A third period rally came up short for the LA Kings (15-12-9) Wednesday night, as they fell to the Seattle Kraken (15-14-6) by a final score of 3-2 at Crypto.com Arena in the final game before the NHL’s late-December holiday break.
Kings goals came from Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko, but both came after the team was already in a three-goal hole after allowing all of Seattle’s tallies during the second period. Goaltender Pheonix Copley, who was making his first NHL start of the 2025-26 season, stopped 25 shots in a losing effort for LA, who out-shot the Kraken 38-28 in the contest.
The two teams held each other off the scoreboard during the first 20 minutes, but one of the most eventful plays of the frame came with 31 seconds left when Brian Dumoulin was called for tripping. During the first segment of that Kraken power play, Copley stretched out to make his best save of the night, keeping the game scoreless.
But Seattle was able to make the power play count at 1:10 of the second when Jordan Eberle found himself wide open in front of the net and lifted the puck over Copley to give the Kraken a 1-0 lead.
Seattle added on at 7:26 of the middle period, scoring off an awkward play that saw the puck get deflected into the air. Copley came out to play it, but it slipped through the glove and then trickled through his legs and into the net. The fortunate bounce for the Kraken gave them a 2-0 advantage, with Frederick Gaudreau receiving credit for the goal.
The lead then stretched to 3-0 at 16:02 of the second when the Kraken finished off a 2-on-1 rush with a wrist shot by Ben Meyers that slipped past Copley.
11 seconds after Meyers’ goal, Fiala got LA back within two, scoring his 13th of the year unassisted on a backhand deke in front which then saw him roof the puck up high to make it a 3-1 game.
The Kings had a late chance to get closer when they got their first power play of the game in the closing minutes of the period and set up Armia for a quality look in the slot, but it was denied by Kraken netminder Joey Daccord.
Kuzmenko netted the only goal of the third at 8:45 by skating deep into the offensive zone on a rush before wrapping the puck into the net from behind the cage off Daccord's skate. The tally made it a one-goal game and was Kuzmenko’s fourth strike in his last seven contests and seventh overall on the year.
LA was unable to get any closer, however, despite a great look in the final seconds with the net empty at the other end of the ice. Kevin Fiala had the puck on his stick and blasted it to the goal, but it hit off the crossbar and stayed out.
Seattle had the lone power play goal in the contest, going 1-for-2, while the Kings ended the game at 0-for-3 on the man-advantage. Daccord picked up the win after stopping 36 shots in the Kraken’s victory.
Hear from forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Kevin Fiala, and Head Coach Jim Hiller after tonight’s game.
