Los Angeles Kings 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2
3:16 Over, third period
Game Preview
VIDEO: NHL Network
AUDIO: ESPN LA 710, ESPN LA App, LA Kings App
SOG: LAK – 27 VGK – 20
PP: LAK – 1/3 VGK – 0/3

Third period
20:00 – Kings are back on the road in the third period, with 1:38 left to kill Turcotte’s minor. 3-1 LAK/
19:59 – Carter George is in net for the Kings to start the third period. George is making his second appearance of the exhibition season, having played the third period and overtime on Monday at Utah. Darcy Kuemper finishes with 11 saves on 12 shots in his preseason debut. Relatively standard for Kuemper tonight.
18:32 – Holtz to the box for Vegas, tying the teams at 4-on-4 before LAK goes on the power play for the third time tonight.
17:35 – Kings called for too many players on the ice.
15:35 – Everything is straightened out after three partial PP chances. Not much offense either way, but one great 1-on-1 defensive play by Jordan Spence to prevent a look.
14:54 – VGK Goal – Golden Knights get one back early in the third period. Kings with a turnover through the middle of the ice and Tanner Luczynski gets his first goal and second point of the game.
13:47 – Jeannot now heads to the penalty box and the Golden Knights get their third power play opportunity of the game, now trailing by just one goal.
11:47 – Textbook kill by the Kings. Had more offensive zone time than Vegas. Byfield with two separate shifts in the two minutes. Good job by Andre Lee also to disrupt and take overtime off the clock.
8:50 – It’s preseason, so mistakes happen, but the Kings have been a little quick and sometimes lose the middle of their own zone. Area to clean up and one I’ll ask Jim Hiller about after the game.
4:04 – Carter George holds up against the heaviest pressure the Kings have had in this game so far. The shots are now a little closer, 26-20, with the final media timeout in sight.
3:16 – That’s some Tanner Jeannot hockey. Straight to the net, a couple of little hits on a mostly covered puck. Starts a scrum for him. That’s what you want from him.

Second period
20:00 – Back to the middle stanza. Kings lead 2-0 as we get going again.
17:24 – VGK Goal – Noah Hanifin puts the hosts on the board. Kings are caught with four players under the puck in the offensive zone and Vegas converts in transition. Puck movement effective after the rush to free up Hanifin, who was the open man. 2-1.
14:47 – Byfield is a monster. Just the little plays he makes, in tight situations. The size and speed combination is obvious, but he has the touch to match it. The ceiling is so high there, in my opinion.
11:50 – LAK Goal – Foe-GOAL! Excellent move from Kevin Fiala through the slot to create open space and Foegele finishes the play from the top of the crease. Lots of encouraging moves from those three guys tonight, with Byfield in the middle. 3-1 Kings.
9:32 – It’s still early days, but the Fiala/Byfield/Foegele line seems to be flowing as it should so far. That’s really encouraging. The potential of that line is sky-high offensively, and all three are working hard enough to make a dent defensively. Again, it’s 30 minutes of pre-season. But so far, so good.
8:35 – Really didn’t see Darcy Kuemper tested for 30+ minutes tonight, but his first Grade-A chance that wasn’t Hanifin’s goal is a good read. Moves well from left to right to deny Alexander Holtz at the far post.
5:30 – Great defensive play by Mikey Anderson. As a 2-on-1 defender, Anderson defended the cross-ice pass, instructed Trevor Moore to pick up the puck carrier and broke up the play without damage. Good stuff from 44.
5:13 – Matching minors for Burroughs and Brisson after a scuffle in the corner. Little 4-on-4 action late in the second period.
2:45 – Jared Woolley was playing Junior B hockey in Canada less than 12 months ago. Tonight he’s 4-on-4 against NHL forwards. Some slick, smooth plays with the puck too. Good for him. 18 years old. Long development curve, long way to go, but still a lot to work with.
0:23 – First PK of the night for the Kings late in the second. Turcotte for cross-checking. Will see a few of the pairs we saw in practice over the weekend for the first time in the game.
0:04 – Kuemper saves the PK, but the rebound ends up in the slot, where it hits the post and is out of play.
0:00 – 3-1 Kings after 40 minutes. LAK has 1:38 left to start the third period.

First period
20:00 – Kings and Golden Knights are on their way to Vegas!
15:41 – Good instincts early from Jordan Spence. Ultimately it’s a small play that results in a shot on goal, not a goal. But in a situation where he could have dumped the puck, he showed composure and made a play to Warren Foegele, who passed it to Gavrikov who crashed through the slot. More pucks to the middle is an emphasis. Liked that early sequence.
13:32 – A bit of chaos on Phillip Danault’s forecheck. Held the puck up nicely to find a pursuing Trevor Moore, but a long pokecheck broke up the play. Nearly forced another turnover seconds later by staying on the hunt. Maybe something we’ll see more of this season in the 1-2-2.
10:00 – Halfway through the period and honestly, it’s hard to focus on the action. Drew Doughty had an awkward run-in with the boards with former Kings forward Tanner Pearson and was helped off the ice by Mikey Anderson and a member of the team’s training staff. Straight into the tunnel.
7:19 – Kings get the first powerplay of the game. Holtz is in for the hosts. Spence – Byfield – Gawdin – Moore – Danault is the starting unit for the Kings.
5:29 – LAK Goal – Laferreire opens the scoring. Great work from Turcotte up front, won a battle at the top of the crease and fed Laferriere a tap-in at the far post. Good move from Fiala to get it there. 1-0 Kings
5:01 – Two goals in 28 seconds! This time it’s Jeannot who beats Samsonov with a wrister from above the right circle. Saw that a few times on the Nashville highlight reel. 2-0 Kings.
2:35 – Kings go back to the power play, with Brisson now playing for Vegas.
0:00 – 2-0 Kings after 20 minutes. Shots on target were 15-2. All good on that front. The concern is clearly with Drew Doughty, who will not return tonight with a lower-body injury.

Today’s Kings Lineup –

Tonight’s @LAKings Line Rushes –

Moore – Danault – Jeannot
Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
Lee – Turcotte – Laferrière
Jamsen – Gawdin – Madden

Anderson – Crazy
Gavrikov-Spence
Wolley-Burroughs

Kuemper
George

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) September 26, 2024