After a long, weary trip there is no place like home to hang your hat.  Los Angeles Kings’ center Michal Handzus hung his in the form of three goals, including the game winner, as the Kings rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 in overtime.

The Kings returned to Staples Center with their playoff hopes dwindling after losing the final four games of a five-game road trip.

The squad of mostly young players, battling extreme ebb and flow of the contest, were aided by 11 Dallas penalties while clawing their way to a victory.

“We’ve got to be more consistent, it’s a key as always with a young team,” said the 31-year-old Handzus who completed his hat trick by sneaking a wraparound just inside the left post 1:31 into overtime.   “It’s a learning process to be more consistent and play 60 minutes.”

Fortunately for the Kings, the Stars were their own worst enemy in the third period when they picked up four penalties in the final 5:32 of the game.  Thanks to the penalties the Kings played 5-on-3 for almost two minutes near the end of regulation.

Handzus scored his second goal during the two-man advantage to pull the Kings within one goal with just more than 3 minutes remaining.

After near misses and a goal called back for goaltender interference, the Kings finally caught a lucky bounce.

With the goalie pulled, center Anze Kopitar gathered a loose puck along the right boards and with less than 15 seconds left sent a backhand shot whistling toward the net that deflected off Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas’ skate and past goaltender Mary Turco.

“I didn’t know how much time was left on the clock,” Kopitar said. “All I was thinking about was turning and throwing it right in front of the net and hoping there would be a scrum.  Lucking it went off a guy and through his [Turco's] legs.”

The first period did not bode well for a team that came in with more home defeats than victories (21losses–13 in regulation, 8 in overtime–13 win) as they squandered three power plays and out shot the stars 10-6 but couldn’t notch a goal.   The period ended tied 0-0.

However, after the game coach Terry Murray said that considering they were playing a well-rested Dallas team he liked the start. “There was good intensity, good emotion. There was good flow to he game.  We ended up with three power plays maybe that kind of looks like there isn’t a lot happening, we didn’t score, but I like the start. Everyone was ready to go after the trip.”

The scoring dam broke loose in the second period with Dallas notching three goals in a little more than six minutes.  The crowd began booing goaltender Erick Ersberg after he allowed goals on back-to-back shots just past the midway point of the period.   But after Dallas’ sixth penalty of the game, Handzus deflected Kyle Quinceys shot from the blue line past Turco. Thirty-three seconds later Alexander Frolov pulled within one the Kings when he picked up a big rebound in front of the net and was able to beat Turco on his stick side.

The Kings hoped to control momentum going into the second intermission, but with just under 14 seconds left in the period Star’s center Steve Ott slammed a rebound behind Ersberg, deflating the newly energized crowd.  Ersberg was replace in the third period by Jonathan Quick who stopped all four shots he faced and picked up the win to improve his record to 14-11-1.

The Kings controlled the puck much of the third period pressing on offence while trying to erase a two goal deficit, and the Stars seemed content to nurse their lead.  L.A. out shot Dallas 21 to 3 during the third period.

The victory kept the Kings playoff hopes still flickering.

“We are a desperate hockey club,” Kopitar said.  “When we’re desperate we play really good hockey.  We’re going to take it game by game and see where it leads us.”

GAME NOTES: The hat trick was the second of Michal Handzus’ career…Wednesday the Kings traded forward Patrick O’Sullivan and a second-round draft pick to Carolina for forward Justin Williams.  Williams is currently out of the lineup with a broken hand.

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Kevin Patra lives by the adage: Those who can’t do, teach, and those who can’t do or teach, write.  Currently, he is a grad student at the University of Southern California studying Online Journalism, after spending four years at the University of Michigan obtaining a bachelors degree from the school of Language, Science & Fun. Patra spent his childhood listening to the Red Wings on a clock raido under his pillow when he was supposed to be seeping.  He considers using the troughs at Joe Louis Arena as one of the most traumatic experience of his childhood.

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