The Los Angeles Kings began a three-game road trip in Salt Lake City on March 22, followed by Calgary on March 24, and concluded on March 26 in Vancouver.
Darcy Kuemper helps the Los Angeles Kings cap a short three-game road trip with a win in Vancouver on Thursday
In Salt Lake City, the Mammoth struck first when Lawson Crouse scored his 18th goal of the season 13 minutes into the game. Just 36 seconds later, the Kings answered back and tied the score at one-all with Alex Laferriere scoring his 18th goal of the season. Utah regained the lead with Crouse scoring his second goal of the night only two minutes later.
The Kings responded and tied things at two-all only 28 seconds later with Quinton Byfield scoring his 15th goal of the season. The second period remained tied until Nick Schmaltz scored his 25th goal, giving the Mammoth a one-goal lead at the end of the period. Utah held on to the lead for most of the third period until the Kings tied things up when Artemi Panarin scored his 25th goal of the season with four minutes remaining in the game. Regulation ended up in a 3-3 tie, forcing another overtime session for the Kings. The Mammoth eventually won with Schmaltz scoring the overtime winner, which was also his second goal of the night, giving the Kings a much-needed point.Â
As the road trip rolled on to Calgary, the Kings struck first two minutes into the game when Quinton Byfield scored his 16th goal of the season. The score remained 1-0 at the end of the period. The Kings held on to the lead most of the second period until around the 15-minute mark when defenseman Olli Määttä scored his first goal of the season. After the opening faceoff of the third period, Byfield scored his second goal of the night only 17 seconds in. Alex Laferriere’s secondary assist on the goal was his 100th career point.
Seven minutes later, Calgary tied things up again when defenseman Zayne Parekh scored his first goal of the season on the power play. Regulation ended in a 2-2 tie, forcing yet another overtime session for the Kings. Both teams had only one shot on goal, but neither scored, resulting in a shootout. The Flames eventually won in the shootout with Yegor Sharangovich scoring the game-winner. It was the Kings' 28th overtime game of the season, tying the team record. Unfortunately, it was also their 18th overtime loss of the season.
The Kings concluded their road trip with two nights in Vancouver against the struggling Canucks. The first period was another neutral zone battle until the Kings scored when Scott Laughton scored his 11th goal of the season on the power play. Not even a minute and a half into the second period, the Kings extended their lead when Trevor Moore scored his 10th goal of the season on a tip-in.
Inside the final minute of the same period, Artemi Panarin intercepted a pass into the neutral zone and scored his 26th goal of the season, giving the Kings a 3-0 lead. For most of the third period, both teams played great defense. A 4-0 victory was sealed for the Kings when Quinton Byfield scored an empty-netter with three minutes remaining in the game. The shutout earned Darcy Kuemper his third of the season, and the 39th of his career. The Kings finished the road trip with a 1-0-2 record and earned four out of a possible six points.Â
The Kings return to Los Angeles for a seven-game homestand, their final games on home ice for the regular season.