The Kings dropped their preseason opener on Monday night against the Utah Hockey Club 3-2 in overtime. It was a comeback effort for the Kings squad that played against the majority of Utah HC’s NHL roster. The Kings trailed 2-0 after the first period after surrendering a pair of goals on the penalty kill, but fought back.
Down 2-0, the Kings put together a strong road second period by outshooting their opponent 13-8. During that 20-minute stretch, the Kings evened the game with two goals of their own. The Kings cut their deficit in half at the 6:17 mark of the second period when Jeff Malott banged in a loose rebound off of a point shot from Caleb Jones. Six and half minutes later, Alex Turcotte evened the score at 2-2 with a 5-on-3 power-play goal. Turcotte received a pass from Francesco Pinelli in front of the net and beat Connor Ingram with a quick backhand.
The Kings and Utah HC went scoreless in the third period, ultimately sending the game into overtime. Overtime lasted just 19 seconds after a Kings defensive zone turnover, leading to a Clayton Keller five-hole game-winning goal.
Head coach Jim Hiller, Alex Turcotte, Joel Edmundson and Jeff Malott each spoke with the media after the game.
