LOS ANGELES –- The Kings fell apart in the third period in their defeat to the Maple Leafs, 3-1.
After suffering an embarrassing loss to the Avalanche on the road, the Kings would head back home. With so much success at Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles would rebuttal against the Maple Leafs.
From the first two periods, it looked as if the Kings were on their way to another victory on home ice. The Kings had a 1-0 lead in the physical defensive battle.
However, the Maple Leafs dominated the third period, scoring three goals in this span. A big reason for the Toronto outburst was the difference in power plays.
While the Kings had three power plays, they failed to score on any of these opportunities. On the contrary, the Kings gave up a short-handed goal despite having the man advantage.
As effective as Toronto was with penalty kills, they also generated multiple power plays. The Maple Leafs had four power-play opportunities and were able to score a goal.
“They got skill everywhere, so you don’t want to give them those [power play] looks,” said Mikey Anderson. “For the most part, we did a pretty good job, but they found a way to score and, ultimately, that’s the difference.”
Toronto also received help from their star players in Auston Matthews and John Tavares on their winning plays. Tavares scored two goals while Matthews had a goal and an assist.
Although the Kings fell short in defeat, Darcy Kuemper had accumulated a .920 save percentage. Alex Laferriere also scored the only goal for Los Angeles.
Lately, there’s been a slight slip for the Kings as they have lost their last two games. However, Los Angeles has a chance to immediately respond to this loss tomorrow night.
On the second night of the back-to-back, the Kings will look to take down the Sharks. A victory tomorrow night could quickly recover winning momentum for Los Angeles in the last stretch of the season.
