Los Angeles Kings Earn First Victory of Season Against Washington

Kings Bust Winless Streak Against Capitals

The Los Angeles Kings finally earned their first win of the season on Tuesday night, beating the Washington Capitals 5-2. Los Angeles entered the game as the only winless team in the NHL with a 0-6-2 record.

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves in the victory. The win improved the Kings to 1-6-2 on the season and gave head coach Peter Laviolette his first victory in his seventh stint as an NHL head coach.

"Everybody's happy," Laviolette said after the game. "I mean the guys have been working hard."

Comeback Sparks Offense After Slow Start

Los Angeles fell behind 2-0 early in the first period. The Kings had managed only 12 goals in their first six games and just four goals across their previous four outings.

The offense broke through late in the first period. Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin scored within 31 seconds of each other to tie the game before the intermission.

Erik Gustafsson put the Kings ahead 3-2 in the third period. Kempe then netted his second goal of the night to build a two goal cushion, and Scott Laughton sealed the 5-2 win with a late empty netter.

"Seeing the pucks go in, I think helped everybody a lot," Kempe said.

Byfield Departs With Injury

Despite the offensive outbreak, Los Angeles suffered a key setback during the game. Center Quinton Byfield exited in the first period with an upper body injury.

Laviolette stated that Byfield would be evaluated on Wednesday.

Kuemper noted that getting the first win relieves plenty of tension for the squad. "I don't think it's unusual for teams to go on losing streaks throughout the year, but when it's at the start of the year, it gets magnified and it feels a lot worse for us," Kuemper said. "It looks a lot worse. So nice to get a win and now we just got to get rolling."

What it means for the next game

Los Angeles Kings at New York Islanders (NHL, Thu, 22 Oct): New York Islanders win 47%, Los Angeles Kings win 53%; projected score New York Islanders 3, Los Angeles Kings 3. Our safest pick: Islanders +2.

Los Angeles Kings at New Jersey Devils (NHL, Sat, 24 Oct): New Jersey Devils win 50%, Los Angeles Kings win 50%; projected score New Jersey Devils 3, Los Angeles Kings 3. Our safest pick: Kings +2.