The Kings dropped game four of seven on their road trip on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Penguins. With the point gained, the Kings have now earned five of a possible eight so far on trip with a 2-1-1 record.
You may have missed the game’s first goal with the early start on the east coast as Adrian Kempe quickly put the Kings up 1-0 just 33 seconds into the game. Following an Anze Kopitar shot, the captain retrieved his rebound behind the Penguins net, found Kempe at the top of the crease and Swede pocketed his 16th goal of the season and his fourth goal in the last five games. The Kings strong start continued at they had six of the game’s first seven shots, but couldn’t add to their lead. The Penguins were able find their game in the ladder stages of the period and ended the opening 20 minutes tied 10-10 in the shots department.
The Penguins evened the score at 1-1 just over six minutes into the second period as Evgeni Malkin snapped a five-game goalless drought, knocking in a rebound after the puck found him on a 2-on-1. Knotted at one’s, Alex Turcotte made it back-to-back games with a goal to break the tie. Coming five minutes after the Malkin goal, Turcotte won the race to a neutral zone puck, went in on a contested breakaway and beat Alex Nedeljkovic with a short-side high wrist shot. The Kings led 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Continuing their stingy defensive play of late, the Kings allowed just eight shots in the final 20 minutes. Unfortunately, one of those shots by Matt Grzelcyk tied the game with 6:35 remaining in regulation. Each team had a late opportunity with an abbreviated power play, but to no avail the game went into overtime at 2-2.
It took just 1:45 after the puck dropped in the 3-on-3 session to find a winner and it went in favor of the Penguins. Former Duck and now in his third full season with Penguins, Rickard Rakell beat Darcy Kuemper with a skilled net-front deflection. Rakell’s tip-in off of a shot from the point by Erik Karlsson changed direction from one side of the net to the other within five feet of Kuemper and the Kings were forced to leave town with one of two possible points.
Kuemper stopped 28 of 31 shots and now holds a record of 7-2-4.
