The Golden Knights have dropped back-to-back games to open the preseason after a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

Viliam Kmec, an undrafted defenseman from Kosice, Slovakia, scored the Knights’ first goal of the preseason.

They were shut out 3-0 on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks.

“I think I felt pretty good from the start,” Kmec said. “I tried to make quick plays, not too much. Just move the puck and support the offense.”

Goaltender Adin Hill stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced against the Kings in 31:13 of work, while backup Akira Schmid saved 11 of 12 shots in 27:36.

Los Angeles goaltender Anton Forsberg made 32 saves and carried a shutout into the third period.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. Dorofeyev ruled out

Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev, who led the Knights with 35 goals last season, left with 6:30 remaining in the first period due to a lower-body injury and didn’t return.

Dorofeyev’s final shift lasted 1:41 and included a stint on the power play.

Coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t have an update after the game, but indicated it could be a muscle strain or similar ailment, like the ones that have hampered defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and center Jack Eichel during training camp.

Lauzon has been out since Friday, while Eichel returned one day after leaving Thursday.

“We’ve gone through a little bit of this now with the muscle strains, pulls, whatever they are,” Cassidy said. “We’ll see how it is for Pav. I can’t tell you how it’ll be tomorrow or the next day, but we’re going through a bit of that.”

Dorofeyev appeared in all 82 games last season and had 52 points.

Rookie wingers Mathieu Cataford and Braeden Bowman took turns filling in for Dorofeyev while skating with center Tomas Hertl and left wing Brandon Saad.

2. Hutton struggles

One role up for grab in the Knights’ lineup is the spot on the third pair next to defenseman Kaedan Korczak.

Defenseman Ben Hutton is in the running for the job along with Lauzon.

Hutton didn’t help his case Tuesday. He committed a turnover in the defensive zone in the first period and had to slash Kings right wing Trevor Moore on the ensuing partial breakaway.

Hutton, 32, later turned the puck over in the neutral zone with Schmid pulled, leading to Moore’s empty-net goal with 1:02 left.

Hutton did force a turnover and spring the breakout that led to Kmec’s goal, but his good moments were far and few between.

Hutton only appeared in 11 games last season. The opportunity is there for him to play more this year with Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve and Nic Hague playing for the Nashville Predators.

“(Hutton) didn’t play a lot of hockey last year. He’s got to catch up a little,” Cassidy said. “That’s just the reality of it.”

3. Goal drought ends

It won’t go into the record books, but the Knights ended a lengthy scoring drought Tuesday.

Kmec’s goal 8:38 into the third period was the team’s first goal in 235:37 of game time dating back to Game 4 of its second-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.

The Knights lost 3-0 in Game 4, 1-0 in the clinching Game 5 and then were blanked Sunday in San Jose. That meant Kmec caused the team’s goal horn to go off for the first time in four months.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.