Live Blog: Los Angeles at Colorado

Colorado Avalanche 4, Los Angeles Kings 3
Final – Overtime
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LAKings.com Boxscore
LAKings.com Shift Tracker

UPDATE: The team has Saturday off. Sunday’s schedule will be announced at some point on Saturday.

LAK starters: G Ben Scrivens, D Willie Mitchell, D Slava Voynov, LW Tanner Pearson, C Linden Vey, RW Tyler Toffoli
COL starters: G Sami Aittokallio, D Tyson Barrie, D Andre Benoit, LW Ryan O’Reilly, C Matt Duchene, RW Steve Downie

Referees: Frederick L’Ecuyer, Chris Lee
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Mike Cvik

WARMUPS
Willie Mitchell and Justin Williams are wearing “A”s tonight.

FIRST PERIOD
0:26 – COLORADO GOAL Andre Benoit (Ryan O’Reilly, Matt Duchene). 1-0 COL. The Avs controlled a juicy rebound and got it back to Benoit, a defenseman inside the left point. His wrister got through traffic and Scrivens.
0:51 – LOS ANGELES GOAL Justin Williams PPG (Slava Voynov). 1-1. Wrister from the right circle moments after Slava Voynov hit the post on a power play slapshot.
3:10 – LOS ANGELES GOAL Nick Shore (Justin Williams, Dwight King). 2-1 LA. The Denver native who played three seasons for the Denver University Pioneers scored in front of family and friends. The play was set up beautifully by Williams, who patiently drew the puck down low on a two-on-two and sent a cross-crease pass to Shore, who beat his defenseman and one-timed the perfect pass.
3:30 – Two grade-A scoring chances for LA. The first was the best one, a Nolan-to-Clifford set-up similar to the Williams-to-Shore feed, though from slightly farther out.
10:20 – Decent hit by Clifford on Avalanche D Chris Bigras, who has been impressive throughout camp, according to many reports. The 18-year-old was the 32nd overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.
16:00 – Strong puck possession by LA in the first period.
17:30 – Mitchell gets a hit on Patrick Bordeleau behind the LA net. Colorado recorded three shots on the shift.
18:24 – Good grade-B chance by Tyson Barrie. Carried the puck into the zone unimpeded; Ellerby held back and never closed the gap. Barrie took the puck from the perimeter towards the high slot and unleashed a wrister into the middle of Scrivens’ chest.
19:35 – Good pressure by the Peasron-Vey-Toffoli line on the penultimate shift of the period, but no high-quality opportunities.
19:56 – Jeff Schultz whistled for hooking.
20:00 – PERIOD OVER. LA outshot Colorado 11-6 and held a 9-2 shot advantage at one point. From 30 seconds in to roughly four minutes to play, LA dictated the pace and possessed the puck well.

SECOND PERIOD
1:55 – Schultz’s penalty has been killed off.
4:42 – Paul Stastny is whistled for holding.
6:22 – Nick “Judge” Holden is whistled for cross-checking Tanner Pearson into Aittokallio. “His feet are light and nimble. He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.” The Avs kill off the 5-on-3 in the time it took me to look up that quote. Click here for an interesting Puck Daddy story posted earlier today by Ryan Lambert that contains a similar reference.
9:03 – Rearviewmirror by Pearl Jam is played inside the Pepsi Center, which is worthy of an update.
10:30 – Former Seattle Thunderbirds legend Calvin Pickard replaces Sami Aittokallio in net for Colorado. Scrivens remains in net for Los Angeles.
10:52 – Dwight King is whistled for tripping.
10:30 – Nice block & clear by Tanner Pearson while on the PK.
12:30 – Terrific pad save by Scrivens on a quality scoring opportunity by Paul Stastny. Stastny dangled to the right wing side of the high slot and unleashed a hard wrister that Scrivens kicked out while on the PP. He has faced nine shots; that was easily his best save of the night. The Kings have killed off the power play and are outshooting the Avs 21-9.
14:36 – Linden Vey goes off for tripping.
16:40 – After a quality first half of the kill, the Scrivens and the Kings fended off several quality chances from Ryan O’Reily and Mat Duchene in the second half. Momentup for the Avs, who are going back on the PP due to a too-many men on the ice penalty. Nick Shore will serve.
17:30 – Great dive by Colin Fraser to knock the puck out of the zone on the PK.
19:20 – Quality PK opportunity by Tanner Pearson, who drove the net on a 1-on-1 and generated a quality opportunity while getting tripped. Andre Benoit goes to the box for Colorado.
20:00 – PERIOD OVER. LA will have 1:21 of power play time to begin the third. Shots on goal are now 23-16 in favor of LA after a late Avalanche flurry.

SECOND INTERMISSION
Gangam Style is alive and well in Denver.

THIRD PERIOD
0:00 – Martin Jones is in net for the Kings.
0:38 – LOS ANGELES GOAL Dwight King PPG (Nick Shore, Slava Voynov). 3-1 LA. Shore rushed the puck down the right wing on the power play before centering the puck to a net-crashing King. King bangs in the pass up high past Pickard while out-muscling the Colorado defender to put himself in position to make a play. Both have looked strong tonight.
3:00 – A pair of penalties have put Colorado on a 5-on-3 power play, and…
3:20 – COLORADO GOAL Steve Downie 5-on-3 PPG (Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie) 3-2 LA. On the first half of the 5-on-3, Colorado works the puck down low to Downie, perched on the doorstep to Jones’ right. He lifts the puck under the crossbar to bring the Avs back within one.
5:09 – Paul Stastny whistled for tripping; LA goes back on the power play.
7:51 – Colin Fraser’s skate gets a piece of a Ryan O’Reilly one-timer from the high slot, denying a grade-A scoring opportunity. After two Martin Jones saves, Fraser and Steve Downie exchange a few pleasantries.
9:37 – COLORADO GOAL Ryan O’Reilly (Matt Duchene, Chris Bigras). 3-3. O’Reilly received a Duchene pass down low, and after having his first attempt denied by a strong Jones save; he lifted the second shot up underneath the crossbar to tie the game. Strong effort by O’Reilly to find space away from the LA defenders and convert his own rebound. Fraser and Downie draw roughing minors following the goal after a brief scuffle.
12:36 – Andreoff whistled for roughing.
14:36 – Andreoff’s minor is killed off.
15:47 – Colorado has taken 17 of the last 21 shots.
17:17 – Fraser denied on a wraparound attempt to the crease that ended up as a quality pass. Two Kings were nearby, though the play was well defended by Colorado.
18:58 – Andre Benoit whistled for elbowing. LA, 2-for-5 on the PP, gets a late opportunity.

OVERTIME
0:45 – COLORADO GOAL Ryan O’Reilly SHG (Nick Holden). 4-3 COL, Final. Beauty of a finish to end the game by O’Reilly. On a one-on-one rush into the L.A. zone against Slava Voynov, he gained leverage on the Kings defender to the outside and scored on a low spin-o-rama that beat Jones between the right pad and the far post.