Kopitar scores on penalty shot as Kings beat Avalanche 5-3 in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Anze Kopitar scored on a penalty shot in the third period to help the Los Angeles Kings beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 on Saturday night in front of 11,263 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the 12th annual Frozen Fury exhibition.

Kopitar's penalty shot followed a controversial ruling in which the referees penalized the Avalanche for covering the puck during a pileup in front of goalie Craig Anderson. With just 6:35 remaining in the game, Kopitar buried the penalty shot with a backhander through Anderson's legs to put the Kings up 4-3.

Los Angeles improved to 9-2-2 in the Frozen Fury.

Alexander Frolov, Drew Doughty and Wayne Simmonds, into an empty net with a second left, also scored for Los Angeles (4-2-1). Darcy Tucker scored twice for Colorado (3-3-0) and Wojtek Wolski added a goal.