The LA Kings were unable to make a third-period lead stand up, as they fell by a 4-3 final score against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday evening at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles opened the scoring through the top line, which continued its positive momentum from Thursday’s win. After forward Artemi Panarin exited the zone with possession, he was able to work his way into the offensive zone and jar a loose puck free at the top of the right-hand circle. Forward Adrian Kempe collected it and fed forward Anze Kopitar at the back post for the goal, his seventh of the season, and a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Montreal tied the score early in the second period, as forward Jake Evans buried his third goal of the season. Evans’ shot from the outside found it way through traffic in front, past Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper and in. Los Angeles took its timeout following the goal, to consider a challenge for goaltender interference, but opted not to go that route, as the score became tied at one.
After a sustained period of possession by the Kings, Montreal scored against the grain to take its first lead of the game late in the middle stanza. Forward Juraj Slafkovsky made a really nice individual play, as he worked his way off the wall, split a pair of Kings defenders while protecting the puck before he buried his shot, high on the glove side, to put the visitors ahead 2-1 with his 22nd goal of the season.
Less than two minutes after going behind, Los Angeles battled back to tie the game heading into the second intermission. Forward Jared Wright used a burst of speed to win the race to a puck below the goal line, before he made a nifty feed to the newest member of the Kings, Scott Laughton. Laughton spun and fired a heads-up shot to beat Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes along the ice for his first goal with the Kings, equalizing the score 2-2.
The Kings pulled back in front just shy of seven minutes into the third period, as they converted off of an offensive-zone faceoff win. Forward Trevor Moore worked the puck back to defenseman Brandt Clarke at the left point and after his shot was kept out, forward Alex Laferriere got on the end of the rebound and buried it for his 16th goal of the season, putting the hosts ahead 3-2.
With the Kings seemingly in control of the game, a span of 49 seconds turned a 3-2 lead into a 4-3 deficit, which Los Angeles was unable to come back from.
First, the Canadiens capitalized on the power play, after a Trevor Moore slashing minor put the Kings shorthanded. Slafkovsky was the goalscorer, his second of the game, to knot the score at three. The Montreal top line cashed in on the next shift, with forward Nick Suzuki burying a one-timer from the left side, off a Slafkovsky assist, to put the visitors ahead by a goal, a lead they would not surrender.
Hear from Laughton, Laferriere and Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith following tonight’s defeat.
