The LA Kings were unable to build on Wednesday's victory, as they dropped a 5-2 decision on Saturday evening against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Crypto.com. Arena.
The Penguins got the scoring started inside the game’s first two minutes, as forward Tommy Novak buried his sixth goal of the season. Defenseman Declan Carlisle took a pass from his defensive partner, Kris Letang, and got a shot through from the left point, which was blocked down in front. Novak was first to the rebound, spun onto his forehand and put home the game-opening goal for a 1-0 Penguins lead.
Novak doubled the tally – both for himself and the Penguins - just over five minutes into the opening period, as he buried his second rebound goal of the evening. Forward Ben Kindel forced a turnover at his own blueline and led the rush the other way. Kindel’s shot was stopped by Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, but Novak followed up to bury the rebound, putting the visitors ahead 2-0.
After the second goal against, Head Coach Peter Laviolette called his timeout and the Kings responded with a better stretch.
Los Angeles got on the board just shy of 10 minutes into the game, as forward Corey Perry scored his second goal of the homestand. Forward Artemi Panarin fed defenseman Mikey Anderson at the center point and after his shot went off the glass behind the net, it deflected back of the crossbar, right in front, where Perry used great hand-eye coordination to knock it in, pulling the hosts within 2-1.
Pittsburgh restored its two-goal advantage just before the intermission, however, to take a 3-1 lead through 20 minutes of play. Skating on the power play, forward Ville Koivunen fed forward Egor Chinakhov in the left-hand circle, where the Russian winger wristed a shot off the post, off the backbar and in. The play was initially not ruled a goal on the ice but was correctly changed following video review.
After successfully killing a penalty early in the second period, the Kings answered with a power-play goal to pull within 3-2. Los Angeles used a simple formula, as forward Adrian Kempe found forward Alex Laferriere in the right-hand circle. Laferriere was a willing shooter and his shot deflected off a Pittsburgh skate, pass Penguins goaltender Sergei Mursahov and in for his third goal of the season, as the hosts pulled back to one goal down.
The Kings thought they tied the game late in the second period, but what would have been Laferriere’s second tally of the night was disallowed after a successful coaches challenge by the Penguins.
Pittsburgh then capitalized on a Kings turnover to make it a 4-2 game at the second intermission. Los Angeles forward Joel Armia turned the puck over in his own zone and two passes later, forward Evgeni Malkin hammed a one-timer from the right-hand circle, off of forward Sidney Crosby and in, Crosby’s seventh goal of the season, giving the visitors a two-goal advantage through 40 minutes.
After neither team found the back of the net for the bulk of the third period, Crosby picked the empty net with 1:14 remaining, sealing a 5-2 Pittsburgh victory.
Hear from Laferriere, Anderson and Head Coach Peter Laviolette after tonight’s game.
