STOCKHOLM — Anze Kopitar felt right at home, even though the sellout crowd was rooting for the opposing goalie.
Kopitar scored on Henrik Lundqvist in the first period and assisted on the winning overtime goal, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in their season opener Friday in Europe.
Jack Johnson scored a power-play goal at 4:08 in overtime, tapping in a pass from recently acquired center Mike Richards.
The crowd was solidly behind the Rangers and goaltender Lundqvist, a star in hockey-loving Sweden. But the performance by Kopitar — who moved to Sweden when he was 16 years old to train — also was appreciated by the local fans.
“I did play in Sweden for three years, so I feel good here,” the Slovenian-born Kopitar said. “It was good to get that first (goal), to get it out of the way — for me and for the team.”
Richards also scored with 4:59 left in regulation, tying it at 2 after Marian Gaborik gave the Rangers the lead midway through the third period. Richards was acquired from Philadelphia in June in one of the biggest trades of the offseason.
“Mike Richards’ line — I thought they played well,” Kings coach Terry Murray said. “They were energized, and they did a good job overall in their checking responsibilities.”
Lundqvist, who was born in Are, did manage to put on a show in making 27 saves, for his appreciative fans.
