A couple of nice goals on his birthday on power play on special teams from forward Andrei Kuzmenko didn't get the Los Angeles Kings (23-18-14) two points in the standings in the West in the Pacific Division yesterday (Feb. 4) on home ice vs. the Seattle Kraken (27-20-9).
Andrei Kuzmenko gets two goals on his birthday for the Los Angeles Kings in a 4-2 loss in the Pacific Division vs. Seattle
Yesterday was a good start on the scoreboard in the opening frame in the first period for head coach Jim Hiller and the Kings, with a goal from Kuzmenko on special teams on the power play to set the tone offensively for the team. Seattle pushed back on the scoreboard in the opening frame, with three quick goals in the first period to open up a two-goal lead vs. the Kings yesterday night.
It looked early in the game in the opening frame in the first period that Hiller and the Kings would be able to capitalize on the momentum the team built with a solid road trip this past couple of weeks in the West.
Seattle scored two goals on the scoreboard in under a minute in the opening frame yesterday in the first period, opening up a lead on the scoreboard vs. the Kings and reversing momentum on the ice before the first intermission at Crypto Arena.
The Kings got a goal back in the middle frame in the second period, with Kuzmenko registering the game's second goal on special teams on the power play for LA and Hiller on the scoreboard. Seattle scored the game's fourth goal in the final frame in the third period, which ended up being the insurance goal on the scoreboard for the Kraken yesterday.
A frustrating result for the Kings last night featured a couple of costly missed calls and impatient overturned calls on the scoreboard to take goals off the board for LA. Those costly defensive and neutral zone turnovers and first-period momentum lapses proved to be too much for the Kings to overcome on the ice and on the scoreboard yesterday.
Here are three takeaways from the Kings' 4-2 home loss to the Kraken in the Pacific Division on home ice at Crypto Arena on Feb. 4.
Darcy Kuemper hasn't looked like himself in net for the Kings
There looks to be something wrong in net for the Kings with starting goalie Darcy Kuemper in this past few weeks in the West this regular season. Kuemper has been moving slower in the crease and not reacting in the same time laterally for the Kings in the past month or so in the West.
Backup goalie Anton Forsberg has been the better-performing goalie recently in the West for the Kings this regular season in the Pacific Division.
Kuemper had another disappointing night in between the pipes for the Kings yesterday. He's now allowed three goals or more on the scoreboard in three of the past four starts in the West in the Pacific Division for the Kings defensively. He hasn't registered a save percentage above .900 in any month in the West this regular season since the turn of the calendar year in December, before the upper-body injury in mid-December vs. Dallas against the Stars.
"I think, like everybody else, we just weren’t sharp. Too many penalties. We just did a lot of things that were, I would say, uncharacteristic. Turning the puck over quite a bit, defensively on breakouts and then in the offensive zone, we just couldn’t get a good game going together. Despite that, we probably had a chance to tie it and then the fourth goal kills us, killed any chance of that."Jim Hiller on Darcy Kuemper
Andrei Kuzmenko's birthday goals boost the Kings' power play on special teams
On his birthday on Wednesday, Kuzmenko powered the Kings power play on special teams to multiple goals last night in the first two frames in the first and second periods vs. Seattle on home ice.
Kuzmenko set the tone with a solid start early for the Kings on the power play on special teams in the opening frame in the first period. He also got the Kings back in the game on the scoreboard in the middle frame in the second period, with his second goal of the contest on special teams on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage.
"Two nice goals. We still needed one more, we did have another opportunity. I thought we were pretty good. The second goal, of course, is a really nice play, similar goal to the goal we scored in Detroit. That gave us life, but there wasn’t enough."Hiller
Kuzmenko helped the Kings to generate consistent scoring chances and high and medium-danger opportunities offensively in the zone yesterday in the middle frame and the final frame in the third period.
Turnovers cost the Kings in the win column in the standings
The coverage in the opening frame in the first period yesterday for the Kings on home ice vs. the Kraken in the Pacific Division was less than stellar defensively in the zone for the team. The Kings gave up a couple of goals in just over 50 seconds on the scoreboard yesterday due to defensive-zone lapses and breakdowns from behind the goal line behind Kuemper.
Those defensive lapses allowed the Kraken to build a two-goal lead on the scoreboard in a span of under 15 minutes in the opening frame in the first period yesterday on home ice. The Kings need to tighten up defensively before facing a Vegas Golden Knights team that ranks top three in the Pacific Division this regular season in the West in goals scored for.