Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves on a busy night in his Golden Knights debut, a 3-2 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin and center Tanner Laczynski scored for the Knights in their home opener.
The Kings outshot the Knights (1-1-0) 15-3 in the first period with Samsonov battling through traffic early and often. Los Angeles eventually broke through on the power play at 14:39 when Alex Laferriere scored at the backdoor for a 1-0 lead.
Left wing Tanner Jeannot made it 2-0 20 seconds later off a turnover. He received a drop pass at the left circle and sniped it past Samsonov glove-side.
The Knights struggled with the Kings’ sustained pressure for the first 40 minutes, but got on the board with Hanifin’s goal off the rush 2:36 into the second. Kings right wing Warren Foegele made it 3-1 at 8:30 off a rebound.
Laczynski, a 27-year-old forward who has appeared in 38 NHL games, intercepted a clearing attempt and sniped one by Kings backup goalie Carter George at 5:06 of the third to cut it to 3-2. He also had a secondary assist on Hanifin’s goal.
“Puck was just kind of finding me,” Laczynski said. “Just trying to make plays. It was good.”
Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 11 of 12 shots in his Los Angeles debut. He was acquired in an offseason trade with the Washington Capitals.
It was a busier night than anticipated for Samsonov, the veteran goalie who signed a one-year deal with the Knights on July 1 to be their new backup. Samsonov played the entire game and looked strong in stints. He fared well in times facing traffic, including making a sprawling glove save midway through the third period.
Team defense hung him out to dry, especially on the first and third goals.
“I just like the fact that he’s engaged in the game out there trying to help in little situations,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I thought it was a good night for him.”
This wasn’t a game that would dictate some of the position battles in training camp, but it was the first look at some combinations that will be viewed extensively over the next couple of weeks.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Hertl looks ready
One of those combinations was center Tomas Hertl’s line with Nicolas Roy at right wing and newcomer Alexander Holtz on the left wing.
Roy, a natural center, was eventually taken off that line. Holtz had two penalties.
Hertl, however, looked good from the start. He was strong on battles below the goal line and showed high awareness in getting to the right areas for dangerous chances. He even set up Holtz for a backdoor attempt with a pass from the half wall, but Kuemper reacted in time for his best save of the night.
“First game is always a little rusty, but definitely didn’t have a great start,” Hertl said. “L.A. was kind of all over us in the first. As the game was going, I think we got a little better.”
It was a rough transition when Hertl made his Knights debut in April after the trade deadline and after recovering from knee surgery.
But one game in, with a full training camp under his belt, and Hertl seemed to look comfortable no matter who was on his line.
2. Whitecloud struggles
On the flip side, the battle for the sixth defenseman spot got off to a rocky start.
The clubhouse leader right now is Zach Whitecloud, as he’s gotten the first shot to skate with Brayden McNabb. Whitecloud had two turnovers in the first period and had questionable angles on plays in his zone.
Kaedan Korczak, who is fighting for that spot, had a team-high four shots on goal in 19:03.
Barring any last-minute decisions, the Knights are carrying eight defensemen into opening night. With four games left to determine who skates to the right of McNabb, it could be a revolving door until further notice.
3. Doughty injured
Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty left the game with 12:11 left in the first period after suffering an apparent lower-body injury.
Doughty collided with Knights forward Tanner Pearson along the half wall and was seen grabbing his left knee. He was helped to the locker room and had trouble putting weight on it. Doughty did not return to the game.
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
