The View from Anaheim

LA TIMES

Lance Pugmire: Marian Gaborik helps Kings beat Ducks in overtime

The reversal of fortune was striking, considering the comeback routine the top-seeded, Pacific Division-champion Ducks have been in all season. They’ve rallied for 28 wins.

Now they’ve surrendered home-ice advantage and had a victory set up by their legendary icon swiped away.

Helene Elliott: Marian Gaborik is fitting in well with Kings

“Sometimes little plays that you don’t really notice, you can make it sharper, make it quicker,” Kopitar said. “In that regard we can be better. I guess on the score sheet tonight it was fairly OK.”

If Gaborik’s performance Saturday in converting setups from Kopitar to score the tying and winning goals in the Kings’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Ducks in the opener of the teams’ second-round playoff series was “fairly OK,” just think of what the duo might accomplish when they’re really in sync.

LA REGISTER

Eric Stephens: Kings have gift of Gab in Game 1 victory

Hiller made his first start since April 6 and was razor-sharp for the Ducks – until the final seconds of regulation. The Ducks didn’t account for Gaborik, who was left alone in front to quickly bat in a rebound created on a sharp-angle shot by Mike Richards.

The Kings had pulled Quick for an extra attacker. Ducks defenseman Bryan Allen was in front of the net and took some responsibility for the damaging tying score.

Rich Hammond: Better late than never for Gaborik

Acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets just before this season’s trade deadline, Gaborik boosted the Kings’ first line over the final six weeks of the regular season, then made his biggest impact Saturday.

With the Kings facing defeat in the waning moments of the third period of Game 1, Gaborik scored on a rebound with seven seconds remaining to tie the score. Then, 12:07 into overtime, Gaborik went to the net again, and his quick redirection of an Anze Kopitar pass gave the Kings a 3-2 win at Honda Center.

ESPN.COM

Pierre LeBrun: Cardiac Kings pull off another thriller

On this night, the Kopitar-Gaborik line (joined by Carter midway through the third period) got the upper hand on Ryan Getzlaf’s top unit with Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey, although not by much. Getzlaf set up Beleskey for the Ducks’ opening goal and the top line was a force all night. But at the end of the night, Kopitar’s line got the last word, and that’s going to be the key matchup all series long: Selke Trophy finalist versus Hart Trophy finalist.

NHL.COM

Curtis Zupke: Gaborik’s OT goal gives Game 1 to Kings

Gaborik, whose goal with 7.0 seconds remaining in regulation forced OT, won it when he came in from the left side and tipped Anze Kopitar’s pass from the high slot into the net after Doughty executed a pass from the boards out to Kopitar. Gaborik’s fifth goal of the playoffs gave the Kings their fifth straight win in the postseason and sent the orange-clad portion of the crowd of 17,393 out the door in silence.

It was a cruel loss for the Ducks, who were seven seconds away from a win and outplayed the Kings for large stretches of the game, including overtime, but found out again how difficult it will be to score two or more goals against Los Angeles.

Corey Masisak: Kings hero Gaborik has found a home in Los Angeles

Once considered one of the very best goal scorers in the sport, Gaborik had 11 in 41 games this season, including five in 19 games for the Kings after the trade. He had 12 in 2012-13.

He’s been traded twice by teams expecting to contend for playoff berths since scoring 41 goals in 2011-12, but Gaborik might have found a place that suits him well in Los Angeles.

SB Nation – ANAHEIM CALLING

Kyle Nicolas: Ducks Can’t Hold Off LA, Lose Game One at Home in OT 3-2

Devante Smith-Pelly would have the best Ducks chance of the extra frame when the Ducks pounced on a high turnover from the Kings inside their blueline and fed the puck to a wide-open DSP, who stickhandled but could not elevate the puck over a sprawled Jonathan Quick.

With all of these missed golden chances there was just this nagging feeling that this game was not going to end well and it didn’t.