Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard was as good as ever Wednesday night against the Kings, but he had no chance when Anze Kopitar suddenly appeared in front of him with the puck on his stick late in the game. Kopitar beat him to score a spectacular goal that lifted the Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings.

“He’s a great player,” Howard said of Kopitar. “He’s one of the top skilled players in the NHL. He made a great play. He had all the time in the world and he made us pay. … He came from my blind side there. I don’t know exactly how he got so wide open. I went to yell for someone to pick him up and I realizd there was no one around him.”