The Kings were handed their first regulation loss of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, falling 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Undermanned and already without Drew Doughty (ankle), the Kings were also without Joel Edmundson (personal) and starting goalie Darcy Kuemper (lower-body injury) against the Maple Leafs. In their places on Wednesday night were Pheonix Copley, who was recalled from the Ontario Reign and Caleb Jones who made his season debut. Also slotting into the lineup and making his season debut was Andreas Englund who replaced the healthy scratched Jordan Spence.
The Kings fell behind early in this one and were unable to get themselves back within reach of the Maple Leafs by game’s end despite a third period push. It took 6:54 for the game’s first goal and that came from Bobby McMann. McMann picked up a loose puck in high slot after a Kings core found themselves disheveled in their own zone. McMann promptly buried the puck into a semi-vacant net to give the Leafs the 1-0 lead. Just under three minute later, last year’s Rocket Richard Award winner Auston Matthews netted host first goal of the season. Matthews also received the puck in the high slot and after a quick whiff regathered the puck and ripped a wrist shot into the top left corner. Now trailing 2-0 late in the first period, the Kings surrendered another goal by McMann after a miscommunication led the forward going in all alone on David Rittich.
The second period began and it was more of the same on the scoreboard despite a strong first first 10 minutes by the Kings. The Kings had outshot the Leafs 10-1 and had momentum on their side in the second period before Morgan Reilly took the wind out of the Kings sails. Reilly pushed the Leafs lead to 4-0 with a tip-in from the slot 7:56 in. Then, as time wound down in the middle stanza it was William Nylander who extended the lead to 5-0 with a power-play goal.
Trailing 5-0 entering the final 20, the Kings were able to get on the scoreboard 2:42 in. The Kings fourth line connected on an offensive zone entry and Andre Lee collected his first career NHL point and assist when he fed Alex Turcotte in the slot. Turcotte gathered, fired and beat Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz far-side, glove-side for his first goal of the season. The Kings then cut the lead to 5-2 with just over 10 minutes to go in the period when Kevin Fiala drove the net with the puck and watched it ricocheted across the goal line. With the goal, the Kings cut the lead to three but that was the closest they got. A late Leafs power-play goal by Jonathan Tavares extended the lead to 6-2 and that is where the game’s score would end.
Rittich made his first appearance of the season for the Kings, starting in goal and stopped 10 of the 14 shots faced in 32:22 of play before being relieved of his duties by Phoenix Copley midway into the game. Copley, who returned to the Kings for the first since December 10th, 2023 made 10 saves on 12 shots.
