The LA Kings continued their strong run on the road, improving to 3-1-0 on their current trip with a hard-fought 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena. This one had a little bit of everything-early offense, special teams drama, and an overtime dagger that silenced the home crowd.
It didn’t take long for the Kings to get rolling. Just over three minutes in, they turned a clean offensive-zone faceoff win into the game’s opening goal.
Alex Laferriere won the draw back to Drew Doughty at the point, and from there, chaos ensued in front of the net. Doughty’s shot pinballed off a couple of sticks-Laferriere and Corey Perry both getting touches-before Adrian Kempe cleaned it up and buried it.
That goal extended Kempe’s point streak to six games, and the Kings had an early 1-0 edge.
Kempe wasn’t done. A little over four minutes later, he struck again-this time from the slot, and with authority.
The play started with Kempe dumping the puck below the goal line. Laferriere battled to poke it loose to Perry, who quickly zipped it back out front.
Kempe didn’t hesitate, rifling home his 20th of the season for a 2-0 Kings lead. That gave Kempe his second multi-goal game of the year, while Perry picked up his second multi-assist outing.
But the Flyers weren’t going quietly.
Just 59 seconds into the second period, Philadelphia capitalized on a carryover power play from a late first-period Drew Doughty cross-checking penalty. Bobby Brink set things in motion with a slick feed to Trevor Zegras, who was parked in front and finished from close range. That was Zegras’ 20th of the season, and it cut the Kings' lead to 2-1.
Then came the early third-period gut punch. Just 25 seconds into the final frame, the Flyers struck again-this time off a point shot from Rasmus Ristolainen.
Nikita Grebenkin worked the puck up high, and Ristolainen let it fly. The puck appeared to deflect off Anze Kopitar in front and slipped past Darcy Kuemper, tying things up at 2-2.
From there, it was a grind. Both teams had chances, but neither could break through in regulation.
That set the stage for Quinton Byfield to play hero in overtime-and he delivered. Off the rush, Kempe fed Byfield on the right wing, and the big forward did the rest.
He drove hard, kept the puck, and snapped a shot past Dan Vladar on the blocker side. It was Byfield’s 10th of the season, and it sealed two big points for the Kings.
This was the kind of win that shows the Kings' offensive depth and resilience. Kempe continued his hot streak, Perry added a pair of helpers, and Byfield stepped up in the clutch. And while the Flyers made it interesting, the Kings found a way-again.