LOS ANGELES — The Kings built a three-goal lead in the first period and rode it to a victory in their home opener, squeaking past the winless San Jose Sharks, 3-2, on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Warren Foegele notched two goals after Jordan Spence kicked off the scoring, while Alex Laferriere collected two assists. David Rittich made his fifth straight start and earned his third win, stopping 24 shots.
The Sharks, who fell to 0-6-2, got two power-play goals from top point producer Mikael Granlund, with Alexander Wennberg and Jack Thompson each recording assists on both goals. Mackenzie Blackwood had 27 saves.
It was a delayed homecoming as the Kings (4-2-2) played their first seven games on the road and had no preseason games in their own building, which revealed fresh flourishes to the fans on hand.
“We made it way more entertaining than it needed to be, from [a win/loss] perspective, but a win’s a win, and it was great to be in front of our [fans] and see some of the renovations,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said.
Just 4:31 into the match, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore teamed up for a takeaway that the Kings turned into a 1-0 edge. Moore hit the activated defenseman Spence for a searing wrist shot that beat Blackwood cleanly for Spence’s first goal of 2024-25.
Foegele piled on two more goals, at the 8:47 and 11:36 marks, to establish a commanding lead. After arriving from the Edmonton Oilers in free agency, he scored his first goal as a King in a 6-1 loss in Las Vegas on Tuesday night before adding Nos. 2 and 3 on Thursday.
First, his wraparound attempt was deflected skyward by the stick of William Eklund, but it landed near Foegele, who flicked a backhand shot off Blackwood’s left leg and into the net.
Then, he tipped in the attempt of Brandt Clarke, who had retreated from the top of the left circle all the way to the blue line to get a better shooting angle.
“(Foegele) had an outstanding game tonight, and I thought he was our best player in Vegas last game, too, but, really, it takes three people on the line,” Hiller said. “That (Alex) Turcotte line with Laferriere and Foegele, continues to lead us.”
In addition to the offensive fireworks, Andre Lee fought Luke Kunin. The rookie felled Kunin to win his first regular-season bout in the NHL.
After out-shooting San Jose by 10 shots on goal in the first period, the Kings produced something less than a stalemate through the final 40 minutes.
In the second frame, the Sharks clawed back a goal with the extra man just past the midpoint of the game. It was Granlund taking sole possession of the team scoring lead when he glided from the left point into the faceoff circle to let fly with a shot that quickly entered and exited the net. Granlund scored the lone goal in San Jose’s loss to the Ducks on Tuesday and now has eight points in his past five games.
The Kings have given up three power-play goals in their last two games, and exacerbating that minor funk is a major one on the power play. They have not converted in more than five games and have failed to cash in on 15 consecutive opportunities overall.
“We started off pretty good, and we’ve been getting chances,” Laferriere said. “Last game, I missed (Adrian Kempe) backdoor, and there’s other things that we just need to bounce our way, and I think once that happens we’ll keep getting goals.”
In the third period, the Sharks opened up their game looking to climb into the contest but stopped just short, leaving their dressing room dejected afterward.
As the two-minute mark approached, San Jose stormed the Kings’ net but was unable to score, and there was a four-man scrum once the goal crease was cleared.
Though no penalty was called there, one was whistled on Kevin Fiala with 1:05 to play after he committed an ill-advised tripping penalty in the offensive zone while pursuing an empty-net goal. He scored an empty-netter two games ago against the Ducks, but committed a cardinal sin to crack the door open for San Jose.
“Extremely (frustrating),” Hiller said. “In those moments, you have to deliver … those are high-leverage moments, and you can’t be hit-and-miss.”
Granlund converted again, giving him his fifth power-play point in his four most recent appearances, but it would be just a bit too late for a comeback as the Kings hung on to win, 3-2.
“We did everything we could at the end … we were close, but not close enough, and that’s what it is,” Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund said.
Next up, the Kings will welcome Utah HC for its first visit to Crypto.com Arena, in a Saturday matinee beginning at 1 p.m.
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