After a very successful 4-0-1 road trip, the Los Angeles Kings welcomed the Detroit Red Wings for their first home game in 12 days. The Red Wings were looking for their third straight win, while the Kings were hoping to get their first home win of the season.
Marco Kasper and a dominant performance from the Red Wings’ special teams as they went 2/3 on the power play and 3/3 on the penalty kill led them to a 3-1 victory over the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday evening.
Summary of the game
Despite having one of their best starts of the season, making more than two-thirds the number of shots they had in the last game against the San Jose Sharks, the Kings couldn’t find the back of the net at all in the first game. Both teams remained scoreless.
The Kings kept the pace high to start the second, along with the Red Wings, who seemed to have found their legs, resulting in plenty of quality chances for both sides.
Alex Laferriere, who had multiple short chances in 12 games, finally got one going, opening the scoring on the Red Wings’ first power play midway through a second period in which both teams traded chances.
Seconds later, on the same power-play opportunity, Alex DeBrincat tied things up with a vintage one-timer from the left circle.
The power play goals continued for the Red Wings, with Marco Kasper tapping in a shot from rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka just over three minutes after DeBrincat’s equalizer to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.
The third was more of the same, with both teams creating chances. Kasper scored his second goal of the game in the bottom of the third period on a sweet tic-tac-toe play, increasing the Red Wings’ lead by two.
The Kings had their chances in the third, with two chances to tie the game on the power play, which also included 10 seconds of a 5-on-3, but they couldn’t find the back of the net.
With less than three minutes left in the third period, the Kings did what they’ve done a few times this season: They scored multiple goals. Corey Perry sparked the comeback with his fourth goal in six games. Less than a minute later it was Quinton Byfield’s turn, who ripped one from the slot past ex-Kings goaltender Cam Talbot to tie the game at three apiece.
In a situation the Kings have found themselves in more times than any other team in the league, both teams were headed to overtime. The Kings got their fourth power play opportunity of the night with just three minutes left in overtime. Kevin Fiala thought he was playing a hero with a clever play in front of the net, but it was called back due to goalkeeper interference.
Lucas Raymond scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Red Wings their third straight victory minutes after they thought they had lost in overtime.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Red Wings as they take on the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow, while the Kings will wait to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in search of their first win on home court.
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