LOS ANGELES, CA– The Kings cameback from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Flyers, 5-4.
The Flyers came out gun blazing on offense as they stormed out to a 4-2 lead in the second period.
Philadelphia relied on a blitz offense which was able to get in close range and attack the goaltending for Los Angeles.
“They create a lot of chances off the rush but also give up on the rush, so it’s easy to fall into that kind of game when you play a team like that,” said Adrian Kempe. “But obviously, I think second and third period we did a much better job with eliminating rush chances ”
While the defense did eventually step up, the offense would continue its success against the Flyers defense.
After Warren Foegle cut the lead down to one goal, the Kings turned towards Anže Kopitar. In the third period, Kopitar scored two goals to seal the victory for the Kings.
Anže Kopitar collected two points from the goals, which matched Adrian Kempe for most points in this game. Kempe tallied a goal and an assist.
The offensive battle came down to which offense could rely on their stars. In this matchup, the two best players for the Kings showed up to rally the comeback.
Philadelphia’s explosive start could not overcome their poor goaltending performance. Aleksei Kolosov allowed five goals and had a measly .750 save percentage.
Despite the valiant loss, the Flyers saw great performances from Scott Laughton and Matvei Michkov. Both players collected a goal and an assist, which resulted in two points each.
After this win, the Kings sit at 47 points, which is second in the Pacific Division. In 2025, the Kings will look to surpass the Golden Knights and be atop the standings.
A big challenge awaits the Kings in the new year as they host the Devils on Wednesday. Los Angeles will look to take down the best team in the Eastern Conference.
