
The Kings entered Saturday night trying to end their losing streak three. However, they unfortunately face the team with the best record in the NHL.
Once again, they were without captain Anze Kopitar and goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
After falling behind early, LA showed some heart as they fought their way back to force overtime where they would ultimately come up short.
First Period: Limited Damage After a Nightmare Start
The opening frame couldn't have gotten off to a worse start for the Kings as they found themselves down 1-0 just 12 seconds into game. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal tapped in an easy one past Anton Forsberg. Staal found himself all alone in front of the net which allowed him to easily find twine off a nice feed from William Carrier.
To make matters worse, Adrian Kempe was sent to the box not even 30 seconds later as he was called for slashing. Although they survived the Hurricanes star-studded man advantage, the Kings could not find any momentum.
The nightmare start continued as Staal scored his second goal in less than four minutes to give the Canes an early 2-0 lead. Once again, he was left all alone in in the slot allowing Mike Reilly to find him with a quick pass which Staal quickly corralled and fired on net, beating Forsberg for the second time.
Although the Kings kept the rest of the first period somewhat competitive, it seemed as if we had a natural disaster brewing in Crypto.com Arena.
Second Period: Strong Effort Keeps the Game in Reach
LA opened the second period much better than they did in the first. They were able to generate some solid chances, but as soon as it felt like they were starting to find their footing and gain some momentum, the Canes added to their lead.
After yet another defensive breakdown, Jesperi Kotkaniemi found himself all alone as he entered the offensive zone before beating Forsberg with a slick forehand-backhand move. All three Carolin tallies came off of avoidable mistakes.
It may have seemed like the game was over at 3-0 but the Kings found some life after Trevor Moore scored his second of the year to make it 3-1. After his initial shot was blocked, Moore kept his eyes on the puck and blasted a shot by Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi.
For around 10 minutes play went back-and-forth until Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake was called for slashing which resulted in a Kings power play. They finally found some success on the man advantage as Andrei Kuzmenko cut the deficit in half after burying a slick pass from Quinton Byfield.
LA managed to keep themselves alive after a horrendous start and all of sudden, they have the momentum heading into the final 20 minutes.
Third Period: How Quickly Things Can Change
The Kings started the third period by killing off 46 seconds of 5-on-3 time, resulting in a massive boost. After the kill, LA kept pushing as they searched for an equalizer and it seemed as if it were only a matter of time until they found one. Their efforts did not go unrewarded.
Just over halfway through final frame, Kevin Fiala scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season to tie the game at 3-3. Fiala rifled a shot by Bussi after receiving a drop pass from Adrian Kempe.
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The action would end there as neither team could capitalize for the remainder of regulation. Which meant overtime was needed.
Overtime: A Well Earned Point
Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis continued his incredibly hot start as he ended the Kings comeback hopes less than two minute into the extra frame. Jarvis capitalized off of a rebound from a shot by Sebastian Aho, resulting in the Canes fifth straight win to open the season.
The Kings have now lost five of their first six games this season. The defensive lapses and mental errors must get figured out if they want any chance of find success this season. The absence of Kopitar is evident but this team must figure out how to succeed without their captain.
Los Angeles (1-3-2) will look to end its four game losing streak on Tuesday as they travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues (3-2-0) at 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET.