Angeles Analysis – Taller Roller Coaster Than The New York, New York

Last March, the Kings played a back-to-back, home first, Vegas second and we got to Vegas before midnight. Quick walk to the New York, New York and hopped right on the roller coaster. Pretty fun, actually.

We didn’t get there early enough to ride it this time around but it turns out we didn’t need to. The game took care of the sensation.

I walked out of there feeling like the Kings just took a 1-0 series lead in the playoffs and it’s October 8. It was a freakin’ awesome game when you look at the 65 minutes in totality. Certainly didn’t feel like it was going to be at times but there was just so much to digest there, for better or for worse, as the Kings cam away with their first victory of the season.

Look, the Kings needed to respond after a performance on Tuesday that was admittedly well below their standard. They got it out of the gates, controlling much of the first period offensively with well-taken goals from Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinton Byfield. The teams traded goals in the second period before a major penalty assessed to Alex Turcotte gave Vegas two goals and tied the game.

For what it’s worth, I thought Turcotte’s hit was a minor penalty all day. However, he put himself in a position where the official needed to make a call. 200 feet from his own net, it was a play that never should have been made, regardless of whether or not it was a two or a five, and that’s a lesson to be learned. Could have meant the difference between a win and a loss.

The major penalty definitely changed the game. It went from a 3-1 Kings lead and a game I felt pretty comfortable with the Kings closing out to a 5-3 Vegas lead. Momentum felt 100/0 towards Vegas in that moment. 5-3 Golden Knights, Eichel and Marner running wild and Vegas back on the power play. Trevor Moore’s shorthanded goal gave the Kings some much-needed life before Brandt Clarke tied the game. The Kings got back on the front foot and came away with a relieving two points via the shootout, with Moore scoring again to seal the deal.

The result was much needed and it levels things off through two games. If you offered two points from a Colorado/Vegas back-to-back to begin the season, with travel, you’d likely take that every time. The Kings did not look like the Kings on Tuesday. In Vegas, they started to. Offensively at least. Aggressive and tenacious in the first period of game, the Kings skated far better in Vegas than in Los Angeles. It was not perfect but it was a nice step forward.

That’s not to gloss over the problems, because those certainly still exist. Nine goals against in six periods isn’t going to cut it. I think the Kings win that game, perhaps even comfortably, without the major penalty but those things happen and that shouldn’t have derailed things as much as it did. There were some glaring defensive breakdowns after that point. In some ways, Eichel and Marner are going to do what they do. It looked too easy at times though and the third pair was on the ice for a pair of goals against for the second straight game. That’s going to have to improve.

But there was also a lot to like.

Seeing Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinton Byfield take their first-period chances as well as they did was very encouraging. While Kuzmenko was a revelation last season, it was his playmaking, not his goalscoring, that stood out. His goal last night was just player against goaltender and Kuzmenko picked his spot and beat Adin Hill cleanly. That was a high-level goalscorer’s goal from a player who scored 39 goals in this league not that long ago. Byfield’s was great too because you saw what makes him such a special player. The speed to hunt down a defenseman, the defensive stick to make a play and the skill to pull off a good move and finish for the goal. Saw good things from both players on the game-tying goal as well. Good night for both guys.

It was also great to see Trevor Moore score a Trevor Moore goal as well. Shorthanded, good speed, quick release and a good finish. You can just tell that Moore is on his game when he’s scoring that kind of goal. He battled some injuries last season and wasn’t 100 percent the entire time. When he’s got that burst of separation and uses his quick release, he’s so effective. Great goal. The Kings don’t win that game or even get a point without it. The shootout winner to boot, with a similar finish, was the icing on the cake.

Nice to see Brandt Clarke make a difference in the game as well. Clarke brings a different dimension to the Kings defensive unit and there have been issues moving the puck from the backend in the early days of this season. Clarke is one who should not have those problems. Jim Hiller spoke about Clarke’s competitiveness after the Colorado game, in how he didn’t back down from a scrum. Last night, you saw him drive the net hard and take a bit of punishment to get the reward. We think more of Clarke as a facilitator for what he can do with the puck on his stick but the Kings encourage all of their defensemen to activate and join the rush. Don’t have to tell Clarke twice and he got a huge goal for his efforts.

The victory allows for a deep breath.

It allows the focus to be on some of the players who played well and some of the highlights from the victory. It doesn’t mean we can just ignore the problems within the game, or two games, problems which would’ve been under a very bright spotlight had the 5-3 scoreline held as it looked like it would prior to Moore’s goal. After a win like that, I think back to a conversation I had a few years ago with someone who played in the NHL for several seasons, who told me that a win like that can the best time for a coach to get a message across with some of the parts of the game aren’t liked. Because it’s not doubling down on an upset group after a bad loss, but after a win like that, there could be a better window to make inroads on areas in need of improvement. The Kings have changes and improvements to make, zero doubt there. But there was also a lot to like about a win over a team many have projected to win the 2026 Stanley Cup. That’s a really good team and the Kings showed a lot of fight in being able to skate with them over 65 minutes, on the second half of a back-to-back. There’s something to be said for that, even if the recipe for success isn’t one that’s going to win every night.

With two points in hand, the Kings will rest today before getting back at it tomorrow for practice. There are things to work on and things to correct. But it’s a lot better to be working on them with the first win out of the way, and several positives to build on in doing so.