Overtime woes continue as Kings fall to Flyers, 4-3
Brady Charette
Host · Writer
With a chance to build on a strong road trip and gain precious ground in a crowded Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings failed to capitalize, losing 4-3 in shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers at Crypto.com Arena.
On a night where Los Angeles honored their captain Anze Kopitar in his first home game since becoming the all-time franchise leader in points, the Kings were presented with a golden opportunity to capture two points and climb the standings following losses by Vegas, Seattle, San Jose and Edmonton.
Trevor Moore helped Byfield open the scoring with a perfect pass to Quinton Byfield, who buried his 14th goal of the season. The 30-year-old left winger captured his 21st point of the season in another tough loss for a Kings squad desperately searching for consistency.
“We just have to find a way to string some wins together and get some confidence," Moore said.
After taking a 1-0 lead on Byfield’s score, Philadelphia found itself trailing for an NHL-leading 46th time this season. The Flyers didn’t trail for long as they opened the middle frame strong, sending three shots to the back of the net with goals from Travis Konecny, Noah Cates and Travis Sanheim.
Kopitar tapped in his 11th goal of the season, giving him nine points in his last nine games.
For the first time since interim head coach D.J. Smith took over the duties behind the bench, Los Angeles failed to out-hit the opposition – losing that battle 20-18. Philadelphia’s aggressiveness was on full display, playing like a team in desperate need of two points as the regular season winds down.
Adrian Kempe returned to the lineup after missing Monday’s win over the New York Rangers. The team-leader in points detailed what led to Los Angeles’ 23rd loss at home this season.
“We gave up too many odd-man rushes tonight and that created too much momentum for them," Kempe said.
While it was a night of celebration for the 20-year veteran in Kopitar, another veteran on the ice for Los Angeles made his presence felt. Artemi Panarin, the 34-year-old fresh off defeating the team that traded him to Los Angeles, notched a special teams goal on the fourth power-play opportunity of the night – tying the game at three with 9:32 remaining in the third period.
The goal swung momentum back in Los Angeles’ favor, capping off a persistent push after multiple missed opportunities earlier in the game. With the game tightening and both sides trading chances down the stretch, neither team was able to break through in regulation.
For the 26th time this season, sixty minutes would not be enough to decide the game for Los Angeles.
Despite each team putting shots on goal, neither team could close it out in overtime – marking the 11th shootout of the season for the Kings. Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov made quick work of LA in shootout, sending two shots past Kuemper and securing a monumental win on the road for a Flyers team sitting six points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Kings look to rebound as they close out the quick two-game home stand with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the red-hot Buffalo Sabres. Puck drop set for 1 p.m.
