Los Angeles Kings Lose to Penguins in OT

Last night, the Los Angeles Kings were put in a pretty great matchup against one of the East’s best teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last night, the Kings unveiled NHL Hall of Famer, and Kings legend, Luc Robitaille’s statue. I must say that is a beautiful statue.

Mar 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings former player Luc Robitaille speaks at a ceremony to unveil his statue before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

But while there were cheers for the legend’s big unveiling, there were no cheers by the end of the game. So let’s get down to our period by period recap, where we go over the biggest events that happened in last night’s loss, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The First Period: Setting the Tone

The Kings managed to set the tone early in the game by getting off many shots and limiting the Penguins to only five. It set the tone for the Kings outshooting the Penguins for the entire game, which is something that I’ve been pushing for since I started writing for Rink Royalty.

The Kings got a shot on goal within the first thirty seconds of the game, it was a quick introduction to what was to come. At 18:41, Matt Greene got a penalty, but the Kings managed to kill it off, while being pressured by the Penguins offense.

The issue with the Penguins offense, and the reason why they missed out on so many shots was due to their feeling the need to open up passing lanes to get a clean shot on net. The Kings had a different approach, and that was to shoot the puck, and shoot it often, not matter what.

The Penguins got a holding penalty on Kunitz at 14:04, but that penalty was also killed off. However, the Kings didn’t let them off very easy, pressuring the Penguins defense to no end, and getting shot after shot on Fleury, and really making him work to get those saves.

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One issue in the first period for the Kings was a weak defense in the beginning. It got better towards the end of the game, but the defense was loose and wide, giving the Penguins options and the ability to get through them and get shots off. This nearly ended the game early for the Kings.

The Second Period: Let’s Get Physical

The Kings built on their offensive success in the first period, and carried it into the second period. However, when the Penguins got on offense, it remained difficult for the Kings defense to catch up. The Kings’s Brayden McNabb got a holding penalty at 17:18, but the Kings PK remained pretty solid. Towards the end of the penalty, the Pens had a pretty strong chance, but failed to capitalize.

Patric Hornqvist got pretty physical in front of the Kings net, prompting Quick to retaliate with his own physicality. This created a very physical game that would remain that way until the bitter end. Oh yes, at one point, I think the number of hits outnumbered the amount of shots on net.

Mar 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Blake Corneau (17) checks Los Angeles Kings defenseman Andrej Sekera (7) into the boards in the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Evgeni Malking was the Penguins player to watch last night as he was the player putting most of the Kings defense on their toes. He found the lanes to the net, and he nearly executed almost every shot he took.

The Kings seemed bound to get a goal after the way their offensive lines were playing last night, sadly, it never came to fruition. There were more penalties in the second period, but just like the first, no goals were scored on the power play. Both teams PKs were killing it last night. Yes, pun intended.

Third Period: I’m Working Overtime

Along came the third period. No goals scored, and none seemed to be in the near future. It was around this time that I realized that I may be staying up later than I thought. But that’s okay, a little Red Bull never hurt anyone.

Out of all the periods, the third period was actually the least eventful. That being said, it had some of the most important events.

At 15:16 you would think the Kings scored a goal with Dustin Brown screening the goalie. Well think again. The goal was overturned with the referee calling a crease violation on Dustin Brown. What? Really? Yeah, to be honest, I didn’t agree with the call either.

Fleury was putting on a goalie clinic out on the ice last night. With every shot the Kings took, Fleury just seemed to be one step ahead of them. The Penguins defense wasn’t even that impressive, it was all Fleury!

towards the end of the period both Jordan Nolan and Kris Letang got coincidental penalties, but nothing came of it, and both players were back on the ice in two minutes. Sadly, no fights. Which is quite a shame, I would have loved to see Nolan take it to Letang.

Overtime: Why I Am I Still Up?

If you’re wondering why I’m tired, it’s because I’m East Coast, not West. Sometimes makes a man wonder why he likes a West Coast team. So by the time the game ended, it was like 12:30 AM here. But it’s Sunday now, so I really don’t even know what time it is thanks to Daylight Savings Time.

The only significant event in OT? The goal scored by Patric Hornqvist which made me throw my notebook and pen in the air. But without a doubt, it was a good goal, and a well-deserved goal, it was just scored by the wrong team, that’s all.

Conclusion

The Kings need to step it up. They may have been able to revive their playoff hopes, but they won’t come true unless wins are put up on the board. That eight-game winning streak didn’t do it all for the team, and they know it.

I don’t know why I cover the losing games, maybe it’s just the luck of the draw.