Anze Kopitar scored four goals to help the Los Angeles Kings move into third place in the Pacific Division with a 7-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Thursday.
“I’m just trying to help us win, I’m not doing anything else,” Kopitar said. “I’m playing for the guys in here. Our goal is to make the playoffs. That’s all it comes down to.”
Kopitar is the first player for Los Angeles to score four in a game since Luc Robitaille did it against the Quebec Nordiques on Nov. 25, 1993.
“It’s definitely up there,” Kopitar said. “I just felt all night that the puck was kind of following me around. You really want to make the most of it. I got a couple of scoring opportunities and you really want to cash in. I guess it worked out for me tonight.”
Tobias Rieder scored two goals, Jake Muzzin had a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Quick made 29 saves for the Kings (41-27-7), who lead the Anaheim Ducks by one point for third in the Pacific, and are four points behind the San Jose Sharks.
“We’re coming in here and (we were) a point behind these guys in the standings. That’s all we’re thinking about here,” Kopitar said. “It wouldn’t have mattered if we won 2-1. It would’ve been just as special for us. Right now, we’re in a position where we have the control in our hands. If we take care of our business, we’re going to make the playoffs.”
Mikko Rantanen scored, and Semyon Varlamov made 15 saves for the Avalanche (40-26-8), who holds the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
