The Los Angeles Kings suffered an embarrassing loss last night in their season opener against the Colorado Avalanche.
Every aspect played out last night on the ice, both offensively and especially on defense; Los Angeles looked very weak and out of it. So, coming into a back-to-back, the Kings were looking to avoid a 0-2 start desperately.
But, tonight, against another Western Conference contender in the Vegas Golden Knights, who introduced Mitch Marner and recently signed Jack Eichel to an 8-year extension, Los Angeles looked very good early on, until their power play defense and penalties let them down, ending in a high-scoring thriller with the Kings scrapping by a 6-5 win.
First Period Recap: Kings Come Out Strong
After the tripping call was made on Golden Knights center William Karlsson, who gave the Kings a power play opportunity.
The Kings responded with a 1-0 lead in Vegas, capitalizing on the power play opportunity. Andrei Kuzmenko buried the goal five minutes into the period off the assist from Anze Kopitar.
Vegas struggled to generate any goals against Anton Forsberg under the net, stopping every shot that came at him.
The Golden Knights’ best look came when Quinton Byfield was called for that unsportsmanlike conduct midway through the first period, but Los Angeles remained strong and didn’t let it get in their heads like last night.
Just a few minutes later, Quinton Byfield extended the lead with an unassisted goal, giving LA a 2-0 lead. Despite Vegas having control of the puck for most of the possession and winning faceoffs, Los Angeles stayed ready and strong on the ice.
The period ended with the Kings holding a 2-0 lead, energized by their early intensity on both defense and offense, which enabled them to take an early lead. However, Vegas remained a threat heading into the second period despite trailing.
Second Period: Golden Knights Dominate the Power Play
The Kings extended their lead to 3-1 early in the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights. Joel Armia put up his first goal as the newly acquired Los Angeles King from the middle of the ice against a solid amount of traffic in front of him.
Vegas managed to get back in the game in the second period, scoring three goals, including one by Pavel Dorofeyev on the power play and a fast break earlier in the period, to tie the game 3-3.
One glaring weakness in the Kings’ last two games was their power play defense and ability to execute fast break plays. The defense just doesn’t look strong in the closing moments when the game starts to get tight and close, reminiscent of the choke job against the Oilers in the last playoffs, when they blew a 2-0 series lead.
The Golden Knights were one of the best power plays ever, finishing second in the NHL, and in this game, they looked much better when they were in the power play, whipping the puck around the zone against what should be a Penalty kill.
This period wasn’t a good one for the Kings. From what looked like a commanding 3-1 lead and a different team committed to bouncing back from the ugly loss at home last night, they got outplayed entirely by one man on the other side of the ice in one period.
Third Period: Kings Battle Back
The third period was looking like it was going to be a big meltdown for the Kings, with another disappointing loss and back-to-back embarrassing games.
Early in the third period, the Golden Knights were dominating the puck and scoring off the Kings’ foolish penalties, but were getting outplayed in the power play, trailing 3-5 early in the period.
The story of the game was looking like the Kings were repeating the same old things from last season, blowing leads and failing to capitalize on close, competitive games that came down to the wire.
However, Los Angeles battled back thanks to Trevor Moore and Brandt Clarke, both of whom notched a goal to tie the game 5-5, sending it to overtime.
Clarke, Byfield, and Kuzmenko were especially impressive, showcasing their toughness and grit, executing in the big moments when called upon.
All three players were reliable for the Kings in the clutch and, in overtime, gave some big minutes on the ice to help scrape by the Golden Knights.
In overtime, LA squeaked by with a 6-5 win in a much-needed game that was theirs for the taking all game. It certainly would’ve been a horrible loss for the Kings, given the lead they had and how poorly their defense performed against the Golden Knights’ offense for the rest of the game.
But give credit to the Kings’ ability to respond to adversity and capitalize on key moments that will be crucial as they continue their push for a Stanley Cup.
Fans can look forward to more exciting matchups as the Kings aim to build their momentum against Winnipeg on Saturday, Oct 11 at 1:30 p.m. EST.
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