Quinton Byfield scored early in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 6-5 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, capping a game in which the Kings overcame a third-period collapse. Los Angeles built a 5-1 lead by the end of the second period, but Ottawa mounted a furious comeback in the final frame to force overtime.

Erik Haula opened the scoring for the Kings on a first-period power play. In the second period, Trevor Moore, Mikey Anderson, Joel Armia, and Artemi Panarin contributed goals that pushed the advantage to 5-1. Panarin’s goal came on a power play following the ejection of Senators forward Hayden Hodgson, who was assessed a boarding penalty against Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke. Clarke’s injury forced him out of the game with an upper-body issue, and Hodgson was scheduled to face the NHL Department of Player Safety the next day.

Ottawa responded strongly in the third period, with Dylan Cozens scoring twice, Drake Batherson adding a goal, and Shane Pinto tying the game 5-5 with 1:40 remaining while the Senators were deploying an extra attacker. Tyler Kleven had opened the scoring for Ottawa in the first period. Goalie Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves for Los Angeles, while Ottawa’s Samuel Ersson was beaten in overtime by a snap shot from Byfield at 3:37 of the extra period, assisted by defenseman Drew Doughty.

In a separate matchup, the Buffalo Sabres rallied from an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 7-6 at the Honda Center. Tage Thompson recorded a hat trick and added two assists, tying the Sabres’ record for career hat tricks with Alexander Mogilny and Danny Gare. Thompson scored twice within 15 seconds during the second period before skating past the Ducks’ defense to complete his third goal, prompting fans to throw multiple hats onto the ice in celebration. Zach Benson also contributed a goal and two assists, while Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Jack Quinn added scores for Buffalo. Goaltender Colten Ellis stopped 28 shots as the Sabres improved to 2-0-1 on their current four-game road trip.

Anaheim opened the game strongly, holding a 3-1 lead in the first period with goals from Roger McQueen, who scored his first NHL goal, and Cutter Gauthier, who ended a nine-game scoreless stretch by netting two goals. However, the Ducks were outscored 6-0 over the next 35 minutes. Tristan Luneau and Beckett Sennecke tallied late goals during the final 1:08 with goalie Ville Husso pulled for an extra attacker, but it was not enough to overcome Buffalo’s comeback.

Separately, reigning NHL Most Valuable Player Nikita Kucherov has informed the Tampa Bay Lightning that he will not re-sign with the team and has requested a trade, according to a person familiar with the matter. The individual, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations, confirmed the development on Friday. No further details on potential destinations or timelines were disclosed.