Kings' comeback falls short as Sharks prevail in overtime

SAN JOSE — The Los Angeles Kings set an NHL record last season with 33 of their 82 games reaching overtime — a grueling, rollercoaster campaign that ultimately ended in a fifth straight first-round exit.

History has a funny way of repeating itself. 

And it did Saturday evening in San Jose, as the Kings rallied from a two-goal third-period deficit to force overtime at SAP Center, but LA failed to secure two points and the win in a back-and-forth battle, falling to the Sharks, 5-4.

Looking to rebound from an 8-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Wednesday's season opener, Los Angeles started its first divisional matchup of the season strong. Adrian Kempe, last season’s team leader in points, struck first on the power play — slamming home a one-timer off a feed from Artemi Panarin to give the Kings an early 1-0 lead. 

The 30-year-old's opening goal provided an instant spark for a Los Angeles power play that struggled in Wednesday’s season opener, going 0-for-4 after finishing 28th in the NHL last season at just 17.0%.

Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Oct 3, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) scores a goal against San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose.

However, the Kings' early momentum vanished in the second period. San Jose responded with three unanswered goals, anchored by a man-advantage strike from Tyler Toffoli off a pass from 19-year-old rookie Ivar Stenberg, who picked up his first career NHL point. Kiefer Sherwood and Nolan Allan followed suit, each beating Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg to stretch the Sharks' lead to 3-1.

Los Angeles answered back in the final moments of the frame after Macklin Celebrini was sent to the box for slashing Artemi Panarin. Taking advantage of the penalty, Quinton Byfield fired a wrist shot home from the faceoff dot with just 1.3 seconds left on the clock, cutting the deficit to 3-2 heading into the second intermission.

The Kings maintained that offensive pressure to start the third, but Igor Chernyshov split two Los Angeles defenders before tucking a backhanded shot past Forsberg on a breakaway, extending San Jose's cushion to 4-2.

Trailing late by multiple goals on the road, Los Angeles refused to quit. 

Erik Haula tallied his first goal in the Silver and Black to pull the Kings within one, before Panarin ripped a one-timer past San Jose netminder Yaroslav Askarov to tie the game at 4-4 with five minutes remaining in regulation.

60 minutes wouldn't be enough to settle the divisional battle in Northern California. With under two minutes remaining in the extra frame, Chernyshov struck again, beating Forsberg low to the weak side for his second goal of the night — clinching San Jose's second straight overtime victory.

Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Oct 3, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks left wing Kiefer Sherwood (44) celebrates with defenseman Michael Kesselring (7), center Macklin Celebrini (71) and forward Igor Chernyshov (92) after the game-winning goal scored against the Los Angeles Kings during the overtime period at SAP Center at San Jose.

Despite holding the edge in shots (35-25), faceoff percentage (53.1%), and power-play efficiency (2-for-2), a three-goal second-period surge by San Jose ultimately proved to be too much for Los Angeles to overcome.

Forsberg made his season debut between the pipes for Los Angeles after taking over down the stretch and starting all four playoff games against Colorado. The 33-year-old goalie struggled after the first period, allowing five goals on 25 shots — a total he surrendered just four times across 31 starts a year ago.

While the top power-play unit showed encouraging signs, defensive-zone play and goaltending remain glaring points of emphasis for first-year head coach Peter Laviolette as he searches for his first victory behind the Kings' bench.

Laviolette and company will look to break into the win column Tuesday night when they host the Florida Panthers at Crypto.com Arena — the first of 42 games in front of the Los Angeles faithful.