The LA Kings began the 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff with an 8-5 defeat against the San Jose Sharks in a game played at the Anaheim Ducks practice facility in Irvine, CA.
The start to the game for the Kings couldn't have gone much better, as they found the back of the net four times in the opening period to open up a 4-0 advantage.
It took the Kings just 15 seconds to open the scoring, as they found the back of the net on the first shift of the game. Off a neutral-zone turnover, forward Koehn Ziemmer worked his way down the right wing, into the offensive zone, and his centering feed to Kenny Connors deflected off a San Jose player and in for the first Kings goal of the tournament and an early 1-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, the Kings doubled their lead through defenseman Parker Berge. The Kings moved the puck nicely in transition, with forwards Jack Hughes and Jan Chovan connecting to gain the offensive zone with possession. Chovan delayed, with puck possession, and fed Berge through the slot, where the blueliner wired a one-timer past San Jose goaltender Matt Davis and in for a two-goal advantage.
Just shy of the halfway mark in the first period, defenseman Kirill Kirsanov made it 3-0 Kings. Forward Kaleb Lawrence won a faceoff in the offensive zone, back to Kirsanov at the left point. From just outside the top of the circle, Kirsanov fired a low shot through traffic, inside the far post and in for a goal in his Rookie Faceoff debut, putting the Kings ahead by three goals.
Hughes was involved again on the fourth goal, as he connected with forward Kenta Isogai to put the Kings up 4-0 after 20 minutes of play. Hughes took the puck to the net down the left wing and was denied on his move across the crease, as well as on a follow-up attempt, but Isogai crashed the net for the rebound and worked it just across the goal line for his first goal of the tournament, with Hughes collecting his second assist in the process.
Midway through the second period, the Kings made a goaltending change, ending Isaiah Saville’s afternoon. Saville made 11 saves on 11 shots, including a dazzling left-pad save early in the middle stanza.
San Jose got on the board twice in a span of just 23 seconds, turning a 4-0 game into a 4-2 game. Kasper Halttunen and Filip Bystedt were the goalscorers for the Sharks. Halttunen scored a power-play goal, finishing a back-door feed past new Kings goaltender Mattias Sholl. Bystedt buried on a 2-on-1 rush, scoring at the left post to make it a two-goal game midway through the second period.
The Sharks made it 4-3 with just 2.7 seconds remaining in the second period. With bodies flying and lots of chaos in front of the Kings net, the puck kicked out to defenseman Sam Dickinson at the right point. The 2024 11th overall draft pick fired through traffic, into the top corner and in to pull the Sharks within a goal at the intermission.
The third period was just about all San Jose, as the Sharks completed the comeback to win the game.
Forward Collin Graf scored twice in short succession, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead. First, Dickinson played facilitator early in the third period, as he fed forward Collin Graf at the back post for the game-tying goal. Less than two minutes later, Graf worked his way around the top of the circles, into the slot and fired through traffic, beating Sholl to put the Sharks ahead by a goal midway through the third period.
The teams then traded goals, as 5-4 became 6-5 San Jose opened up a two-goal lead with 8:04 remaining in the game with first-round picks Quentin Musty and Michael Misa combining off a 2-on-1 rush. Misa was the goalscorer at the back post, finishing off the play. With just over four minutes to platy in regulation, forward Aatu Jamsen put home an Otto Salin rebound to pull the Kings back to within a goal, Jamsen's first of the tournament.
The Sharks capped off the scoring with goals from Mattias Havelid and Carson Wetsch, with the latter going into the empty net, bringing us to the final score of 8-5.
Hear from forward Ziemmer, Saville, forward Liam Greentree, defenseman Henry Brzustewicz,and Head Coach Andrew Lord after the game.
