Oct. 17--That sound that erupted at Staples Center, after the roar of the crowd to celebrate the overtime goal by Anze Kopitar that gave the Kings a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild and their first standings points of the season after three regulation losses, was a deep and heartfelt exhale of the Kings' collective breath.
They struggled through their first three games but displayed new intensity Friday, pelting Minnesota goaltender Darcy Kuemper with 36 shots in the first 60 minutes but ultimately producing only one goal, and that on the power play. But on their first shot of the NHL's new three-on-three sudden-death period -- their first experience this season with this version of glorified pond hockey -- the Kings (1-3-0) were rewarded for what was by far their best effort of the season.
"It's huge," center Jeff Carter said with a gap-toothed grin. "The first three games were pretty rough for us. Just to get that one under your belt, you take a big sigh of relief and move forward and keep building on it.
"I thought we did a lot of good things tonight and it wasn't easy. We really had to work for what we got. It's a huge two points."
Kopitar, whose strong skating makes him ideal in this wide-open-ice exercise, scored from the right side two minutes and 19 seconds into overtime to touch off a mad celebration.
"I know it's only game number four but it feels good," he said after scoring his first goal this season. "I think tonight was more like our Kings hockey. It's nice to get the first one out of the way."
They almost didn't win this one--and the Kings have never started the season 0-4.
They took a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal early in the second period, their first success in 15 advantages this season. Carter made the play possible, lugging the puck up ice before passing to his left, to Milan Lucic.
The burly winger sent the puck across to Tyler Toffoli, and although the pass bounced, Toffoli corralled it and whisked a shot past Kuemper's left arm at 1:13 of the second period. Toffoli had previously scored a short-handed goal in the Kings' second game, a 4-1 loss to Arizona.
The assist was Lucic's first point as a member of the Kings, who acquired him from Boston last summer in hopes he would boost their anemic offense. He struggled in his first few games alongside Kopitar and Marian Gaborik and was moved to a line with Carter and Toffoli.
"There's a pressure to kind of impress everyone and fit in and all that type of stuff psychologically," Lucic said of his assist. "It's nice to feel that you're settling in and it just goes from there."
However, Minnesota tied it at 5:37 of the third period, with Kings center Nick Shore in the penalty box. Ryan Suter passed to his right to Zach Parise, whose one-timer was deflected and then repelled by Jonathan Quick's pad. But Mikko Koivu pounced on the rebound in front and backhanded it past Quick, drawing boos of disappointment from the announced sellout crowd.
The Kings killed a high-sticking penalty called on Jordan Nolan at 17:57 of the third period, sending the game to the new three-on-three overtime.
"That's not a position we want to put ourselves in but everybody did a great job of bearing down tonight," Carter said. "They got the one goal but for the most part, we were all on the same page. They've got a great power play. They move it around."
But the Kings found the right countermoves and ultimately prevailed in the three-on-three format.
"It's definitely exciting. You make a mistake or you lose your guy you're pretty much screwed," Carter said. "There's probably a little more strategy than you think goes into it, but it's going to be exciting for the fans."
Defenseman Drew Doughty agreed.
"It was pretty cool," he said. "You saw lots of chances back and forth. I think it will be pretty rare for games to go to shootouts, which I think is a good thing, especially for our team. That was awesome. It was cool. We still have a little bit of a system. It's basically keep the puck and don't let them get it. Yeah, I think three-on-three is going to be great for the game."
There's still that little matter of getting their offense going -- the Kings have scored only four goals in four games -- but for one night, this was enough to put the smiles back on their faces and remove the anxiety from their minds.
helene.elliott@latimes.com
