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Royal relief: Kopitar’s OT-winner breaks Kings’ slump

We were this close to pulling out a headline like “Baffle of California.”

Despite generating a heavy shot advantage - in some ways like their neighbors, the Anaheim Ducks - the Los Angeles Kings were still stuck in a tie game with the Minnesota Wild.

There were some tense moments in the third period, as the Wild seemed to be getting a bit of an edge after a pretty steady stream of chances from the Kings.

It remained 1-1 as the two teams entered their first-ever experiences with 3-on-3 OT, and as usual, there was some drama.

While the Kings were close to being offside, Anze Kopitar’s pretty overtime goal counted, and the Kings got a rather obnoxious monkey off their backs. In the process, that 2-1 OT defeat ends the Wild’s undefeated start, although they do get a standings point for their troubles.

One must note that, to some extent, the Kings did make life tougher for themselves. They got that crucial win tonight, but they’ve nonetheless generated two points in four home games. Their five-game homestand ends against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

On the other hand, Los Angeles has never really made it easy for themselves.

It says a lot that Darryl Sutter’s bunch boasts two Stanley Cup rings and zero division titles.

It also says a lot that the rest of the NHL is probably still afraid of a Kings team playing at its peak.