Kings Struggle Before Olympic Break Following Tough Loss to Golden Knights
LAS VEGAS — Mark Stone led the Vegas Golden Knights to a decisive 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, contributing a goal and two assists. The Golden Knights took command early, scoring four times on their first six shots, marking a strong performance ahead of the Olympic break. This win follows a challenging stretch in which the team lost seven of its last eight games.
Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev each added a goal and an assist for Vegas, while Mitch Marner scored for Los Angeles, reaching the milestone of 799 career points. Ivan Barbashev extended his points streak to five games with two assists, although his four-game goal streak came to an end. Eichel, meanwhile, extended his points streak to four games, reaching a notable 200 assists as a Golden Knight.
In goal, Adin Hill made 32 saves, earning his 100th career victory—his highest number of saves since recording 34 against Buffalo on March 15, 2025. For the Kings, Trevor Moore scored the team’s only goal, and goaltender Anton Forsberg stopped 18 shots. Notably, Adrian Kempe’s eight-game points streak was halted during the match.
Despite being penalized six times during the game, including a shared fighting major, the Golden Knights managed to maintain their lead. The Kings were unable to capitalize on the power play, going 0 for 5, a missed opportunity that mirrored a previous game against Utah, where Vegas also won 4-1 despite similar penalization.
In injury news, Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko was hit in the face with a puck late in the first period and required treatment but returned to the ice in the second. Additionally, newly-acquired Artemi Panarin, who joined Los Angeles from the Rangers, did not feature in the lineup. Panarin had accumulated 57 points in 52 games for New York but had not played or practiced in the past week.
