Kings Suffer Second Consecutive Loss to Last-Place Kraken

The Los Angeles Kings have entered the holiday break on a disappointing note, suffering their second consecutive loss to a last-place team. The Kings fell 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken on December 26, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena, just 24 hours after a defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This latest setback marks the Kings’ sixth loss in their last seven games.

The Kings (15-12-9) have struggled offensively, scoring two goals or fewer in 20 of their 36 games this season. They have secured victories in only five of those matches. Despite the Kraken’s recent winning streak of three games, their success followed a dismal stretch of ten losses in eleven games.

In the match against Seattle, the Kings saw contributions from Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko, who each scored. Pheonix Copley made his first start since December 10, 2023, stopping 25 shots. On the Kraken side, Jordan Eberle, Frederick Gaudreau, and Ben Meyers found the back of the net, while Joey Daccord recorded 35 saves.

Game Highlights and Missed Opportunities

The Kings began the game with promising territorial play, generating several opportunities, particularly for Adrian Kempe. However, the first period ended scoreless, characteristic of two of the NHL’s lowest-scoring teams in the opening frame.

Things took a turn for the worse in the second period for the Kings. Just 70 seconds in, Eberle scored, marking his third goal in as many games. The play began with Matty Beniers finding Eberle in the slot for a precision shot, as the Kings allowed a power-play goal for the fourth consecutive game. They have now given up three power-play goals in a game three times this season, with two occurring in less than two weeks.

Despite some offensive efforts, including a shot from Brian Dumoulin that led to a goal by Gaudreau at 7:26, the Kings found themselves in a two-goal deficit. The Kraken capitalized on a defensive mishap, as Copley failed to track a deflected puck, leading to an own goal.

The Kings did manage to break Daccord’s shutout shortly after, with Fiala capitalizing on a mistake to score his 13th goal of the season. Kuzmenko followed suit, reducing the gap to 3-2 with a wraparound goal after receiving an assist from Brandt Clarke, who leads Kings defensemen with nine primary assists this season.

Despite a late surge, including Fiala hitting the post and a late power play, the Kings could not find an equalizer. Their power play has struggled significantly, with only 13 successful conversions out of their last 106 opportunities, leaving them at the bottom of the NHL standings in this category since early in the season.

The Kings now look ahead to regroup during the holiday break, hoping to find their scoring touch and improve their defensive consistency as they prepare for the next phase of the season.