The Golden Knights are normally the ones that can pull off a come-from-behind victory.
They were on the other side of it this time.
The Knights carried a one-goal lead into the third period Monday at Crypto.com Arena, but the Los Angeles Kings scored four times in the final frame to earn a 5-2 victory.
Captain Mark Stone and defenseman Brayden McNabb scored to give the visiting team a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission. The Kings dominated the rest of the way.
Right wing Trevor Moore scored his second goal of the game 42 seconds into the third period to tie things up. Los Angeles then got goals from left wing Warren Foegele, defenseman Joel Edmundson and left wing Kevin Fiala in its comeback victory.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov gave up five goals on 19 shots for the Knights (34-18-6), who saw their three-game winning streak snapped.
The team got behind 1-0 early after Moore deflected a shot from center Quinton Byfield for a power-play goal with 9:30 remaining in the first period. It was part of an impressive start by the Kings (31-17-7), who led 8-1 in shots through the first 12 minutes.
The Knights stuck with it and were rewarded when McNabb, making his 798th NHL appearance, received a pass from center Tomas Hertl and scored to tie the game with 9:34 left in the second period.
Stone then gave the team the lead with 3:19 remaining in the period when he deflected a point shot from defenseman Noah Hanifin past Los Angeles goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
The Kings were ready with a response. The Knights dropped to 15-3-1 against the Pacific Division, with two of those regulation losses coming against Los Angeles.
They’ll return home Thursday to begin a five-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks. Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. McNabb nearing 800
McNabb, a former King, scored in his old building as he nears a significant milestone.
The 34-year-old is closing in on 800 games played and made his 560th appearance with the Knights on Monday, the most in franchise history. McNabb played 201 games with Los Angeles and 37 with Buffalo.
He has played in 237 straight regular-season games dating back to the 2021-22 campaign.
2. Hanifin’s strong outing
Hanifin has had some struggles defensively this season, but he played a complete game Monday.
The 28-year-old, fresh off a stint with Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off, was on the ice for both of the Knights goals. He also made two plays around his own net that prevented goals for the Kings.
3. Failed to clear
Two of Los Angeles’ third-period goals came when the Knights failed to clear the puck from the defensive zone.
Defenseman Pietrangelo struggled to get the puck out before Foegele’s goal gave the Kings the lead 8:31 into the final frame. Edmundson’s goal with 4:32 remaining came after a miscommunication between Hanifin and right wing Raphael Lavoie kept the puck in the Knights’ end.
Self-inflicted errors ultimately proved to be the team’s undoing.
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
