Senators
OTTAWA -- Adrian Kempe sent the game into overtime with a goal late in regulation and won it in the shootout as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night.
After Senators veteran Nate Thompson poked home a loose puck in the crease for a short-handed goal that broke a 1-1 tie at 6:36 of the third period, Kempe tied the game after intercepting a pass by goalie Mike Condon behind the net with 1:46 left in regulation.
Defensemen Alec Martinez of Los Angeles and Dion Phaneuf of Ottawa exchanged first-period goals as the Kings (7-1-1) bounced back from their first regulation loss of the season. The Senators (4-1-4) fell to 1-1-4 at home.
Condon made 41 saves in his second start of the season, while Darcy Kuemper made 29 stops in the Los Angeles net.
It took the Kings only 24 seconds to get on the board with their third shot of the game.
Kempe won the faceoff from Derick Brassard, getting the puck back to the point for Martinez, whose blast deflected under Condon's catching mitt. It was Martinez's first of the season.
Phaneuf answered with his second at 6:09 of the period, taking a pass from Mike Hoffman and taking a stride or two over the blue line before blasting a shot that beat Kuemper on the short side.
The Senators had the only power play of the first but were still outshot 15-8.
Both teams missed a number of great chances in a second period that saw the Kings outshoot the Senators 14-12.
NOTES: Senators D Mark Borowiecki returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury. ... The Senators scratched C Max McCormick, who was called up from AHL Belleville on Monday. ... Kings D Kurtis MacDermid was in the lineup after sitting out Monday's game in Toronto. ... Kings D Christian Folin and RW Justin Auger were scratched. ... Los Angeles C Brooks Laich was a sixth-round pick of the Senators in 2001. ... The Senators' next game is Thursday at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings play the Canadiens in Montreal on Thursday.