After ending their five-game road trip 3-1-1, the Los Angeles Kings (28-24-16) returned home tonight to host the Philadelphia Flyers (33-23-12), but their loss today once again showed why they can’t be trusted at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings are now 10-15-8 at home this season with their loss today to the Flyers, and even though they had a good road trip, losing against a shorthanded team that was playing a back-to-back tonight is not a good sign.
Los Angeles had a great first period, once again showing good defense early on, holding Philly to three shots, and scoring the first goal to lead 1-0 after 20 minutes. The Flyers looked like a team playing on a back-to-back early, barely generating anything while the Kings dominated possession, but they picked up steam as the game progressed.
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But the second period, which has been a struggle for Los Angeles all season, continued tonight, giving up three goals in the period, only the fourth time in 12 games that the Flyers have scored more than two goals in regulation time since coming out of the Olympic break.
The sloppy play, which allowed too many rush chances and led to errors, cost the Kings tonight against a shorthanded team.
A very winnable game for the Kings after a bad second period, they came back and forced overtime, but couldn’t win the shootout, resulting in a heartbreaking loss in their return home.
The opening period was a quiet one until the final minute, when, off a Flyers turnover, Alex Laferriere found Quinton Byfield, who created space to score for Los Angeles, giving them a 1-0 lead to end the first.
Once again, LA outshot its opponent in the first period 6-3, played with great energy, defense, and forechecking, and looked poised to win after two days of rest.
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However, the second period was something else. Both teams traded goals within the first 40 seconds of the period. Philadelphia got things started just 23 seconds into the second, tying the game 1-1 after converting on the slot with traffic in the middle.
The Kings, however, countered the Flyers. 21 seconds later, Anze Kopitar buried the rebound after Brandt Clarke missed the shot. Kopitar converted and gave the Kings back their lead.
The Flyers didn’t go away, though, once again putting pressure on the Kings. Philly tied the score after a scramble in the crease. Darcy Kuemper attempted to cover it but failed.
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The replays showed that it was a loose puck, and LA decided not to challenge the call and played on.
The Flyers pulled ahead a few minutes later to take their first lead of the night after Travis Sanheim scored from the center point through traffic. Kuemper was without his stick on the play, allowing Sanheim to pull the Flyers ahead with a shot.
Los Angeles had trouble protecting the puck in the second period and made too many errors, giving the Flyers rush chances to convert. Despite it being an even shooting period, with both teams taking 11 shots, Philly was the much better team.
LA made a push in the final period, and it was Breadman, Artemi Panarin, who scored the first power-play goal for the Kings at the 9:32 mark to keep the Kings alive.
It was a quiet third period for the Flyers. Los Angeles did a good job bringing back the energy they were playing with earlier in the game, and outshot the Flyers 6-4, allowing zero goals.
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Los Angeles forced overtime, where neither team could get a shot up. Despite LA controlling the puck for much of the possession, they struggled to generate offense, forcing a shootout.
In the shootout, the Kings would lose both rounds, while the Flyers converted both times, defeating LA to split the season series 1-1.
Key Notes
Despite the Kings getting a point tonight, it’s a heartbreaking loss because the Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Kraken, and San Jose Sharks all lost tonight, which would’ve created more separation for the Kings in the standings. But now they have a small lead over the Sharks, Seattle, and Nashville for the final playoff spot.
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Overall, this was a very inconsistent game for the Kings. They played a great first period, an ugly second period, and came back in the third, but couldn’t close out the game when it mattered most.
Artemi Panarin finished with one goal, one assist, and two points, scoring that clutch goal in the third period to force overtime. Anze Kopitar got a standing ovation from the home crowd after his historic achivement a few nights ago on the road, finishing with one goal tonight.
The Kings will continue their two-game home stand on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres at 1:00 PM PT.
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