The Kings couldn’t have drawn up a cleaner opening and still walked away with the same bitter finish. Alex Laferriere struck 31 seconds into the game, Los Angeles grabbed the first punch, and it still wasn’t enough in a 4-1 loss to the Bruins in Los Angeles.
That early goal came with Laferriere moved up to the first line alongside Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin, and the change seemed to click right away. Laferriere said, “Every time I play with [Kempe and Panarin] we have good energy and good chemistry,” said Laferriere. “Just trying to make it easy for those guys to play the game and just trying to find open ice.”
For a stretch, it looked like that combination had given the Kings exactly the spark they needed. The quick goal helped Los Angeles settle in, control the pace and keep the puck in the Bruins’ end through much of the first period.
But the game turned fast. Boston, despite entering the night with 108 penalty minutes, the most in the league, settled in and took over over the final two periods. The Kings, meanwhile, were undisciplined enough to spend more time in the box than the NHL’s most penalized team.
What started as a prime chance for Los Angeles - a 1-0 lead against a Bruins team on the second night of back-to-back games - ended in another loss that the Kings couldn’t afford. Coach Laviolette didn’t hide that frustration after the game.
“We got to take [the loss] with us and stew on it a little bit. It's certainly not where we want to be,” said Coach Laviolette.
“I thought the start was really good and on point and then as the second period rolled over it just seemed to tilt the other way. So we've got to be better.”
The defeat dropped the Kings to 0-6, making them the only team in the NHL without a win six games into the season. Now they head into a five-game road trip with little momentum to lean on.
Still, the first-line tweak offered at least one obvious takeaway: the Kings had a little more life from the opening puck drop. The challenge now is turning that into a full 60-minute performance instead of a hot first minute that disappears by the third period.
In Other News...
Kings Road Trip Suddenly Comes With A Zuccarello Decision
Mats Zuccarellos status is becoming a timely subplot as the Kings head out on a five-game road trip, because the winger is expected back from injury during the swing through Oct. 27. He has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury, leaving Los Angeles to manage its lineup without one of its more established options while the schedule keeps moving.
The question now is less about whether Zuccarello will return than when the Kings decide to activate him off injured reserve, and how that lines up with the rest of the trip. For a team trying to settle its forward rotation on the road, a mid-trip reinsertion can change the look of the lineup fast, even if the exact timing still has to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Early-Season Spiral Just Took Another Frustrating Turn
The early hole the Kings have dug only got deeper Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, where a 4-1 loss to the Bruins pushed Los Angeles to six straight defeats to open the 2026-27 season. Alex Laferriere gave the building a quick jolt with the games first goal, and for a while it looked like the Kings might at least steady themselves after a rough opening stretch.
Boston answered, though, and the game unraveled from there as the Bruins pulled away in the third period. Los Angeles continues to search for a first win and for any sign that this skid can be interrupted before it becomes an even bigger weight on an already frustrated start. [Read more 🡒]
Reign Let This One Slip And Fans Will Want To Hear Why
The Ontario Reign had enough work on their hands trying to keep pace with Henderson at Toyota Arena, and once the Silver Knights finally broke through early in the second period, the game tilted quickly. Joe Hicketts and Aatu Jmsen supplied the Reigns offense, while Hampton Slukynsky turned aside 22 shots in a loss that never really let Ontario settle in.
Joe Hicketts goal came in a much more unusual sequence, giving the Reign a brief spark when they needed it most, and Jmsen also found the net as Ontario tried to claw back into the night. But Henderson kept answering, and the late stages only added to the frustration as the Silver Knights put the result out of reach in a game the Reign will feel they let slip away. [Read more 🡒]