Brown lifts Kings in OT in 1,000th game
LOS ANGELES -- Dustin Brown scored 44 seconds into overtime in his 1,000th career NHL game, all with the Los Angeles Kings, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Thursday night.
Brown converted a wrist shot for his 13th goal of the season off a feed from Drew Doughty with Anze Kopitar earning the secondary assist.
Los Angeles (22-10-4) won its second straight game. It was the fourth time this season the Kings rallied for a win after trailing after two periods (4-8-3). Alec Martinez also scored for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick made 31 saves.
Colorado (16-15-3), which got its lone goal from captain Gabriel Landeskog, lost for the third time in its last five games (2-2-1). It was the only the second time this season Colorado lost after leading after two periods (12-1-1). Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead on Landeskog's 14th goal of the season at 11:14 of the second period. Landeskog took possession of the puck behind the Los Angeles net after a shot by Nathan MacKinnon was high and hit the glass. Landeskog skated unchallenged around the perimeter of the Los Angeles zone and beat Quick with the wrist shot with Mikko Rantanen earning the secondary assist.
Both teams had two power-play opportunities in the middle frame but could not convert. Colorado failed on six shots with the extra man, Los Angeles was 0-for-4. The Avalanche stifled the Kings' offense through two periods, limiting them to 14 shots.
Los Angeles tied the game at 1-1 on Martinez's fourth goal of the season at 10:36 of the third period. Martinez's wrist shot from the right point found its way through a screen by Jonny Brodzinski and past Varlamov for the equalizer. Torrey Mitchell and Andy Andreoff registered assists.
NOTES: Colorado did not dress D Erik Johnson and LW Gabriel Bourque. Johnson completed a two-game suspension for a late hit on Tampa Bay's Vladislav Namestnikov in the Avalanche's 6-5 loss to the Lightning on Saturday. ... Kings LW Marian Gaborik was honored in a pregame ceremony for playing his 1,000th career NHL game Friday against the New York Rangers. ... Los Angeles RW Dustin Brown became the 315th player in league history to play 1,000th career games. ... The Kings placed D Christian Folin on injured reserve Tuesday with an upper-body injury and recalled D Kevin Gravel from their AHL Ontario affiliate on Wednesday. ... Los Angeles scratched LW Kyle Clifford, LW Jussi Jokinen and Gravel.