Coach Jim Hiller saw his team give up three power play goals in the opening frame of Monday’s game in Minnesota, only to have his team claw their way back into things and eventually leave town with one point after falling short in the shootout.
It was the final game of a three-game road trip and penalty trouble once again help set their opponent up for success. However, in the second period, the Kings found renewed energy. Despite generating several prime scoring chances, LA just couldn’t capitalize and remained scoreless heading into the final frame. Based on last season, hope looked bleak because the Wild held a 29-0-0 record when entering the third period with a lead.
Yet, that’s where the Kings mounted an impressive comeback. Kevin Fiala sparked LA’s late rally, scoring his second goal of the season from behind the goal line. Quinton Byfield followed up with a power play goal, courtesy of a slick assist from Adrian Kempe. This injected even more belief into the Kings bench.
Later, with goaltender Darcy Kuemper pulled for the extra attacker, Kempe managed to tie the game at 3-3 in the final minutes of regulation.
Overtime provided even more drama, as Brandt Clarke drew a penalty with a crafty deke, giving the Kings a 4-on-3 powerplay. Despite Hiller’s squad firing away at will, nothing went in and it was on to the shootout to decide things. Both goalies stood tall through three rounds, until Wild forward Marco Rossi finally broke the deadlock and allowed Minnesota to claim victory.
Game highlights can be viewed here:
Additional game notes:
— Through just four games, the Kings have been shorthanded 23 times, a trend that continues to make winning a challenge. Despite the loss, the Kings showed some resilience and nearly pulled off a memorable comeback. If they can stay out of the penalty box, brighter days may be ahead.
— All three Minnesota goals came on the powerplay, meaning no Kings player finished with a minus rating.
— Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 of 26 shots faced.
— Anze Kopitar continued his hot start to his final season, recording an assist in every game so far.
— Byfield, Kempe, Fiala each posted their second goals of the season. Fiala’s goal gave him points in seven straight games against his former club (3G, 6A). He also led all Kings players in shots on goal, credited with 7.
— Los Angeles won 49% of the faceoffs. Of the Kings players who took more than 10 draws, Kopitar excelled (winning 67%). Byfield really struggled, took 20 faceoffs, only won 30% (lowest % of all players in the game). Alex Turcotte took nine draws and held his own at the dot (winning 56%).
Pregame notes and lineups can be found in the article linked below.
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