Takeaways from the LA Kings embarrassing loss to Vegas

There wasn't a much worse result in the West in the Pacific Division late this week this regular season for the Los Angeles Kings (23-19-14) and head coach Jim Hiller than the lacking 4-1 loss on the road to the Vegas Golden Knights (27-16-14) on Thursday night (Feb. 5) in the back end of back-to-back games.

Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings fall in convincing fashion on the road vs. the Vegas Golden Knights before the Winter Olympics break this week

Under 10 minutes to start the game yesterday night in the opening frame in the first period on the scoreboard, the Golden Knights opened up an early 1-0 lead over the Kings on the ice. The Kings had poor coverage in the defensive zone in front of Anton Forsberg in the net yesterday.

In the span of under five minutes on the scoreboard in the opening frame in the first period, the Kings fell behind by a wide-open score of 4-0 vs. the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. The Kings gave a goal on special teams on the penalty kill and three other goals to the top goal scorers offensively for the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division.

Hiller and the Kings got one goal back on the scoreboard in the opening frame in the first period yesterday, on a goal from Trevor Moore to cut the Golden Knights' lead to three goals. But the Kings struggled to push back effectively on the ice and on the scoreboard in the middle frame in the second period.

No goals were scored by either team in the game's final 40 minutes on the ice yesterday in the Pacific Division.

Here are the takeaways from the Kings' embarrassing first-period 4-1 loss on the road at T-Mobile Arena in the last game before the Winter Olympics break this week against the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division on Feb. 5.

First-period mistakes prove costly again in the Pacific Division

Just over a few minutes into the game on the scoreboard yesterday, it seemed like the contest was already out of reach on the ice for Hiller and the Kings. Jack Eichel gave the Golden Knights the lead on the scoreboard roughly eight minutes into the game in the opening frame in the first period yesterday.

The Golden Knights were the better team on the ice and on the stat sheet, thus Vegas won the game convincingly on the scoreboard by a convincing margin of multiple goals in the Pacific Division.

Not only did the Kings lose the game on the scoreboard yesterday, but Hiller and the LA staff also lost forward Andrei Kuzmenko to an injury in the opening frame in the first period yesterday.

"He made his way back, so that was positive. Obviously, they checked him out, he was able to come back, but yeah, he just wasn’t able to finish, let’s put it that way. He was in good spirits. I haven’t seen him since he left again, but we wouldn’t have put him back out if he wasn’t okay."

Hiller on Andrei Kuzmenko

It sounds like Hiller and the Kings are expecting Kuzmenko to return to the active roster lineup offensively after the Winter Olympic break for three weeks this month.

Milestone night for Anze Kopitar with 1,300 career points

The only moment worth celebrating for the Kings on the ice yesterday vs. the Golden Knights on the road was center captain Anze Kopitar reaching the milestone career marker of 1,300 career points for the team in the West. Kopitar had one of the assists on the goal by Moore offensively in the opening frame in the first period on the road vs. the Golden Knights.

"Took me a bit longer than than I thought it will, but, yeah, here we are. We’ve just got to keep on going. These numbers are going to be, I think, a little bit better to look at once it’s all said and done. Now, it’s about the team, obviously. Taking some time off now, but coming out of the break and we have, I believe, about 25 games or so and make sure we get into the playoffs. Then it’s about writing different chapters again."

Anze Kopitar

Kopitar is among a group of fewer than 50 players in the history of the league in the NHL and only the second Kings' player ever in franchise history to reach the mark of 1,300 career points.