Tag: Los Angeles Kings

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Len Shapiro Fri May 2, 2025: Leafs eliminate Sens in six games with 4-2 win; Knights edge Wild 3-2 to advance to next round; plus more NHL news

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Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander (right) and Matthew Knies (23) as Autin Matthews scores on the Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) in game six of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thu May 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 In the Eastern Conference first round Max Pacioretty ended a 2-2 deadlock for the Toronto Maple Leafs at 5:39 in the third period and eliminated the Ottawa Senators 4-2 and in the series by the same score in game six at Canadian Tire Centre Thursday night. Senators goalie Linus Ullmark was beat by Pacioretty glove side with a wrist shot from the left face off circle.

#2 The Vegas Golden Knights Jack Eichel scored his first goal in the playoffs and also added an assist as the Knights eliminated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in game six in the First Round of the Western Conference playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center Thursday night.

#3 Colorado Avalanche Valeri Nichushkin led with two goals to help prevent the Avalanche from being eliminated in game 6 on Thursday night with a 7-4 win at Ball Arena in Denver. The series is now tied up 3-3 with game seven in Dallas on Saturday. The Aves Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Martin Necas scored a goal and got an assist.

#4 The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in game six four games to two. The Oilers got a two goal win 6-4 and got goals from Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, Trent Frederic, and Adam Hendrique. Plenty of help in putting this first round to bed on Thursday night.

#5 Friday night the Winnipeg Jets who hold a 3-2 lead over the St Louis Blues play game six at the Enterprise Center. It’s been a grind of a series with the Jets winning the last game 5-3 on Wednesday night in Winnipeg. The Blues have home ice and tie this series up in game 6.

Len Shapiro does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Hockey Club game wrap: Los Angeles Kings Rule 4-2 Over Utah HC With Wild Card Slipping Away

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Los Angeles Kings right winger Adrian Kempe (9) fights with Utah Hockey Club’s center Logan Cooley (92) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Kings scored twice in a 44-second span in the third period to take control of a tight game which they would go on to win 4-2.

Utah HC entered Thursday night’s tilt against the Los Angeles Kings nine points out of the final Western Conference Wild Card slot with seven games to go in the regular season. Mathematically it isn’t impossible for Utah to make the playoffs, but they are running out of race track. The Kings had all but officially punched their ticket to the postseason, entering the matchup in second place in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights.

The two squads kept each other off the scoresheet in the first period, with Karel Vejmelka turning away all three shots which got past his defensemen, and Darcy Kuemper fending off 16 shots from the Utah offense. Vejmelka made his 19th consecutive start in front of the net for Utah, extending his career high.

At 6:56 of the second period, Los Angeles forward Andrei Kuzmenko shot the puck at the Utah net as Logan Cooley pushed Adrian Kempe into Vejmelka, deflecting the puck over the goal line to give L.A. a 1-0 lead.

At 12:21 of the frame, Utah forward Lawson Crouse found an impossibly small gap between Kuemper’s shoulder and the upper corner of the net for his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Jack McBain to even things up at 1-1.

Early in the third period, Utah defenseman John Marino gave the puck away in front of the Utah net to Kevin Fiala who knocked it past Vejmelka unassisted for his 29th of the season. In frustration, Marino swung his stick at the goal post, his stick blade joining the puck in the back of the net.

44 seconds later, Trevor Moore took advantage of a Utah miscue in their offensive zone and raced across the length of the ice to put the Kings up 3-1 with his 18th of the season, assisted by Quinton Byfield. With Vejmelka pulled for an extra attacker, veteran L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty scored into an empty net at 18:10 to put the game out of reach.

As fans headed for the exits, Utah went on the power play when Brandt Clarke was whistled for tripping against Alexander Kerfoot with 27 seconds remaining. Utah controlled the faceoff and Jack McBain cut the deficit in half with 20 seconds left on the clock with his 13th goal of the season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Sean Durzi, but it wouldn’t be enough to change the outcome.

With the loss, Utah remains nine points out of the Wild Card picture with just six games remaining.

In the locker room, Lawson Crouse spoke about his team’s effort. “Yeah, frustrating. … We were in the driver’s seat for the first two periods, and unfortunately, what happened on the four on four and they capitalized on two chances. That’s how quick the game can get away from you, and we were playing catch up from there.”

Forward Dylan Guenther, who played with a transparent cage after breaking his nose in the previous game, commented, “I honestly thought we played pretty well. Maybe get inside a little bit more and try to create more secondary chances. I think we know that they were pretty good in the neutral zone. They had more speed, but we just need to find a way to score more goals.” When asked what the team is learning at this point of the season, Guenther added, “I think how every play matters. Every shift, no matter what happens, all you can do is go out there and try to win your shift so just take it a step at a time.”

Head coach André Tourigny said, “I think we played a really solid game, I think there’s a few broken plays which made the difference in the game, but I think the guys were ready and we were really structured. We didn’t give up much. Unfortunately, a few breakdowns made the difference.” With regard to Guenther’s broken nose, Tourigny commented, “there’s not many guys in any locker room in the NHL at this point of the year who don’t have something wrong. You know that’s for sure. When you have a cage and a bubble and you have a broken nose and everybody sees it, but there’s a lot of it… it’s a tough sport, and there are tough players and they go through a lot, and they demand a lot from their bodies. It’s 82 games, and that’s the way it is. And I think I have tons of respect for all of them who battle through and manage their life 24/7 to make sure they’re capable of keeping playing at the elite level. So Gunner and others, tons of respect.”

Utah returns to the ice for the third game of the homestand on Saturday afternoon against the division leading Winnipeg Jets.

Kings Pulverize Sharks 8-1, SJ’s Lund Scores Again

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev had a busy evening trying to stop Los Angeles Kings shots. Here the Kings Adrian Kempe scores on Georgiev in the second period at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sun Mar 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 8-1 on Sunday night, losing to the NHL’s best home team at this point in the season: the Los Angeles Kings. Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe (2), Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele (2), Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis scored for the Kings.

David Rittich made 22 saves in the win for LA. Cam Lund scored for the Sharks, his second in his third NHL game. It was also the second time Lund scored the Sharks’ only goal in a loss. Georgi Romanov made 28 saves in the loss.

While the Kings held a significant advantage in the standings over the Sharks, they had incentive to win. First, the Sharks were leading the series due to some wins early in the season. Secondly, the Kings are racing the Oilers for home ice in the playoffs. They were not likely to drop this game.

The Kings scored first, just at the expiration of a power play at 5:35 of the first period. Quinton Byfield caught Trevor Moore’s pass from below the goal line and sent it across the ice to Phillip Danault for a slap shot goal.

The Sharks had a two man advantage for over 90 seconds at 10:37 but could not convert. They were hampered by missed shots and failure to keep the puck in Los Angeles got a power play shortly after the Sharks’ one expired.

Adrian Kempe scored during the final seconds of that power play, making it 2-0 at 15:13. Anze Kopitar set Kempe up by carrying the puck to the net and then passing it back out to Kempe for a snap shot. Drew Doughty also earned an assist.

At the end of the first period, the shots were 8-7 Los Angeles.

The Sharks were back in the penalty box less than three minutes into the second period, after Cam Lund tripped Quinton Byfield. This time, the Sharks killed the penalty and pushed back hard enough to score.

Cam Lund came out of the box and gathered up the puck by the Sharks blue line, then went the other way. He dropped it to Ferraro just inside the zone and went to the net. There, he caught the rebound created by Ferraro’s shot and put it away.

Three minutes later, Trevor Moore made it 3-1 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko.

Less than three minutes later, the Kings were back on the power play with Ferraro in the box for hooking Kempe. The Sharks killed that off and, 12 seconds later, Ferraro went back to the box for tripping Kevin Fiala.

Late in that power play, Warren Foegele made it 4-1 with a third power play goal. Assists went to Brandt Clarke and Byfield.

In the last minute of the second period, Foegele scored his second of the night with a redirected shot that trickled under Romanov. Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty got the assists.

With just 23 seconds left in the period, Kempe scored his second of the night. Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrei Kuzmenko got the assists.

The shots were 17-8 Kings during the second period.

Almost four minutes into the third period, a fight resulted in multiple penalties, giving the Sharks a power play. They could not convert but they had a chance to stem the bleeding.

At 14:49 of the third, Andrei Kuzmenko scored with a wrist shot from high in the slot, shooting through two Sharks defenders and over Romanov’s shoulder. Assists went to Kopitar and Gavrikov.

At 15:22, Trevor Lewis made it 8-1 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Jacob Moverare and Jordan Spence.

A giveaway by the Sharks gave Romanov a chance to stop a breakaway by Jeff Malott, one-on-one. He did so.

Roster notes: Jimmy Schuldt unavailable to play, but Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup for his 18th game of the season on his 38th birthday. This game was Romanov’s second career NHL start and his fifth NHL appearance.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT in Anaheim against the Ducks.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Jets Ford scores first NHL goal; Wild goalie Fleury shuts out Habs 4-0; plus more NHL news

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Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnkov (7) puts a backhanded shot in the net past the Boston Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) in the first period at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Jan 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Winnipeg Jets Parker Ford who grew up rooting for the Boston Bruins as a kid scored in his NHL debut against the Bruins as well as the Jets scoring a total of four straight goals in the third period in a four goal 6-2 win over the Bruins.

#2  Minnesota Wild goaltender 40 year Mark Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots and recorded his 76th NHL shutout for the Wild’s third straight win 4-0 over the Montreal Canadiens. Fleury picked up his first shutout since March 14th. This could very well be Fleury’s last game in Montreal as he is retiring after this season. Fleury who grew up a Canadiens fan lived in Sorel, Quebec just an hour from Montreal.

#3 The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin scored his career 876th goal and needs 19 to surpass former Los Angeles Kings NHL goal leader Wayne Gretzky who has 894 career goals. Despite the Ovechkin goal the Caps lost to the Ottawa Senators 5-4 at Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa on Thursday.

#4 Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots in the Lightning’s 3-0 shutout over the Los Angeles Kings at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay. For Vasilevskiy this was his third shutout for the season and his 37th career shutout. The Lightning got two goals from Brandon Hagel and a goal from Anthony Cirelli.

#5 Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal since joining the Carolina Hurricanes in their 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Lenovo Center on Thursday night. Rantanen who came over to Carolina from the Colorado Avalanche that involved a three trade deal that included the Blackhawks forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury and a 2025 second round NHL draft pick.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Pacioretty’s two goals lifts Leafs over Ducks 3-2; Pens bowl over Habs in Montreal 9-2; plus more NHL news

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Toronto Maple Leaf left winger Max Pacioretty gets some congratulations from teammates after scoring a first period goal against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thu Dec 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Max Pacioretty scored two goals and had three points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks Thursday in Toronto. The Leafs William Nylander scored and John Taveras had two assists as the Maple Leafs improved their record to 18-9-2.

#2 It wasn’t even a contest as the Pittsburgh Penguins rolled over the Montreal Canadiens 9-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The Penguins got a hat trick and one assist out of Bryan Rust. Rust and Richard Rakell each had four points. It was a landslide for the Habs over the Pens.

#3 The New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes scored a goal and got two assists to help pace New Jersey over the the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 at Newark New Jersey. The win gives New Jersey their second win on the five game homestand. The Devils Jordan Spence scored and goaltender David Rittch stopped 23 shots. The Kings had a six game win streak snapped by New Jersey.

#4 Aliaksei Protas of the Washington Capitals scored a game winning overtime goal to help defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus 2-1. The goal by Protas came at 2:23 and it gave the Capitals their tenth straight win on the road for the season.

#5 The Philadelphia Flyers Scott Laughton did all the heavy lifting for the Flyers scoring all four goals in the Flyers 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. It’s the first time a Flyer had scored all four goals in a game since John LeClair did it on Oct 15, 2002.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Blow Out Kings 7-2, Celebrini With 2 Goals

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Macklin Celebrini center (71) who scored two goals for the San Jose Sharks celebrates his third period against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Nov 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharls defeated the Los Angeles Kings 7-2 on Monday. Nico Sturm, Macklin Celebrini, Fabian Zetterlund, Alexander Wennberg and Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 22 saves for the win. Brandt Clarke and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings. David Rittich made 14 saves in the loss.

The game generated some very good numbers for San Jose. Macklin Celebrini became just the third 18 year old Sharks player to have a multi-point game. The first was Jeff Friesen, the second was Patrick Marlowe. Additionally, the last time the Sharks scored five goals in a period at home was in 2015.

After the game, Mario Ferraro talked about how the game felt early: “They had a good start to the game. They were hemming us in quite a bit at the beginning. And then I think [Sturm] finishing that off just helped calm us down, calm the game down a bit.” It took the team a while to turn that calm into scoring but they got there.

The above-mentioned goal came at 1:47 of the first period. Nico Sturm scored with a wrist shot off of a breakaway and a pass from Mario Ferraro. Askarov also got an assist.

That was it for scoring in the first period. The teams finished even in shots on goal at six. The Sharks had one power play and another a few seconds before the end of the period.

The Sharks did not score on that power play to start the second. Soon after it elapsed, the Kings tied the game. Brandt Clarke took a shot from inside the right faceoff circle, after the Kings entered the zone with a lot of puck movement. Assists went to Adrian Kempe and Anze Koptar.

Anze Kopitar gave the Kings a lead at 8:58 with a backhand shot, cleaning up a stray puck after Adrian Kempe’s shot did not go in. An assist also went to Warren Foegele.

Fabian Zetterlund tied the game back up at 13:59. His attempt to center the puck from below the goal line went off of a Kings defender and into the net. Assists went to William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini.

In the second period, the Sharks started on the power play but took two penalties after that and were outshot by Los Angeles 12-5.

1:03 into the third period, Macklin Celebrini carried the puck up the ice and into the zone and then scored with a shot into the top corner. Assists went to Henry Thrun and Jan Rutta.

A little more than a minute later, Timothy Liljegren made it 4-2. His shot came from just above the faceoff circle. An assist went to Will Smith.

Los Angeles challenged that goal for goaltender interference. Mario Ferraro did skate through the crease but he made no contact and was out of the crease before the shot happened. The goal stood up, putting the Kings on the penalty kill. Ealry in that power play, Warren Foegele was called for tripping Celebrini, giving the Sharks more than a minute of five-on-three power play time.

Celebrini scored a power play goal with a slap shot off of a William Eklund pass. Will Smith got the secondary assist.

Alexander Wennberg made it 6-2 with a power play goal at 10:46. Wennberg deflected a shot from Jake Walman on the blue line. Wennberg won the face off to get the puck to Walman as well.

Luke Kunin made it 7-2 at 18:39. He chased down a stray pass in the neutral zone and then carried it through traffic to the net for the shot.

The Sharks next play on Wednesday at 7:30 PM PT in San Jose against the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Two in a Row First Victory at Home For Sharks Against the Kings 4-2

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Jake Walman (96) being cheered by his teammates after scoring the first goal of the night in the 2nd Period at SAP Center tonight in San Jose on Tues Oct 29, 2024 (San Jose Sharks Public Relations)

Nothing better than a victory at home as the Sharks won 4-2 against Los Angeles at SAP Center

By Fernando Abarca

After an almost winless road trip for the Sharks, they found a way to win it all in overtime on Monday night against Utah. They replicated the same success against the Kings tonight, finding revenge from last week’s game at Crypto Arena.

After the first win for the Sharks in Utah, the task was straightforward, to repeat the same. The setting was very familiar: empty seats, little or no atmosphere, feelings of disappointment, and the gut feeling that the cycle was repeating itself.

The victory at home not only boosts the team’s confidence but is also a statement of hope and belief.

The first period passed without much of an action or relevance, which seemed to be unique, knowing the locals were facing the second-best team in the Pacific.

The action started to take place past the first 20 minutes of Hockey. Jake Walman added the first one of the night with a powerful slap shot for the locals, assisted by N. Sturm C. Grundstrom in the Kings’ zone st the 2.20 of the game.

The lead did not last that long, and the Kings netted to tie things up. Akil Thomas, with a wrist shot, made it 1-1 after a poor defensive labor by the Sharks.

Hockey was getting Red Hot after the conclusion of the second period.

Fabian Zetterland opened up the scoring of the third and his sixth goal of the season and a three-game point streak elevating the vibe at SAP Center with a 2-1 score at the 06:25 in the third.

Then, LA, once again, comes back with an assist by W. Foegele from the back of the net and Alex Laferriere making it 2-2.

It was time to set the tone, and that is exactly what the Sharks did towards the conclusion of the period.

Tyler Toffoli, the former LA King, made it 3-2 and put another number in his personal stats with six goals so far in the season.

With the score at 3-2, the home team knew how to take advantage of the moment. The Kings opted to use an empty net to play with a 6-5 William Eklund, with an empty netter sealed the victory of the night for the Sharks. A much-needed victory to start climbing in the standings and compete.

With ambition and desire, the Sharks will now have the opportunity to make it three consecutive victories this coming Thursday night, and they will do so against the last team in the Central Division, Connor Bedard’s Chicago Blackhawks.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks coughing up too many goals in first periods 12-4; SJ back to drawing board in Vegas on Saturday

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro (38) moves the puck past the Los Angeles Kings left wing Trevor Moore (12) in the first period at Crypto.com Arena on Thu Oct 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

On San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks made history going winless with their eighth loss in a row they accomplished this last season as well and later losing ten straight last season. The Sharks tied the eight loss record for a team who had done it two straight years with the 1960-61 and 1961-62 Boston Bruins.

#2 San Jose head coach Ryan Warsofsky said that this is the NHL the best league in the world and that if guys don’t enjoy playing this game then their in the wrong business and that their on the wrong team and that Warsofsky said “we’ll weed those guys right out.”

#3 The Sharks in the first period have been outscored 12-4. The Sharks have a major concern on defense in the early stages of games. The Sharks were clobbered by the Winnipeg Jets in on lopsided game back on Friday Oct 18th in Winnipeg 8-3. That’s a lot of goals to give up for one game.

#4 Another good example of what Warsofsky is talking about is Thursday night’s game where the Los Angeles Kings dominated the first period opening up the game with three goals taking a 3-0 lead. The Sharks had to play defense and try and make up the difference but in the end they lost by a goal 3-2.

#5 The Sharks are back at the drawing board once more as they meet the Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights are another first period scoring team they scored three unanswered goals against the Kings in Vegas on Tuesday night for a loaded 6-1 win. The Knights are 4-2-1 going up against a Shark team that is 0-6-2. What are San Jose chances as they face off against the Knights at T Mobile Center on Saturday night?

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Buried By Avalanche 5-1 Defensive woes continue for struggling Utah Hockey Club

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Utah Hockey Club forward Josh Doan (91) shoots the puck against the Colorado Avalanche defensemen Calvin de Haan (44) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Oct 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

Utah Buried By Avalanche 5-1 Defensive woes continue for struggling Utah Hockey Club

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–On the heels of a perfect 3-0 start to the 2024-2025 NHL season, the Utah Hockey Club has come back down to earth losing four of the next five games including Thursday night’s 5-1 home loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche, bringing their record to 4-3-1.

Netminder Karel Vejmelka got the start following his two shoutout periods of relief in Tuesday night’s loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Halfway through the first period the Avs took advantage of a tripping penalty against Ian Cole as forward Ross Colton scored his seventh goal on the season, assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt.

Before Utah had a hockey team, many of its residents were followers of the Avalanche which was evidenced by the loud cheers for the power play goal. Colorado defenseman Cale Makar made it 2-0 near the end of the first period, assisted by Mikko Rantanen, his second of the game, and Nikolai Kovalenko.

Utah HC fared no better in the second period of play. At 14:25 of the middle frame, Avs center Casey Mittelstadt put the puck past Vejmelka to make it 3-0, assisted by Sam Malinski and Nikolai Kovalenko, his second of the evening.

Late in the period, Makar drew a hooking penalty from Dylan Guenther which resulted in another Colorado power play goal by Ivan Ivan (yes, that’s his real name), the first goal of his NHL career, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Casey Mittelstadt, the third Avs player to record a second assist, to send Utah to the locker room facing a 4-0 deficit for the second time in two games.

With 4:32 remaining in the third period, Utah forward Lawson Crouse netted his 3rd goal of the season to put an end to his team’s scoring drought, assisted by Matias Maccelli and Ian Cole. Whatever hopes the hometown fans may have had for a late comeback, however, were dashed just 39 seconds later as Avs forward Joel Kiviranta put the game permanently out of reach with an unassisted shot which got past Vejmelka. Colorado goaltender Justus Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots for the win.

Utah’s defense has struggled all season, surrendering four or more goals in five of their eight games thus far. Two key defensemen, John Marino and Sean Durzi, have undergone surgeries which will keep them out of the lineup until sometime next year.

Rookie defenseman Maveric Lamoureux, a 2022 first round draft pick by the then-Arizona Coyotes, made his NHL debut and was +1 for the night. In four games with the Tucson Roadrunners this season, Lamoureux notched two goals and one assist.

After the game, Lamoureux commented on making his NHL Debut: “Playing in my first NHL game is special. Even though we didn’t win, I’m always going to remember that game, that’s for sure.” On playing his first shift, Lamoureux said “I was kind of stressed.

I didn’t want to fall. But (it) was amazing going out there.” Making his NHL debut extra meaningful, his parents flew in for the game. “I had no idea. That was a big surprise. After morning skate, they were in Ryan Smith’s suite waiting for me. That was a surprise. They landed last night and I had no idea. I was really happy to see them.”

Speaking of the back-to back losses, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny commented, “They were just two different games. Like I said against Ottawa, it wasn’t our game at all. We worked hard, and we had a lot of good opportunities but we lacked execution. Tonight, the lack of execution kept going, but I did not like our effort, our emotion, our physicality, and our battle level. It’s disappointing.” Speaking of the team’s offensive, Tourigny added, “We tried to switch lines and do different things, but at the end of the day, we have to simplify…If you look at every game, our possession and offensive zones are great, but we don’t have enough volume. At some point, when we have an opportunity to take a shot, we cannot pass on it. We need to be more selfish in those situations and put more pucks on the net that create habits for the non-carrier to go the net…The way we’re playing right now, we’re doing the reverse. We build the habits of our non-carrier to look for the passing option, and then now you don’t have traffic.”

Lawson Crouse, when asked what the team needs to change in order to shift the momentum, responded “We just have to get back to it…I think today was an example of us getting frustrated and trying to make up for it. We just have to get back to simple hockey, playing the right way, covering for each other. The goals will come. Obviously, we’ve got to keep them out of our net and that’s the biggest thing right now. You can’t win hockey games when we keep going down three, four nothing. It’s a tough league to come back in. Like I said, when that happens you feel like you have to make up for a play and it goes sideways quick. Obviously, we’ve got to stop it here, stop it tonight, learn from it, move on and get back to winning hockey.”

Following practice on Friday, Utah HC will fly to Los Angeles for a road game against the Kings on Saturday before returning home again on Monday to face the San Jose Sharks.

Still Winless, Sharks Fall 3-2 to Kings; Foegele scores twice for LA

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San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) fights Los Angeles Kings left wing Andre Lee (47) with Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson (6) behind and holding Kunin in the first period Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Oct 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Jordan Spence and Warren Foegele scored for the Kings and Mikael Granlund scored for the Sharks. David Rittich made 24 saves for the win. Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves in the loss. The loss gave the Sharks the dubious honor of being the second team in NHL history to lose the first eight games of the season in consecutive seasons.

All three of the Kings’ goals were scored in just over seven minutes during the first period. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Just can’t do that in the first period in this league. We did some good things in the second and third. We’re still giving up too many chances.”

Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund talked about how the team played better in the second and third periods: “When we move the puck and we actually make plays and have fun, you know, that’s part of [hockey]. When we do [that] kind of stuff we look like a really good hockey team.”

Jordan Spence gave the Kings the lead at 4:31. After some back and forth in the neutral zone, Trevor Moore got control of the puck and the Kings skated up ice at speed. Just inside the zone, Moore passed the puck to Spence for a snap shot. Phillip Danault also got an assist.

Warren Foegele made it 2-0 at 8:47, poking the puck past Blackwood and Henry Thrun in a net-front battle. An assist went to Alex Laferriere.

Foegele scored his second at 11:36, tipping a shot from Brandt Clarke just below the blue line. Laferriere also got an assist.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had been outshot 17-7, but they had not been short-hamded yet. They did get two power plays.

Mikael Granlund got the Sharks on the board with a power play goal at 10:05 of the second period. Catching a pass from Jack Thompson, Granlund put the puck in the top corner with a wrist shot. Alexander Wennberg also got an assist.

In the second period, the Sharks took two penalties and had two power plays. The shots were even at seven each.

Granlund scored a second power play goal in the final minute of the game with a wrist shot from above the faceoff circle. Assists went to Thompson and Wennberg.

The Sharks next play on Saturday against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas at 7:00 PM PT.