After getting lost in downtown L.A., I rolled into Staples Center at 8 p.m., just in time to see Oscar Moller pop in a loose puck past Chris Osgood to tie the game at 1-1. Why I got lost isn't important, I feel competent in my driving skills and directional prowess to now find anything in SoCal. (Of course, it helps to accidentally stumble across the arena while making a wrong turn.)

Saw Heidi Androl in the concourse before I ascended into the rafters. Heidi has to be logging a ton of miles around Staples, running back and forth doing spots for TV. She was standing next to me, watching the Kings power play that Oscar Moller scored on, when she realized someone was standing uncomfortably behind her. It was none other than Bailey, the Kings' mascot. He damn near gave poor Heidi a heart attack. Good thing I was there to provide a strong shoulder... to hold my laptop bag as I watched, bemused.

The crowd is electric at Staples, and as expected, it's primarily all Detroit fans. Sitting at center ice, all I can see from the press box are red and white. When I heard Zetterberg's first goal on the radio, it sounded like the game was being played in Detroit, minus the celebratory music in the background. What else do you expect from bandwagon Detroit fans the year after they win the Cup?

The Kings get an odd-man rush, when Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar charge into the Wings' zone. But the play is whistled dead, as the boos echo through the arena. Coach Murray is really trying to catch the Wings off-guard, by putting his top line of Brown and Kopitar out there to create mismatches. But Calder is called for tripping, and the Kings go on the penalty kill. The Kings were perfect on the PK, until they ran into the Predators, allowing two PP goals. They've successfully killed two PKs tonight, but have been outshot 12-4 thus far.

We enter the second period tied. The Wings outshot and out hit the Kings, but L.A. is getting it done in the faceoff circle, winning 56 percent in the circles. LaBarbera looks good, and Murray is sticking with his lines. Brown leads all Kings with ice time in the first.

FIRST PERIOD: Kings 1, Red Wings 1

A little over a minute in the second, Kyle Calder makes up for his faux pas in the first and knocks in a Kopitar rebound past Osgood to put the Kings up on the Stanley Cup Champions. It was a bang bang play that caught the Wings napping as the period started. Already, the Kings have three shots on Osgood, and go on the power play when Brett Lebda gets caught for hooking.

That puts the top line of Kopitar, Brown and O'Sullivan out there, with Stoll and Doughty (!) on the blue line. It's a new look on the power play for L.A. this season, using four forwards on the PP. Doughty looks so at ease out there, running the blue line, that it's hard to imagine that 2008 will be the kid's first chance to vote for President. He led the team in ice time in the first period. This kid is something special, and it makes you hopeful to see if Hickey and Tuebert.

The Wings get another penalty when Valtteri Filppula gets the gate for holding the stick. Brown smacks Nicklas Lidstrom in the mouth behind the net, knocking him to the ice. But Detroit kills it's third PK of the game.

The Kings go two men down, when Ivanans and Moller both get called for hooking, putting L.A. on the super-duper penalty kill. But Marion Hossa, the biggest bandwagon jumper of all, scores to tie the game on a high wrister. The Kings kill off the remaining penalty.

It looks as if Moller snuck another past Osgood, when he catches him sprawling across the crease to make the save. It looked as if the puck slid in. But they didn't review it, and didn't need to. It was clearly saved, a beauty by Osgood. The Kings are really going to have to earn their goals to sneak one past him this game.

Samuelsson gets called for interference, as L.A. takes to the ice on the PP again. But Detroit doesn't allow the Kings much of a chance to set up the man-advantage and the period ends as the Kings' PP chance fails.

The Kings outshot the Wings in the second, but the Detroit D was solid, as ever. Lidstrom leads all skaters in ice time, Hossa has six shots alone. Holmstrom hasn't registered a shot on goal yet, though.

SECOND PERIOD: Kings 2, Red Wings 2

Some clown threw an plastic octopus on the ice at the beginning of the third. A plastic octopus... during a regular season game... in Los Angeles. Lame.

You know who else thought it was lame? Alexander Frolov, who pops the puck past Osgood to put L.A. up again at 3-2. You know what happens next? That's right, Staples erupts.

The Double Hockey Sticks Line (Stoll, O'Sullivan and Moller) have another productive shift, with Moller just missing a pass from O'Sullivan. That line is a solid a line as the Kings have, and I'm liking the chemistry there.

The Kings go on the PP when Maltby is yanked for interference, and Moller, Frolov and Handzus are out there to take the faceoff. They hand things over to the modified PP line, who get a shot on goal, but fail to convert. Brown is stopped point blank by Osgood, as play is stopped.

Turnabout is fair play, as LaBarbera makes a killer save against former Kings Brad Stuart. The best part is LaBarbera didn't allow a rebound, as Holmstrom was lurking in front of the goal.

Something you don't see very often, two Red Wings sprawled on the ice. The young Kings are defiant against the champs, and the kids aren't star-struck by who's on the ice with them. Maybe its youthful exuberance or the Wings discounting their younger counterparts, but the game has a different feel than any of last season's matchups.

However, the Kings aren't pulling the trigger in the third like they did last period. It seems they are so busy trying to stuck it to the Wings, that they forgot that they can shoot. Andres Lilja beheads Derek Armstrong, then sort of shrugs it off. To add to the uneasiness, Handzus gets called for hooking, allowing the NHL's top-ranked PP to take to the ice. But L.A. won't go away quietly, as they successfully kill off the penalty.

At this point, I am reminded of just how quiet Staples usually was this late in the game last season. Against a better opponent, fans seemed to turn into  idle observers. Tonight, chants are popping up during play, as every time the puck is cleared during the PK, a loud cheer goes up, like fans are amazed that it was cleared. After the past two seasons, where the Kings were D-E-A-D last on the penalty kill.

The Red Wings do finally tie the game, and Staples erupts louder than ever. Detroit fans slapping hands and toasting beers as if this were predetermined. Fillipula scores on a defensive breakdown by Gauthier, who has not impressed me at all this season.

Zetterberg registers a shot, even after being sandwiched by Gauthier and Green. A fitting way to end the third. The Kings were outplayed again, allowing the Wings to send this game into... wait for it.... OVERTIME!!!

THIRD PERIOD: Kings 3, Red Wings 3

Because of the penalties to Quincey and Samuelsson, the teams come out 3-on-3 for the first 30 seconds. And as cool as it sounds, nothing happened. brown gets a decent shot on goal, but is turned away. Kopitar runs out of room to manuever and is denied a shot. The Wings are battle-tested, and know what's needed.

Guess what? SHOOTOUT!!!

Kings shoot first, and send captain Brown to center ice...

LAK Brown's wrister is denied
DET Datsyuk's deke scores
LAK Moller's shot is stopped by Osgood
DET Zetterberg's shot scores, game over.

FINAL SCORE: Red Wings 4, Kings 3 (shootout)

Overall, I felt the game really felt a lot different that all the ones I suffered through last season. There seems to be more of an urgency and desire from this team. Hopefully, they can take this accurate measuring stick and use it to beat the Canucks over the head on Thursday.