Los Angeles had control late in the third period, with the clock on its side, until Seattle delivered the kind of gut-punch finish that continues to haunt the Los Angeles Kings.
The Los Angeles Kings (14-8-8), once again fighting down to the wire, couldn’t make their late push, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Seattle Kraken (12-10-6). Despite holding a 2-1 lead with under five minutes remaining, LA couldn’t hold on, giving up a goal with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation.
In overtime, the Kings struggled on the power play and again gave up late penalties. The late penalty and power-play finish from defenseman Vince Dunn buried the goal point-blank to win the game 3-2.
Game Gets Tight
After a scoreless first period with both teams playing tight defense, Seattle opened the second period on a power-play blast from Jared McCann, who hammered the goal, followed by a great setup by Chandler Stephenson.
Despite the goal from Seattle, LA would respond just a few minutes later with its own goal, when Alex Lafferiere raced alone in transition with his speed and beat Seattle’s goaltender, Joey Daccord, with the slide to tie the game 1-1.
The second would end with both teams still tied. Entering the final period, Los Angeles took its first lead of the game after Kevin Fiala scored off another clean pass and buried the nice feed from Anze Kopitar to take a 2-1 lead with just under five minutes to go.
The Kings did a good job with the pace of play and protecting the puck, but Seattle kept pushing with a determined comeback. And it’s not a Kings game when LA lets its opponents get back in the game to force overtime.
That is precisely what happened when Seattle’s pressure paid off as the third period was about to come to a close, Matty Beniers capitalized late to force the extra period.
OT Breakdown: Dunn Delivers
Overtime would begin with the Kings on another penalty kill after a costly mistake in the final minute of regulation. Seattle wasted no time taking advantage of the power play. Jordan Elberle quickly swung the puck to Dunn, who then ripped it home to give Seattle the win at home.
Key Takeaways for L.A.
- Costly penalties remain a major issue in deciding games.
- The Kings need to improve their execution in late-game situations to avoid giving away points.
- Blowing leads late in games remains a glaring issue that needs to be fixed.
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