Foegele scores twice in 1st, Kings hand Sharks 8th loss in row

LOS ANGELES -- Warren Foegele scored twice in a 2:49 span in the first period, and the Los Angeles Kings handed the San Jose Sharks their eighth straight loss to start the season, 3-2 at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

Jordan Spence also scored, and Alex Laferriere had two assists for the Kings (4-2-2), who have won three of four and were playing their home opener. David Rittich made 24 saves.

“I think any time you can contribute on the score sheet, it kind of helps with your confidence, and you feel like you’re part of the team,” Foegele said. “But there’s other aspects of the game, whether that’s killing a penalty or blocking a shot, and we’ve got a lot of guys in this room that are doing whatever it takes to win.”

Mikael Granlund scored twice on the power play, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves for the Sharks (0-6-2).

“This is the National Hockey League,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "This is the best league in the world, and if you don’t have joy in playing this game, then you’re in the wrong business and you’re on the wrong team, and we’ll weed those guys right out.”

The Sharks are the first team to lose at least eight games to start consecutive seasons since the Boston Bruins in 1960-61 (0-3 with five ties) and 1961-62 (0-7 with one tie). San Jose went 0-10-1 to start the 2023-24 season.

“We need a lot of guys to step up, be more consistent night after night, and we’re just not getting that at all,” Warsofsky said. “A lot of passengers. And when one guy’s going, the next night he’s not going, so we got to find some consistency in our game.”

Spence gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at 4:31 of the first period with a wrist shot from the right circle. Kevin Fiala forced a turnover at the defensive blue line, and Phillip Danault led the quick transition that set up Spence’s first goal of the season.

Foegele made it 2-0 at 8:47, backhanding the puck in from close range while falling down.

Foegele scored again at 11:36 to extend it to 3-0. He positioned himself in front of Granlund at the top of the crease and redirected Brandt Clarke’s long shot after it was initially tipped by Laferriere. It was Foegele’s third goal in his past two games.

“I think for myself, when I’m moving my feet and trying to attack the net, that’s kind of when I’m playing my game,” Foegele said. “Tonight, you know, got rewarded going to the net a couple times, and couldn’t have done it without my linemates.”

Granlund cut it to 3-1 at 10:05 of the second period with a power-play goal, a wrist shot from the left circle through a screen set by Tyler Toffoli.

Granlund then made it 3-2 with one minute remaining in the third period during a 6-on-4 with Blackwood also pulled for the extra skater.

“We do everything we can at the end,” Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund said. “We’re close, but not close enough.”

Fiala had been penalized for tripping San Jose defenseman Jake Walman in the offensive zone as he tried to score into an empty net.

“Those are high-leverage moments, and we can’t be hit and miss,” Hiller said.

The Sharks were 2-for-6 on the power play. The Kings were 0-for-2.

“We just got to watch our stick infractions,” Foegele said. “It kind of just kills the flow of the game and gets guys out of rhythm, so the less we can take those kind of penalties and try to play 5-on-5, I like our chances on the ice.”

NOTES: Granlund has eight points (three goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. … The Kings scored three goals in the first period of their home opener for the third time in franchise history. The others: 1976-77 (four goals) and 1980-81 (three).