The Kings' Hot Start Doesn't Stop the Losing Streak

LOS ANGELES — The Kings scored an early goal, 31 seconds into the game, but that didn't change the result. The Bruins were still able to clobber the Kings 4-1.

Alex Laferriere was plugged into the first line to pair with Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin. That move paid dividends for the Kings as they saw quick results early in the game.

“Every time I play with [Kempe and Panarin] we have good energy and good chemistry,” said Laferriere. “Just trying to make it easy for those guys to play the game and just trying to find open ice.”

Within the first minute of the game, Laferriere scored a goal to give the Kings an early lead. This goal allowed Los Angeles to control the tempo and keep the puck in the throughout the first period.

Despite a strong start by the Kings in the first period, it all came crashing down. The Bruins were able to flip the script and take control in the last two periods.

In the second period, David Pastrnak had a breakaway goal for Boston that shifted the momentum. The Bruins pushed the tempo, which allowed them to keep the puck in the Kings' defensive zone.

Los Angeles couldn’t keep up with the tempo, which translated to more penalties for the team. The Kings racked up 21 penalty minutes while the Bruins only had 11minutes in the box.

Heading into the night, the Bruins had 108 penalty minutes, which lead the league.

However, the Kings were so sloppy that they spent more time in the box than the most penalized team.

The Kings gave up a 1-0 lead to a Bruins team that was coming off back-to-back games played. This was a golden opportunity for Los Angeles that only resulted in a disappointing loss.

“We got to take [the loss] with us and stew on it a little bit. It's certainly not where we want to be,” said Coach Laviolette. “I thought the start was really good and on point and then as the second period rolled over it just seemed to tilt the other way. So we've got to be better.”

Six games into the season and the Kings have lost all six of those games. Los Angeles is the only team in the NHL that has yet to secure a victory.

Now the Kings head on a five-game road trip without much momentum on their side. However, this loss to the Bruins could be a turning point for the Kings to pull away some victories.

Even though the Kings lost, the first line change gave the team an energy boost that they desperately needed. The hot start was a sign of how fluently the Kings could play, but they didn’t finish the job. This loss showed the Kings that they needed to execute for 60 minutes, not just the first minute.