The Kings dropped their fourth consecutive game on Thursday night as they coughed up a 2-0 first period lead for the second time in three games. Closing out a three-game home stand before hitting the road for six straight games, the Kings did earn a point in the 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
It was a great start for the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Dodgers Night as the arena was buzzing following a Mookie Betts ceremonial puck drop. Quickly after the game’s first puck drop, the Kings new look line of Adrian Kempe, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Laferriere struck. It took just 1:50 for the Kings to find the back of the net when all three linemates pitched in for the icebreaking goal. After Dubois entered the zone with the puck, the center found a streaking Laferriere on the wing, who fed a net-front Kempe for a backdoor goal. The Kings followed up shortly thereafter with another goal 4:18 in when Matt Roy buried his first goal of the season off a rebound from an Anze Kopitar shot. Roy’s tally marked the 20th career goal from the former seventh-round pick.
After outshooting the Red Wings 17-8 in the first period, things evened out for the most part the rest of the way. On the scoreboard was one of those places. It was a second period that belonged to the Red Wings as the visitors found the back of the net twice. First coming at the halfway point of the period, the Red Wings got on the board with a net-front goal before knotting the game at 2-2 in the last minutes of the middle stanza with a point shot through traffic.
Tied at 2-2, the Kings fell behind in the third period after surrendering a Robby Fabbri goal as a Red Wings power play expired. Fabbri converted on a rebound. Now trailing for the first time of the night, the Kings were able to battle back and tie the score thanks to Kempe’s second goal of the night as time wound down in regulation. Coming from behind with 4:17 to go in the game, Dubois’ and Laferriere‘s second assists of the night allowed Kempe to level the score. The goals for Kempe marked his 13th and 14th of the season, resulting in his team-leading fourth multi-goal game of the season, while Laferriere recorded his first career multi-point game of his career.
A scoreless and whistle-less five-minute overtime followed and sent the game to a shootout. The Red Wings won 2–0 and sent the Kings home with one of a possible two points.
Kings: ❌❌
Red Wings: ✅✅
David Rittich made his third start for the Kings this season and stopped 24 of 27 shots. Rittich’s record moves to 2-0-1.
