Game Thread – Kings @ Vegas Golden Knights, 9/25

Los Angeles Kings 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2
3:16 Left, Third Period
Game Preview
VIDEO: NHL Network
AUDIO: ESPN LA 710, ESPN LA App, LA Kings App
SOG: LAK – 27 VGK – 20
PP: LAK – 1/3 VGK – 0/3

Third Period
20:00 – Kings are back underway in the third period, with 1:38 left to kill on Turcotte’s minor. 3-1 LAK/
19:59 – Carter George is in net for the Kings to begin the third period. George making his second appearance of the exhibition season, after playing the third period and overtime on Monday in Utah. Darcy Kuemper finishes with 11 saves on 12 shots in his preseason debut. Relatively standard for Kuemper tonight.
18:32 – Holtz to the box for Vegas, evening the sides up at 4-on-4, before LAK will head to the power play for the third time tonight.
17:35 – Kings called for too-many players on the ice.
15:35 – Everything is squared up after three partial PP chances. Not a ton of offense either way there, but one terrific 1-on-1 defensive play by Jordan Spence to prevent a look.
14:54 – VGK Goal – Golden Knights get one back early in the third period. Kings with a turnover through the middle of the ice and Tanner Luczynski gets his first goal and second point of the game.
13:47 – Jeannot now goes to the box and the Golden Knights will get their third power-play chance of the game, now trailing by just a goal.
11:47 – Textbook kill from the Kings. Had more offensive zone time than Vegas did. Byfield with two separate shifts within the two minutes. Nice job by Andre Lee as well to disrupt and rag additional time off the clock.
8:50 – It’s preseason, so mistakes do happen, but Kings have been a little bit fast and loose up the middle of their own zone at times. Area to clean up and one I’ll ask Jim Hiller about after the game.
4:04 – Carter George holding strong against the heaviest pressure the Kings have conceded in this game so far. Shots now a bit closer at 26-20 with the final media timeout in sight.
3:16 – That’s some Tanner Jeannot hockey. Right to the net, couple of small whacks at a mostly covered puck. Starts a scrum in front. Kind of what you want from him.

Second Period
20:00 – Back at it for the middle stanza. Kings lead 2-0 as we get back underway.
17:24 – VGK Goal – Noah Hanifin gets the hosts on the board. Kings get caught with four players below the puck in the offensive zone and Vegas converts in transition. Puck movement effective off the rush to free up Hanifin, who was the open man. 2-1.
14:47 – Byfield is a monster man. Just the little plays he makes, in tight situations. The size/speed combo is obvious but he has the touch to match it. Ceiling is so high there in my opinion.
11:50 – LAK Goal – Foe-GOAL! Outstanding move from Kevin Fiala through the slot to create open space and Foegele finishes the play from the top of the crease. Lots of encouraging shifts from those three guys tonight, with Byfield at center. 3-1 Kings.
9:32 – It’s early days yet, but the Fiala/Byfield/Foegele line seems to be flowing as desired so far. That’s really encouraging. The potential of that line offensively is sky high and all three work hard enough to commit defensively. Again, it’s 30 minutes of preseason. But so far, so good.
8:35 – Really had not seen Darcy Kuemper tested through 30+ minutes tonight but his first Grade-A chance that wasn’t the Hanifin goal is a good read. Goes well from left-to-right to deny Alexander Holtz at the back post.
5:30 – Excellent defensive play by Mikey Anderson. As the defenseman back 2-on-1, Anderson defended the cross-ice pass, directed Trevor Moore to pick up the puck carrier and broke up the play with no harm. Good stuff from 44.
5:13 – Matching minors for Burroughs and Brisson after a skirmish in the corner. Little 4-on-4 action late in the second period.
2:45 – Jared Woolley was playing Junior B hockey in Canada less than 12 months ago. Tonight, he’s out there 4-on-4 against NHL forwards. Couple of sneaky-smooth plays with the puck too. Good for him. 18-years-old. Long development curve, long way to go, but there’s a lot there to work with.
0:23 – First PK of the night for the Kings late in the second. Turcotte for cross checking. Will see a few of the pairings we saw in practice over the weekend for the first time in game action.
0:04 – Kuemper makes a save on the PK but the rebound falls into the slot, where it’s fired off the post and out of play.
0:00 – 3-1 Kings after 40 minutes. LAK will have 1:38 left on the PK to begin the third period.

First Period
20:00 – Kings and Golden Knights are underway in Vegas!
15:41 – Good instincts early from Jordan Spence. Ultimately, it’s a small play that resulted in a shot on goal, not a goal. But, in a situation he could have dumped the puck, he showed poise and made a play to Warren Foegele, who moved it to Gavrikov crashing through the slot. More pucks to the middle is an emphasis. Liked that early sequence.
13:32 – Little bit of havoc on the forecheck from Phillip Danault. Held up the puck nicely to find a trailing Trevor Moore, but a sprawling pokecheck broke up the play. Nearly worked another turnover seconds later by staying on the hunt. Perhaps something we’ll see more of in the 1-2-2 this season.
10:00 – Halfway. through the period and to be honest, hard to focus much on the action. Drew Doughty had an awkward collision into the boards with former Kings forward Tanner Pearson and was helped off the ice by Mikey Anderson and a member of the team’s training staff. Straight down the tunnel.
7:19 – Kings will get the game’s first power play. Holtz sits for the hosts. Spence – Byfield – Gawdin – Moore – Danault is the starting unit for the Kings.
5:29 – LAK Goal – Laferreire opens the scoring. Great work by Turcotte in front, won a battle at the top of the crease and fed Laferriere at the back post for the tap-in goal. Good move by Fiala to feed it there. 1-0 Kings
5:01 – Two goals in 28 seconds! This time it’s Jeannot, who beats Samsonov clean with a wrister from the top of the right-hand circle. Saw that on the Nashville highlight reel a few times. 2-0 Kings.
2:35 – Kings head back to the power play, with Brisson sitting now for Vegas.
0:00 – 2-0 Kings after 20 minutes. Shots on goal were 15-2. All good on that front. Concern is obviously with Drew Doughty, who will not return tonight with a lower-body injury.

Today’s Kings Lineup –

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

Moore – Danault – Jeannot
Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
Lee – Turcotte – Laferriere
Jamsen – Gawdin – Madden

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Woolley – Burroughs

Kuemper
George

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) September 26, 2024