Ecstasy to Agony in Only 24 Hours : Kings: After beating Calgary with a furious rally on Saturday, they blow a lead and lose to Vancouver, 5-4, in overtime.
VANCOUVER — From showdown to letdown. From emotion-charged comeback to heartbreaking collapse.
In 24 hours, the Kings went from their biggest victory of the year to one of their most frustrating losses, falling to the Vancouver Canucks, 5-4, in overtime, Sunday night before a sellout Pacific Coliseum crowd of 16,123.
On Saturday night, the Kings had beaten the Calgary Flames with a final-period rally to regain sole possession of first place in the Smythe Division.
Sunday night, the Canucks, last in the Smythe coming into the game and tied for fourth going out, rallied with three final-period goals and the game-winner by Geoff Courtnall 1:15 into the overtime.
“No way we can afford to lose a game like this that we are supposed to win,†said Steve Duchesne. “We played so well (Saturday), but it just seemed like we were flat today.â€
Wayne Gretzky just shook his head after Sunday’s game.
“We never seemed to get untracked,†he said. “We never really got it going.â€
The Kings’ spent 10 minutes 39 seconds Sunday before getting their first shot on goal, their emotion seemingly left behind in Calgary’s Saddledome.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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