The Kings left San Jose with a point, but not the one they needed.
Los Angeles pushed the Sharks to overtime after erasing a two-goal deficit in the third period, yet Igor Chernyshov ended it for San Jose with his second goal of the night, a 5-4 overtime winner that sent the Kings home still searching for their first victory.
For much of the night, the story was the same old tension between a lively offense and a defense that couldn’t quite hold up. The Kings got goals from four different players - Brandt Clarke, Erik Haula, Artemi Panarin and Quinton Byfield - and their comeback gave them a real chance to steal the game. But even with the attack finally looking dangerous, the back end and the goaltending gave too much away.
LA opened the scoring early when Panarin set up Kempe for the team’s first power-play goal of the season at 4:10, good for a 1-0 lead and a quick jolt of confidence. From there, the Kings had stretches that looked encouraging offensively, especially with the Kempe-Byfield-Panarin line driving play, but the issues that have followed them through the first two games kept showing up.
Anton Forsberg got the start in place of Darcy Kuemper and made 20 saves on 25 shots, but the Kings needed more than a steady night. They needed a swing save, the kind that changes the feel of a game.
It never came. San Jose struck three times in the second period, including back-to-back rush goals that exposed a problem LA has already had to deal with early this season.
Still, the Kings refused to fold. Byfield hammered home a huge goal with 1.2 seconds left in the second period, trimming the deficit to one and giving the visitors life heading into the third.
Then came the push. After Chernyshov put the Sharks back in front by two, Haula and Panarin answered in quick succession to tie it 4-4 and force overtime at SAP Center.
Haula’s goal was his first as a King, another sign that he’s settling into the offense quickly. Panarin also finished with a strong night, and the overall look of the attack was far better than it had been in the opener against Colorado, when LA was buried in an eight-goal game.
That improvement, though, didn’t erase the bigger concern. The Kings have now joined five Western Conference teams still winless, and while starting the season with two road games is never easy, the margin for error is already thin. Peter Laviolette is still sorting things out, but the clock starts ticking fast when the defense and goaltending keep leaving the offense to chase games.
The Kings were the better team by the numbers and by the eye test for long stretches, even in overtime. They just couldn’t finish the job.
Now they head home for their opener on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers at 7:00 P.M. PT, looking for win No. 1 in front of their own crowd.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Have A New Reign Problem To Worry About
The Ontario Reigns latest meeting with Coachella Valley turned into a rough night at Toyota Arena, as the Firebirds pulled away for a 6-2 win. Ontario had managed to stay level after the first period, getting goals from Koehn Ziemmer and Jared Wright, but the game shifted once the middle frame settled in and the Firebirds began to control the pace.
For Kings fans keeping an eye on the organizations pipeline, it was the kind of result that cuts deeper than a single loss. Coachella Valley found extra offense from Jani Nyman and Jagger Firkus, and Ontario never found a way to answer once the game opened up, leaving another reminder that the Reign still have some work to do before the season gets where they want it. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Showed Fight But A Familiar Problem Ruined It Again
The Kings at least gave themselves a chance, clawing back from a two-goal deficit in the third period before falling 5-4 to the Sharks in overtime. Adrian Kempe got Los Angeles going, and the power play did its part as the team showed enough push to turn a lopsided night into a live one, even if the overall effort still carried the same defensive edges that have cost them before.
Anton Forsbergs season debut in goal added another layer to a messy result, with the Kings needing steadier play behind their comeback attempt. Instead, San Jose found just enough offense to keep the pressure on, and the game ended with the kind of familiar frustration that tends to linger when a team can rally but cannot quite close the door. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Young Core Just Showed Florida A Problem That Wont Quit
The Kings had the kind of game that usually ends with points in hand, and instead they watched San Jose leave with another overtime victory. Los Angeles spent much of the night in control, only to see the Sharks hang around, get a big night from Igor Chernyshov and turn a two-goal lead into a one-goal finish before the third period slipped away.
For the Kings, it was a familiar kind of frustration against a team that refused to fold. San Jose was outplayed for stretches, but the Sharks kept finding enough answers to stay in it, and their young core again gave them the sort of push that can make an opponent pay for even a brief lapse. For Los Angeles, the lesson was less about the standings than the missed chance to close out a game it had already seemed to solve. [Read more 🡒]