The Kings had their hands full with another tough task, this time against the Lightning in a tightly contested afternoon battle in Los Angeles. With super fans like Will Ferrell in the house, they looked to ring in the New Year on a high note. However, a third period collapse proved costly.
The Los Angeles Kings (16-14-9) played host to the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-13-3) in what proved to be a riveting New Year's Day clash. It seemed as if the Kings were going to manage to fend off one the Eastern conferences best. Until a late third period nightmare led to two points being squandered.
There aren't too many positive takeaways from a game that ends as poorly as tonight's game did, but there were a few standout moments. Corey Perry picked up three assists, Darcy Kuemper played a very solid 90% of this game, and most importantly, the LA power play managed to score not one, but two goals with the man advantage.
Fast Start
Things got off to a blistering start in Los Angeles with both the Kings and Lightning firing on all cylinders out of the gate. Both teams were given a power play opportunity early which factored heavily into the eventful beginning to the game.
Just under four minutes into the opening frame, the Lighting took the lead thanks to a Brayden Point goal on the man advantage. Kings captain Anze Kopitar was assessed a tripping penalty which led to Point's eighth goal of the season.
However, the Kings did not squander after falling behind quickly. Jeff Malott scored his third goal of the season to knot things up at 1-1. Thanks to an effective forecheck, Malott was able capitalize off of a Lightning giveaway caused by Corey Perry.
Shortly after evening the score, the Kings would take the lead on the power play after Lighting defender Max Crozier was sent to the box for holding. On the ensuing power play, Andrei Kuzmenko buried a loose puck off of a rebound past Jonas Johansson to give the Kings a 2-1 lead, which they would bring into the second period.
Kings' Doughty and Kuemper Named To Canada's Olympic RosterAfter months of speculation, Team Canada's Olympic roster was finally announced on Wednesday afternoon. Los Angeles Kings veterans Darcy Kuemper and Drew Doughty were given the honour to represent their country. Ugly Period Leads To Tie Game
After a positive opening two minutes the Kings failed to duplicate their effort in the middle frame. Tampa Bay outshot Los Angeles 7-1 in the second period, if not for Darcy Kuemper, the score could've looked a lot different heading into the third period.
Despite the ugly effort, it looked like the Kings were going to get out of the second period with the lead. That was until Point scored his second of the game to tie things up at 2-2.
On The Board Early In The Third
After a second period to forget, the Kings got back on track early in the third. Tampa Bay blue liner Darren Raddysh was sent to the box for cross checking just under a minute into the final frame.
It didn't take long for LA to capitalize on the man advantage as Kevin Fiala scored his 14th of the season off of a beautiful feed from Corey Perry who found Fiala off of the rush. Perry picked up his third assist of the game on the Kings 3-2 goal.
An Epic Collapse
It seemed as if Fiala's goal might be enough to fend off a dynamic Lighting squad as the Kings were outshooting their opponent 8-3 until the collapse began to take shape.
All the Kings had to do was hold on for dear life as they prepared for the inevitable Lightning storm coming their way. Unfortunately, it seemed to be too much for the Kings to handle. With just over 3 minutes remaining, Olympian Anthony Cirelli tied the game at 3-3 after winning a puck battle out front and beating Kuemper with a backhand shot.
A Franchise at an Impasse, a Pipeline with LeverageLOS ANGELES, CA — Whether you look at each pipeline asset or a current roster piece, there isn't a whole lot for the Los Angeles Kings to work with. There's an ongoing predicament with this franchise: where it's headed and what it has accomplished. Its current state is one of decay and ambivalence on whether a maligned focus and direction of schema and construction can break through when it matters most.
Not long after, the Lighting found the back of the net once again, this time giving them their first lead since way back in the first period. After entering the LA zone with speed, Tampa Bay forward Gage Concalves carried the puck towards the net, which didn't amount to a high danger chance. However, he did stay with the play and found the loose puck after some lucky bounces and tucked it into the open Kings net as Kuemper couldn't get over in time.
To add insult to injury, Nikita Kucherov scored an empty net goal with 45 seconds remaining, confirming the Kings shocking demise.
Final from LA.#GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/wUGPTsTx6e
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 2, 2026
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Category: General Sports
