Adrian Kempe scores overtime winner in Kings’ 2-1 win over Blues – The Hockey Writers Los Angeles Kings Latest news, analysis and more

The St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings played their first game of the season on Tuesday evening. After a hard-fought battle, the Kings emerged victorious over the Blues 2-1 in extra time. Let’s recap how the game unfolded during this intense confrontation.

First period

The match started quietly, with few scoring opportunities. Both teams ran a power play, but scored no goals. The period ended with a men’s shot total of 10-5.

Second Period

The second period was more action-packed. Blues defenseman Justin Faulk turned the puck over on a bad pass, which was intercepted by Kings forward Adrian Kempe, who assisted Alex Laferriere, who scored on a breakaway with the 18:13 mark, making the score 1–0 Kings.

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More action took place in the second period. With about 6:12 left in the period, Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker dropped the gloves on Kings defenseman Jeff Malott, sending them both to the penalty box for five minutes for fighting. Nevertheless, the period afterwards ended without further goals and the shot count at the end was 9-3 Kings.

Third Period

Entering the third period, the Blues earned their third power play of the game, and it helped when Faulk ripped a shot past Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper for a power play goal on a pass from Robert Thomas (primary assist) and Jordan Kyrou (secondary assist) to tie the game 1–1.

After that, there were no more goals from either team and extra time went into. Shots at the end of the third were 10-7 Blues.

Overtime

The Blues jumped out quickly from the moment the puck dropped in overtime. Pavel Buchnevich had an open escape opportunity, but missed. Then Buchnevich was awarded a hooking penalty, giving the Kings a four-on-three lead. The Kings used the power play and Adrian Kempe scored the winning goal in extra time on a one-time pass from Andrei Kuzmenko for the 2-1 final score. Kevin Fiala was credited with the secondary assist. The final shot total for the match was 21-18, Kings.

The Kings now hold the lead in the season series against the Blues, and they meet again on Jan. 24 in St. Louis. This is the Blues’ first loss of the season, moving them to a 3-2-1 record while the Kings move to 2-3-2.