Kings’ Anze Kopitar records 800th career assist in victory over Golden Knights

Anze Kopitar has accomplished a lot during his 19-year NHL career. Two Stanley Cup championships, two Selke Trophies, more than 1,200 points, all with the Los Angeles Kings, it’s been a lifetime of achievement for the captain of Hollywood.

On Wednesday night, Kopitar hit another milestone when he recorded the 800th assist of his during the Kings’ 6-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Slovenian center achieved the feat early in the third period with the score 4-1 in favour of the Kings. Kopitar, already with a goal and assist in the game, left a drop pass for Kevin Fiala, who deked his way into the slot and buried a wrister to extend L.A.’s lead.

Kopitar became the 35th player in NHL history to reach the 800-assist mark, doing so just three weeks after Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Evgeni Malkin accomplished the same feat against the Detroit Red Wings.

The 37-year-old Kopitar now has four goals and eight assists for 12 points, which leads the Kings through their first 11 games of the 2024-25 regular season.

Kopitar, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, has 423 goals to go with his 800 assists for 1,223 career points, 45th on the all-time list. He is second on the Kings’ all-time scoring list, behind Marcel Dionne and his 1,307 career points.

During Kopitar’s previous 18 NHL seasons, he’s recorded at least 60 points in all but three of them. His best statistical season came in 2017-18, where he scored 35 goals and 57 assists for 92 points, career highs in all three categories. He would win the Selke Trophy and finish third in Hart Trophy voting.