In an intense matchup on Wednesday evening, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime thanks to a strong performance by Conor Garland. Garland made his mark by securing his second goal of the game during the overtime period, specifically at 4:28, clinching the victory for his team.
Garland, who had already contributed with a power-play goal in the second period, executed a decisive wrist shot from the left faceoff circle, sending the puck under the blocker of the Kings’ goalie David Rittich. This brought his season tally to 16 goals. Meanwhile, Nils Hoglander also found the back of the net, while Kevin Lankinen was solid between the pipes, making 24 saves and helping the Canucks surpass Calgary for the Western Conference’s second wild-card place.
After falling behind 2-0 following the first two periods, the Kings fought back in the third with goals from Adrian Kempe and Warren Foegele. Rittich, serving in net for Los Angeles, managed to stop 14 shots throughout the game.
Hoglander opened the scoring by skillfully navigating the Los Angeles defense and delivering a wrist shot over the glove of Rittich midway through the initial period.
The game saw some notable events on and off the ice. For the Canucks, star defenseman Quinn Hughes returned after sitting out six games with an undisclosed injury. Hughes, an essential player for Vancouver, leads the team with 60 points and assisted on Garland’s game-winning goal while logging nearly 22 minutes of ice time. In contrast, the Kings were without defenseman Drew Doughty, who missed this game due to a lower-body injury. Doughty had been impactful in the eight games he played this season after sitting out the first 47 games due to a broken ankle.
A critical juncture came late in the third period as Foegele tied the game at two each by deflecting Jordan Spence’s shot past Lankinen. The goal encountered a review for potential goalie interference but was ultimately upheld as legitimate.
As a further statistical highlight, the Kings are ranked fifth in the NHL regarding their third-period performance, boasting a plus-17 goal differential achieved by outscoring their opponents 71 to 54.
Looking ahead, the Vancouver Canucks will continue their stay in Southern California, scheduled to play against Anaheim on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings will travel to face the Dallas team on Friday night.
