Despite a slow start and early injury, the Kings flipped a switch, storming back to secure a hard-fought victory and extend their point streak.
The Los Angeles Kings entered Chicago on the second night of a back-to-back as they take on the Blackhawks. The Kings looked to rebound after a crazy 5-4 shootout loss to the Predators on Saturday night.
Although the Blackhawks were looked at as one of the worst teams in the league coming into the 2025-26 season, they have gotten off to a solid start by competing hard every night.
After a rough first 20 minutes, the Kings stayed poised and responded with a strong final 40 to come away with a victory.
First Period: Very Obvious Which Team Played The Night Prior
The first period was all Chicago as they came out fast while the Kings struggled to find their legs on the second night of a back-to-back. The Blackhawks completely controlled the play for the majority of the period, especially early one. The Hawks youngsters like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar were leading the charge as they pressured the Kings while generating chances.
Less than five minutes into the opening frame, things went from bad, to worse as Kings forward Warren Foegele exited the game due to injury after a collision with Chicago captain Nick Foligno. He did not return to action.
After being severely outplayed for seven straight minutes, the Kings eventually fell behind as the Blackhawks finally beat Anton Forsberg. Connor Bedard got the Hawks on the board with a tip shot that just barely squeaked by Forsberg for his third of the year.
The Kings continued to look slow and tired even after falling behind early. The Blackhawks continued to push, most notably Bedard who could have easily had a first period hat-trick if not for some timely saves from Forsberg.
After killing off a Phillip Danault slashing penalty, the Kings began to generate some potential chances, but they still didn't have a real high danger chance. However, they would once again find themselves shorthanded as Forsberg was called for delay of game after sending the puck out of play as he was pressured by Bedard. Luckily, the penalty kill was cut short after Danault was tripped up by Andre Burakovsky, resulting in 44 seconds of four-on-four action before the Kings headed to the power play.
The Kings power play moved the puck around well but failed to create nay chances as the majority of their shot attempts were blocked by a stingy Chicago penalty kill. After failing to capitalize on the man advantage, the Kings ended the period down 1-0. Which is lucky after a horrid start.
Second Period: Night and Day Difference Between Periods
After one of their worst periods of the young season, the Kings looked like a completely different team in the middle frame and it was evident instantly. After receiving a beautiful saucer pass from Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere snuck by the Chicago defenders which led to a high danger chance that he couldn't finish as he was hooked by Wyatt Kaiser. Just 30 seconds into the second period, LA was headed back to the power play.
The Kings headed to the power play looking to build off a quick start to the period. The first unit was able to move the puck around effectively but it once again led to no real scoring chance. The second unit failed to get anything going.
Los Angeles continued to control the play early on in the second, which finally led to a game tying goal. Laferriere was the best King early on and he was rewarded for it by scoring his second of the season.
The 23-year-old entered the zone with speed while on a partial two-on-one with Corey Perry before eventually firing a wicked wrister past Arvid Soderblom to tie the game at 1-1. Perry and Danault pick up the assists.
Just over a minute later, the Kings struck again to take a 2-1 lead. This time it was Kevin Fiala. The speedy winger scored one of the most beautiful Kings goals of the season. Fiala received a terrific pass from Brandt Clarke with speed through the neutral zone. He then kept his speed as he entered the Blackhawks end before finishing off his rush with an remarkable wraparound goal, giving the Kings the lead.
Not much occurred after LA took the lead, aside from the Kings killing off a rare Anze Kopitar penalty. The Kings then had a 42 second power play to end the period after Connor Murphy tripped Laferierre.
After 40 minutes of play, the Kings outshot the Hawks 14-13 and would begin the final frame on the man advantage.
Third Period: Stout Defense and Strong Goaltending Leads To Two Points
The final frame did not provide the type of action that the second period did, but for the most part, the Kings continued their strong play.
The initial third period power play was very short-lived after Adrian Kempe was called for tripping Ilya Mikheyev just 20 seconds in. The Kings penalty kill looked elite as they kill off the Kmepe minor, bringing them to 4/4 on the evening.
Although the game ended in regulation, it was once again a close finish. After Trevor Moore was sent to the penalty box for tripping Sam Rinzel, the Kings set the Blackhawks up with a 6-on-4 opportunity after Chicago pulled the goalie in search of the equalizer. Oddly enough, Moore's penalty was the fifth tripping penalty of the game.
Los Angeles stood tall by killing off the Moore penalty, going a perfecting 5/5 pn the night. Just as the penalty was expiring, Joel Armia put the game out of reach by scoring a rather odd empty net goal that resulted in his stick being broken by the post. Adrian Kempe and Joel Edmundson were credited with assists.
In what was his best game as Los Angeles King, Anton Forsberg stood tall, stopping every shot that Chicago fired his way after Bedard's game opening goal. He ended the game with a .957 SV% and a GSAx of 1.29.
The Los Angeles Kings now have a five game point streak, going 3-0-2 in that span. They have also managed to come away with points in seven of their 10 games played this season.
Catch the Kings (4-3-3) next in San Jose on Tuesday, October 28th as they face the Sharks (2-5-2) at 8:00 PM PT/11:00 PM ET at the tail end of the NHL's Frozen Frenzy.
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