The Los Angeles Kings aren’t good on the road. That’s not a secret. It’s a mystery why they have such a wide disparity between home and away that hasn’t been solved yet. One mystery that HAS been solved (kind of) is their shooting woes. More specifically, their lack of offense. It’s not the system or the talent on the ice; most nights, most teams, this combination should be able to score more than one or two goals. The Kings, to this point, have mostly just been unlucky.
So it was a pleasant surprise to see that they managed to score four goals in a game. Perhaps this means their luck is turning around and they’ll start consistently scoring more frequently. If you want to see the Kings’ season in a nutshell, then look no further than Adrian Kempe’s shootout attempt in which he managed to lose the puck before he even got close to scoring. Hopefully this epitome of LA’s scoring woes has hit its peak. Don’t judge me.
Anyway, I didn’t watch last night’s game but here are some tweets from people who did.
Two good shifts with o-zone possession for the top line to begin the game. Have generated a few chances from the outside. Good start.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Pretty clean kill. Toffoli with a good stick in his own end, which created a partial breakaway down the left wing. https://t.co/Lxd01g0lxl
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Austin Wagner Tries, Succeeds!
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
Adrian Kempe sets up an alley-oop for Austin Wagner to give the LA Kings an early 1-0 lead 😎#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/3MGMN8UGo9
— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 15, 2019
No Goal – Correct call. Blueger’s stick was lodged underneath Quick’s right pad, which prevented him from pushing off properly to make the save. https://t.co/HcJbyJcfBC
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
2-0 LAK – Tyler Toffoli on the backhand from close range. Sean Walker drove in wide down the right wing, stopped behind the net and snuck a pass through to Toffoli.
Late goals are big…..Kings now lead by a pair late in the first.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Kings end the first period up 2-0 thanks to goals from Wagner and Toffoli. Pens thought they scored but it was called back for interference.
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
So far, so good! Spoiler alert: It went downhill from here. But then it went back uphill! And then ended kind of downhill again.
PIT Goal – Bryan Rust takes a pass as he cuts towards the slot and beats Quick with a wrist shot from between the hashmarks. LAK lead is now 2-1.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
No goals, but shots are quickly accumulating. LAK leading 8-1 in the second, 23-11 in the game. https://t.co/6Wduqfs9vb
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Penguins will have 1:31 of 5-on-3 time. Toffoli (holding) and Ryan (high-sticking) sit in quick succession late in the second period.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Unsurprisingly, the Kings do not come out of the 5 on 3 unscathed. Tie game.
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
WHY IS ADRIAN KEMPE FIGHTING SOMEONE
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
Lizotte is run from behind into the board, no call, and Kempe drops the gloves with Lafferty in the offensive zone.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
3-2 PIT, 10:34 left in the third. Rust’s pass deflects off of Roy’s skate and narrowly through Quick’s five hole. Puck sits in the crease and Blueger taps it in.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Anze Kopitar denied on his penalty shot, because we can’t have nice things.
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
And another Penguins goal.
That 2-0 start feels like a distant memory.
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
4-2 PIT. Jack Johnson forces a rebound on the glove side and swats it home on the backhand. Kings will now need a pair to tie, with 8:02 on the clock.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
My apologies for cursing this game and allowing a Jack Johnson goal but let’s all blame Jesse for creating the Moulson Index. It’s his fault and that’s why I cited it. So. Yeah. Curse you, Jesse shakes fist.
Kyle Clifford pulls one back and it’s 4-3 with five minutes even left. Jeff Carter wires one from the right-hand circle, which Jarry stops with the blocker, but Clifford fires home the rebound.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
4-3 Clifford(4)-ASST: Carter(5), Doughty(16): https://t.co/4fvDE3yzNz#LAKvsPIT #GoKingsGo #LAKings #Pens pic.twitter.com/i4TrD5io1D
— Eric (@Kingsgifs) December 15, 2019
Kings …. Tie it up???
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
I mean talk about a roller coaster. 4-4 and we head to OT. Kings led 2-0, trailed 4-2 and now tied 4-4.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
WOW. Absolutely filthy save from Quick in OT, and then another, to somehow, someway keep it out.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Quick stops Rust and Blueger: https://t.co/iNNHzRIW0N #LAKvsPIT #GoKingsGo #LAKings #Pens pic.twitter.com/6vTcusYH0r
— Eric (@Kingsgifs) December 15, 2019
This one’s headed to a shootout, folks
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
Kings with zero shots on goal in that OT period.
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
Pens win in the shootout. Kempe with the game literally on his stick and he loses control of the puck going to the net.
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 15, 2019
Kings fall 5-4 in the shootout. It’s not often you lose a two-goal lead, and comeback from a two-goal deficit in the same game.
Entertaining game, Kings now 1-0-1 on six-game road stretch.
— Zach Dooley (@ReignInsider) December 15, 2019
Kempe loses control of the puck: https://t.co/6D3Qu07JSs#LAKvsPIT #GoKingsGo #LAKings #Pens pic.twitter.com/Pwq1aBWV4d
— Eric (@Kingsgifs) December 15, 2019
Maybe their luck really is turning around, it’s just… slow. It’s not often that you can beat someone at the top of their game coming off a franchise-record shutout streak. The Kings salvaged a point after being down two and showed a resiliency that was often lacking in their game last season.