Kuzmenko celebrated his birthday with two goals, but the Kings still came up short at home against Seattle.
What a day it was for the Los Angeles Kings. After acquiring Artemi Panarin in a trade today from the New York Rangers, they still had a crucial home game tonight in a Western Conference collision against the Seattle Kraken.
After finishing its 3-1-1 road trip, Los Angeles looked good on defense and returned home for the first time since Jan. 20, but given the Kings' home performance this season, fans would've been happy if Los Angeles were still on the road.
Seattle built a 3-1 lead in the first period and never looked back, despite LA coming within one midway through the second, before falling short in the third.
Kuzmenko Opens Scoring on His Birthday
The Kings struck first on the power play, with Kuzmenko opening the scoring at the 12:18 mark of the first period, racking up his 12th goal of the season. It was a nice moment for Kuzmenko, who celebrated his birthday with the goal and was one of the only consistent players on offense tonight.
For a team struggling to score on power play, it remained their biggest strength throughout the night.
Seattle Responds With Three First-Period Goals
After the Kings looked like they were headed for a fast start to the game with Kuzmenko's opener, Seattle went hot, scoring three goals in a matter of six minutes between the 10-minute mark and four minute mark, putting the Kings in a deep hole early.
A lot of the run started with the Kings turning the puck over and giving up penalties in just that six-minute swing of goals.
Kings Fight Back
LA responded midway in the second period to stop the momentum from the Kraken, with Kuzmenko once again burying a goal on his birthday to cut Seattle's lead to 3-2. From that point on, Los Angeles outshot Seattle and generated constant pressure on offense, but couldn't find the equalizer.
In the third period, 63 seconds in, Adrian Kempe looked like he scored the goal for the Kings to tie it up 3-3, but the goal was waived off immediately after the refs ruled that Joey Daccord had it covered.
That waived-off goal completely shifted the game to Seattle after it looked like the Kings had gained momentum. Seattle converted on the power play goal a few minutes later at the 14-minute mark when Shane Wright scored his second goal of the night, extending Seattle's lead 4-2.
Kempe was also assessed for a double minor after committing a high-sticking penalty with under four minutes remaining in the final frame. The call was controversial because, based on the review, it didn't appear to be from Kempe's stick, but the refs upheld the call.
The missed calls and the refs' overturned goals pretty much summed up this game for the Kings tonight. A lot of missed opportunities and chances for Los Angeles to make it interesting, but playing that badly in the first period ultimately decided the game.
Final Takeaway
The defense let the Kings down tonight, a team that has been solid defending, while it's been the offense that has been inconsistent, tonight it was the opposite. Darcy Kuemper had a rough night, saving 19 of 23 shots, and in his last five starts has allowed 15 goals. Kuemper clearly hasn't been the same since returning from injury; his movement and speed don't look the same, especially since Anton Forsberg has been playing better than he has as of late.
So with the pickup of Panarin, the offense should get better, and that leaves Kuemper to get to where he was a few weeks ago before his injury. It's a big stretch for Los Angeles, especially after playing well on the road; their six games coming out of the break will be at home. This is their chance to play better at home and get back in the win column as the playoff picture continues to heat up.
Los Angeles will play a back-to-back tomorrow, traveling to Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights at 7 P.M. PT.
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