With just under three and a half minutes remaining, the Los Angeles Kings appeared to be in position to start the new year off right with a win in Darcy Kuemper’s return.
With just under three and a half minutes remaining, the Los Angeles Kings appeared to be in position to start the new year off right with a win in Darcy Kuemper’s return.
With just under two minutes remaining, the Kings looked ready to take the game to overtime.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings had lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3.
A series of bad bounces led to a collapse over the final few minutes, turning a game the Kings easily could have won into one in which they didn’t even manage to record a point.
“Very frustrating way to end the game,” defenseman Cody Ceci said. “I thought we played well throughout the whole game, and then we just gave it away there at the end. These are big points, big time of year. So it’s a very frustrating game for us.”
The Kings led for much of the game, thanks to two power play goals and strong play from the fourth line, highlighted by a three-point night from Corey Perry. Jeff Malott scored a goal in his first game in over two weeks, as he stepped back into the lineup in place of Trevor Moore, who was out due to illness.
Although the second of those power-play goals gave them a lead which they maintained for over 15 minutes, it did not hold. The Lightning scored twice in quick succession on scramble plays around the net, with the latter coming at a time when it appeared as though the Kings were content to play for overtime.
“You might want to sit back a little bit more and just keep shooting it out, and they keep coming at you,” Perry said. “So we always talk, stay on your toes and keep pushing forward. And they found a way to get one.”
The loss continues a trend from the previous game against the Colorado Avalanche, in which Los Angeles similarly played well but lost in regulation. At this point in the season, in a tight playoff race, the Kings know that turning in a strong performance in a loss isn’t good enough.
“We’re looking for the result. We talked about it after the Colorado game,” head coach Jim Hiller said. “We played a really good game in Colorado, so it makes you feel good that you’re playing right there with them. Doesn’t make you feel good you didn’t get the win. Tonight, again, another really good team. We should have won the game. We need to win that game. That’s the bottom line. There’s not a lot of moral victories in this one for us tonight.”
Category: General Sports
