THE Los Angeles Kings (14-10-9) showed flashes of urgency and physicality in the final period. Yet familiar problems resurfaced as they lost their fourth straight game, losing 3-2 to the Florida Panthers (18-13-2) Wednesday afternoon.
Despite a late third-period attempt to cut the lead to one point, the Kings were once again undone by costly turnovers, missed opportunities and an inability to maintain momentum when it mattered most.
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Not only was it their fourth straight loss, but the Kings also fell in the Pacific Division to fourth behind the Edmonton Oilersslowly collapsing, especially in December, going 2-6 in their eight matches so far this month. Changes could be about to come soon, even if they find a slim way to turn things around.
Kings strike first, but fail to build momentum
THERE struck first again early, midway through the first period, capitalizing on several blocked shots by that of Florida defense. Brandt Clarke and Alex Laferrière did a good job rewarding Joel Armia for scoring the goal and giving the Kings a 1-0 lead after one game.
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It was a good sign for the Kings that they were leading 1-0 after 20 minutes, as the Panthers were (0-9-0) dragging after 20 minutes. So, Los Angeles already had the advantage just by scoring the first goal of the game, which they have done several times this season.
THE Kings controlled big runs early in the game, matching Florida shot for shot and winning key faceoffs, but the Panthers didn’t give up as the game wore on. Anton Forsberg kept Los Angeles in front with a great night, finishing with 25 saves, including timely stops on Bard Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe during the Florida run.
Florida pressure reverses trend
But that pressure from Forsberg didn’t last long, as Anton Lundell tied the game 1-1 early in the second period, capping a quick sequence with a Panthers faceoff victory. But Florida didn’t end there. Just five minutes later, after scoring their first goal, Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead, burying the difficult shot in traffic after a Kings breakdown.
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The dagger came just five seconds into the third period when Sam Bennett extended that of Florida leads to 3-1 after Brandt Clarke turns the puck over and converts quickly before Los Angeles could recover defensively.
To their honor, Los Angeles didn’t give up when Kevin Fiala brought Los Angeles within a point, driving past the goalie to make it 3-2. It looked like this goal would give the Kings some sort of momentum or urgency to get back into the game, but that didn’t happen.
Missed opportunities tell the story. Several of King’s attempts sailed just right or were blocked in the slot. Give credit to that of Florida defense in the clutch, making it difficult for Los Angeles to find clean shooting lanes on its final push.
Kings struggled once again on the power play, going 1-4 tonight and failing to capitalize on key opportunities to gain momentum. At the same time, turnovers were also another problem, particularly late in the period, and continued to haunt them.
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Four straight losses later, the Kings are still searching for answers, collapsing before our eyes with every game. There are several issues you can report, including effort, turnovers, missed leads, and execution to close out games. Until Los Angeles figures out how to close out games and protect leads, this slide will continue.
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