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The Los Angeles Kings rallied from a goal down to score four times in the third period and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2.

Anze Kopitar, the NHL's leading points scorer, opened the scoring in the first minute and then tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period.

The Penguins (12-4-0), coming into the game a perfect 7-0-0 on the road, took a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz.

However, in an explosive third period, the Kings (10-4-2) scored four times through Kopitar, Jarret Stoll, Michal Handzus and Dustin Brown to pull away from last season's Stanley Cup champions.

The Penguins were making a run at the league record of 10 road wins to start a season, accomplished by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006-07 campaign.

"We knew they were coming in (with a perfect road record) and we wanted to make it hard on them," Kopitar said.

"It took us 60 minutes, but the bottom line is we got the two points.

Pittsburgh looked solid with the 2-1 lead at the start of the third period before the Kings let loose.

Kopitar made it 2-2 at 6:17 and Stoll put the Kings ahead with a wrister at 12:09. Handzus followed up with a goal 23 seconds later before Brown capped the scoring at 17:30.

"It wasn't even a full period, it was 13 minutes. They played better for that span," the Penguins' Sidney Crosby said after going pointless for the third game in a row.

"Tonight we did some good things with the power play and had chances but the puck didn't go in."

The Eastern Conference-leading Penguins are still without center Evgeni Malkin, who has an injured shoulder.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for the Kings, who are on a 6-0-2 run, their best in nine years.

"Our belief system in this room is good," said Brown. "We're having fun. This is something we need to build on."

Reuters