Advertisement

Kings rally before losing, 3-2, in a shootout at Edmonton

Edmonton Oilers forward David Perron, left, scores on Kings goalie Jonathan Quick during the shootout in the Kings' 3-2 loss Tuesday.
(Jason Franson / Associated Press)
Share

There were so many side plots, curious twists and just flat-out weirdness during the Kings’ latest road loss.

Yes, the last two words happened to be the first takeaway after all that buildup.

The Kings lost to the woeful Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, in a shootout Tuesday night at Rexall Place.

Before the game, the Oilers had a moment of silence for the nine people, including two children, who were killed in shootings in the early-morning hours Tuesday.

Advertisement

The Oilers stopped a losing streak at nine games and it was their second victory against a Western Conference opponent this season.

The Kings have lost three of their last four games, including games on consecutive nights .

“I don’t think desperation would be the right word. We played last night. We got stuck on a plane,” Coach Darryl Sutter said of a long flight delay after Monday’s loss in Calgary. “Against a fresh team, that’s what happens. We battled back. Played hard.”

Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup for the Kings after sitting out Monday because of flu-like symptoms. The scratches for the Kings were defenseman Jamie McBain and forwards Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan.

Two defensemen came close to leading the Kings out of the road darkness. Or something like that.

Defensemen Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin scored for the Kings in the third period to help them come away with a point as the Kings outshot the Oilers, 15-1, in the period. Muzzin’s goal came on a power play with 2 minutes 25 seconds remaining to tie it, 2-2.

Advertisement

David Perron won it in the fourth round of a shootout, beating goalie Jonathan Quick with a backhander.

He was the only player to convert. Missing for the Kings were Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli and Justin Williams.

The odd turns started with Doughty’s goal at 10:02 of the third period. It looked as though his long-range bid hit the crossbar and play continued for another 30-plus seconds. Doughty thought he had scored and so did his teammates and once play stopped, the officials reviewed the play. It turned out the shot glanced off the net camera and counted. It was Doughty’s fourth goal and Carter got the assist.

“I thought it went in,” Toffoli said. “I saw it went high enough and I didn’t hear [it hit] the crossbar. It was a good boost for our team but obviously it wasn’t enough.”

The Kings picked up the pace in a major way but again, the push came too late.

Muzzin echoed an all-too-familiar refrain.

“I don’t think that we’re coming out with the right attitude we need to win hockey games right now,” he said. “It’s an attitude. It’s not physical. We’ve got to be hungry and desperate like I said before.”

The next odd twist came in the shootout when the Kings and Sutter alerted the officials to the orange tape on the stick of goalie Ben Scrivens, who played for the Kings last season. There was a short delay to put white tape on it before Kopitar’s shootout attempt.

Advertisement

“It’s a rule,” said Sutter, who added later that they also made a similar call against the Ducks last season. “You’ve gotta have white tape on your stick. If you check the books, he [Scrivens] played for us.”

Any hint of gamesmanship didn’t bother Scrivens.

“That’s OK,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Just trying to do what they can to win. I respect that.”

Advertisement