The LA Kings finally got what they were hunting for on Thursday night: their first home win of the season, and they had to survive a wild one to get it.
Los Angeles built a 5-1 cushion through two periods, only to watch Ottawa storm all the way back with four third-period goals before Quinton Byfield ended it in overtime for a 6-5 Kings victory to open a seven-game homestand.
Ottawa struck first and did it by winning the zone time battle early. Tyler Klevan jumped down from the point, took a pass from Fabian Zettterlund and slid into the slot before beating Darcy Kuemper from between the circles to make it 1-0.
The Kings answered late in the opening period on their first power play of the night. Brandt Clarke got a puck through from the point, Erik Haula set up in the high slot and got a deflection on it that slipped past Jonas Johansson to even the score at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Then came the second period, when Los Angeles ripped the game open.
First, Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore finally broke through together. Byfield worked off the wall and slipped a backhand feed through to Moore, who drove the net and redirected it in for a 2-1 Kings lead. It was Moore’s first goal since Opening Night, and Byfield’s first point since the second game of the season.
Just 37 seconds later, the Kings turned a close game into a runaway. Mikey Anderson buried his second goal in three games from the left point, with Corey Perry screening in front, and on the next shift Joel Armia snapped his own scoring drought from distance to push it to 4-1.
Los Angeles kept pouring it on late in the period. On a 5-on-3, Artemi Panarin waited out the chaos after the Kings had already hit the post twice on the sequence, then found the opening and fired home his team-leading eighth goal of the season for a 5-1 advantage through two.
That should have been enough. It wasn’t close to enough.
Ottawa clawed back with a pair of quick goals midway through the third. After the Kings failed to clear along the left-wing boards, Dylan Cozens found space in the slot and finished a feed from Tim Stutzle to make it 5-2. Thirty-three seconds later, Drake Batherson cut the margin to two with his eighth goal of the season.
The Senators kept pushing, and with just under eight minutes left they cashed in on the power play. Tim Stutzle worked the puck toward the net, the Kings couldn’t smother it under Kuemper, and Cozens was there to jam in his second of the night and make it 5-4.
Ottawa then completed the comeback with its goalie pulled. On the 6-on-5, Batherson worked the puck to the front, Shane Pinto got a deflection in traffic, and the Senators tied it 5-5 with four straight unanswered goals.
Overtime belonged to the Kings. With the teams skating 3-on-3, Los Angeles kept possession alive in the offensive zone. Drew Doughty held the puck at the right point, fed Byfield coming off the bench, and Byfield skated into the slot and buried his second goal of the season to seal it.
In Other News...
Brandt Clarke Injury Leaves Kings Facing An Unsettling New Question
Brandt Clarkes night ended early against Ottawa after the Kings defenseman took an upper-body injury and did not return. Clarke had already picked up an assist before leaving the game, but the bigger concern for Los Angeles came on the sequence that sent him to the locker room, a hit from Senators forward Hayden Hodgson that drew a major penalty and a game misconduct.
For a Kings blue line that has leaned on Clarkes development, the immediate question now is how long he might be out and what it means for the group in the short term. Head coach Peter Laviolette did not offer an update after the game, leaving the team and its fans waiting for more clarity on a situation that quickly shifted from a routine night to an uneasy one. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Nearly Blew Everything Before Escaping A Wild Finish
For a while, it looked like the Kings were cruising toward a comfortable win after building a 5-1 lead, the kind of cushion that should have turned the final period into a formality. Instead, Ottawa turned the game into chaos, storming back in the third period to force overtime and leaving Los Angeles to sweat out a finish that had no business being that tense.
The Senators comeback effort was enough to make the night feel like a missed opportunity for the Kings, even if they ultimately escaped with the extra point. Travis Green and Dylan Cozens both had plenty to say afterward about the way Ottawa kept pushing, while Los Angeles was left with the kind of win that still raises questions about how quickly a game can slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Reign Return Home Facing A Big Lineup Test Against Tucson
A home back-to-back against Tucson comes at a useful time for the Ontario Reign, who are trying to steady themselves after consecutive road losses. The matchup also brings a different look to the lineup, with the Reign facing a Tucson team that has been sharp on special teams and has given opponents plenty to think about in all three zones.
Ontario will have to navigate that test without its leading goal scorer, who has been called up to the NHL, while Jared Wright is back with the club and expected to suit up. Erik Portillo is expected to get the start in goal, giving the Reign a chance to reset in front of their home crowd while sorting through a lineup that looks a little different than it did on the road. [Read more 🡒]