The NHL continues it’s European Tour, with the Buffalo Sabres facing off against the Los Angeles Kings from Berlin, Germany. The last time these two teams got together was Nov. 19th, 2010. Tim Connolly of Buffalo scored a power-play tiebreaker in the third period to push the Sabres past the Kings with the final score 4-2.
The Kings and Anaheim Ducks traveled to Europe with the New York Rangers and Sabres, and all four were in action yesterday as well. Buffalo beat the Ducks 4-1 on Friday, while the Kings beat the Rangers 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Jack Johnson.
The Ducks and Rangers faced off this morning in Sweeden, and now Friday’s winners get to go at each other at the 02 Arena in Berlin. The great number of Americans in Berlin will certainly lead to a lively atmosphere, as the Kings continue to celebrate their 45th anniversary.
The Los Angeles Kings opened up their season in Sweden with a bang on Friday. After taking an early 1-0 lead on Anze Kopitar's goal, the Rangers tied it up just a few minutes after to make the score 1-1 after one period of play. The team did not take any penalties in the first period, which is certainly a good sign moving forward. The Rangers were whistled for two minors.
No scoring happened in the second period, but New York struck midway through the third to take a 2-1 lead. Marian Gaborik lit the lamp and was assisted by Brandon Dubinsky and Brad Richards.
With just under five minutes remaining in the final period, Mike Richards came up with a huge goal to tie the game. You can give the assists to Brad Richardson and Dustin Brown. This led the two teams to overtime in Sweden.
After a foolish tripping penalty was called against New York, the Kings had their golden opportunity to win the game. With just under a minute remaining, Jack Johnson scored to finish the game. LA celebrated on the ice and got off to a strong start in 2011.
With the big victory under their belts, the Kings will face the Buffalo Sabres -- who happened to defeat the Ducks 4-1 on Friday -- on Saturday. The puck will drop at 11:00 a.m. California time.
