Golden Knights Blitz Kings Early, Send L.A. Into Olympic Break Reeling
The Los Angeles Kings couldn’t stop the bleeding early in Saturday night’s matchup at T-Mobile Arena, surrendering four goals in a first-period blitz that set the tone for a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s the third straight defeat for the Kings, who now limp into the Olympic break sitting three points out of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
For Vegas, the win was a statement. The Pacific Division leaders wasted no time asserting control, and once they did, they never let go.
After a quiet opening eight minutes, the Golden Knights exploded. Jack Eichel got the party started, and then it snowballed-Mark Stone, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Mitch Marner all found the back of the net in a five-and-a-half-minute stretch that stunned the Kings and lit up the Vegas crowd. It was a masterclass in offensive execution, with Vegas showing off the kind of depth and chemistry that makes them such a dangerous postseason threat.
The Kings managed to stop the bleeding-at least temporarily-thanks to Trevor Moore, who buried his seventh goal of the season at the 15:03 mark of the first. It was his first point since January 24, and while it didn’t spark a comeback, it did provide a silver lining in an otherwise frustrating night.
That goal also carried some history. Anze Kopitar picked up the primary assist, his 16th of the season and the 1,300th point of his illustrious career.
That puts him in rarefied air-just the 39th player in NHL history to hit that milestone, and only the eighth born outside North America. It’s a testament to his consistency, leadership, and longevity in a league that doesn’t hand out milestones easily.
Still, outside of Moore’s tally and Kopitar’s milestone, the Kings had little to celebrate. Adin Hill was rock solid in net for Vegas, turning away 32 shots to earn the 100th win of his career. It was also his first victory over the Kings in a Golden Knights sweater-a small personal milestone that came in a big performance.
On the other end, Anton Forsberg had another rough outing in Vegas. He dropped to 9-7-5 on the season and has now given up nine goals in two road starts against the Golden Knights this year.
Those two games represent two of his three worst outings in terms of goals allowed this season, and the trend is hard to ignore. Vegas seems to have his number.
The Kings also had a scare late in the first when Andrei Kuzmenko took a redirected puck to the face. He left the ice in visible pain, but to his credit, returned midway through the second period. While the Kings will be relieved he avoided serious injury, it was another sign of the physical toll this game took on a team that already looked out of sync.
Notably absent from the lineup was Artemi Panarin, the Kings’ recent blockbuster trade acquisition. He’s not expected to debut until after the Olympic break, with his first practice scheduled for February 18. The Kings are hoping his arrival can inject some much-needed offensive spark as they gear up for a critical second-half push.
In the meantime, five Kings players will be headed to Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Joel Armia (Finland), Adrian Kempe (Sweden), Kevin Fiala (Switzerland), Drew Doughty (Canada), and Darcy Kuemper (Canada) will all represent their countries on the international stage. It’s a well-earned honor for each of them-and a chance to reset before the NHL grind picks back up.
The Kings will return to action on Wednesday, February 25, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. They’ll face the Golden Knights again-this time at Crypto.com Arena-in the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between the two teams. If Saturday’s result is any indication, Los Angeles will need to come back from the break sharper, tougher, and more cohesive if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.