Adrian Kempe’s Overtime Goal Secures Kings’ 5-4 Victory Over Blue Jackets

In a thrilling showdown, Adrian Kempe emerged as the hero for the Los Angeles Kings, scoring his second goal of the night with just 1:26 remaining in overtime to clinch a 5-4 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This win propels the Kings within a point of the Seattle Kraken in the fiercely competitive race for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

The game unfolded with Columbus showing resilience, tying the score late in regulation for the second consecutive home game. Kirill Marchenko found the net on the power play at 18:04 of the third period, forcing the extra session and keeping the Blue Jackets’ hopes alive.

Brian Dumoulin was instrumental for Los Angeles, contributing a goal and two assists. Scott Laughton, who recently joined the Kings from Toronto, scored for the second straight game and added an assist, while Artemi Panarin also found the back of the net. In goal, Anton Forsberg made 28 saves, setting the stage for the Kings’ five-game road trip.

Columbus fought hard, with Connor Garland scoring twice—marking his first goals since his trade from Vancouver. Denton Mateychuk also made an impact, adding a goal and an assist, while Jet Greaves turned aside 26 shots. Despite the effort, the Blue Jackets fell short, suffering their second consecutive home loss.

As the playoff picture tightens, Columbus now finds itself two points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and three points behind the New York Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division.

The Kings started strong, killing off a double minor for high-sticking before Dumoulin set up Laughton in front of the net at 6:46 of the first period. Panarin extended the lead to 2-0 at 14:47, marking his second goal since joining Los Angeles from the New York Rangers on February 4.

Garland finally broke through, cutting the Kings’ lead in half with 2:25 left in the first period, ending a 24-game scoring drought. Just over nine minutes into the second period, Mateychuk tied the game, and Garland put Columbus ahead 81 seconds later. However, Kempe responded to tie it again with 5:51 left in the period, with Anze Kopitar assisting for the 167th time on a game-tying goal, a Kings franchise record.

Dumoulin gave Los Angeles a brief lead with 9:53 remaining in the third, but Marchenko’s power-play goal with 1:56 left ensured the game would go to overtime.

In a concerning moment for the Blue Jackets, defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who had recently returned from a 42-game absence due to injury, left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return to action.

The game featured a rare 4 p.m. weekday start time, rescheduled from January 26 due to a blizzard in Columbus.

Looking ahead, the Kings will visit Boston on Tuesday, while the Blue Jackets will head to Tampa for their next matchup.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.