Kings Fall Short Against Tampa Bay Lightning After Tough Finish
Lightning Surge Past Kings with Late Goals in 5-3 Victory
In a thrilling contest on Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a late deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-3, marking their sixth consecutive win. Gage Goncalves netted the decisive goal with just 1:41 remaining in the match.
The Lightning trailed early in the third period after Kevin Fiala scored for the Kings on a power play. However, Anthony Cirelli quickly turned the tide, scoring the equalizer with 3:19 left in regulation. Cirelli’s 11th goal of the season came after he crashed the net, securing a setup from Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. Moments later, Cirelli and Goncalves combined again, with Goncalves converting a pass from Jake Guentzel after driving toward the net.
Brayden Point shone as well, achieving his first two-goal game of the season. Kucherov rounded off a stellar performance, capping his three-point night by scoring his 19th goal into an empty net. Point had previously scored in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 overtime win against the Ducks on Wednesday.
In goal, Jonas Johansson made 17 saves for the Lightning, who improved to a record of 24-13-3 and haven’t lost since December 18.
Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko each contributed a goal and an assist on the power play for the Kings, who dropped to 16-14-9. This defeat marks their eighth loss in ten games, despite having achieved multiple power-play goals for the first time this season. The Kings entered the game struggling with the NHL’s lowest power play percentage, converting only 14.4% of their chances.
Corey Perry also made headlines, notching his first three-assist game since November 2019, while reaching a career milestone with 499 assists. Jeff Malott scored another goal for Los Angeles, and Darcy Kuemper returned from injury, making 18 saves in his first game since December 15.
Next, the Kings will look to regroup as they face off against the Minnesota Wild at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
