The Los Angeles Kings finally broke through Tuesday, erasing a two-goal first-period hole with five straight goals to beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 at Capital One Arena. The win ended an 0-4-2 opening stretch and gave coach Peter Laviolette his first victory behind the Kings bench.
Los Angeles had scored only once in each of its previous four games, and another quiet offensive night appeared possible when Washington built a 2-0 edge. Ryan Leonard struck off the rush at 9:25 of the first period, and Cole Hutson added a power-play goal at 18:35.
The Kings changed the entire temperature of the game before the first intermission. Adrian Kempe finished a 2-on-1 after Artemi Panarin found him in the left circle at 19:27, beating Logan Thompson on the short side. Thirty-one seconds later, Panarin scored from near the bottom of the left circle to send the teams into the room tied 2-2.
“That was a huge shift,” Kempe said. “You’re down 2-0 and then get two goals in a short stretch. It can turn the momentum around. Going into the room, everybody felt we were back in it and had to raise our game.”
Top line carries the response
The Kings lost center Quinton Byfield after just four shifts because of an upper-body injury, putting more responsibility on the group of Panarin, Kempe and Alex Laferriere. That line supplied the decisive offense: Kempe scored twice, Panarin posted a goal and two assists, and Laferriere recorded two assists.
The go-ahead goal, however, came from defenseman Erik Gustafsson. The 34-year-old had spent much of last season with Grand Rapids in the American Hockey League and had not scored in the NHL since Jan. 12, 2025, while with the Detroit Red Wings.
With the Kings on the power play early in the third, Gustafsson carried the puck from his own end, drove through the middle of the ice and finished the rush by lifting a shot off Thompson’s glove at 7:28. It gave Los Angeles its first lead of the night.
“That’s the kind of play that ends up on a highlight reel,” Laviolette said. “He came all the way out of his own end, went through the middle and got behind them. He was running out of room, but he still found a way to finish. It was a major goal for us.”
Kempe created the next one with pressure on the forecheck. Panarin took possession and fed him in front at 11:35 of the third, extending the margin to 4-2. Scott Laughton put away the empty-netter at 18:15.
Kuemper shuts the door
Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves for Los Angeles, holding the Capitals off the board after their two-goal first period. The Kings viewed the result as overdue after several competitive losses during the season’s opening weeks.
“We’ve been in a lot of these games and played well,” Kuemper said. “Maybe we’ve been better than the record indicated. We were a little snakebit, but the guys got rewarded tonight for the work they’ve put in. Once we got the lead, we were able to close it out.”
The celebration in the visitors’ dressing room carried down the hallway afterward, fitting for a club that had waited nearly three weeks for a win. Kempe said the group was relieved to get the first one behind it.
“It felt great,” he said. “It took longer than anyone wanted, but everybody was really happy once it was done.”
Laviolette, hired June 9, earned career win No. 847 and moved within two victories of Ken Hitchcock for sixth place on the NHL’s all-time coaching list. He said the locker room had earned a chance to enjoy the moment after a difficult start.
“Everybody is happy,” Laviolette said. “The players have worked hard. We just weren’t producing goals, and tonight we were able to capitalize.”
Los Angeles opens a five-game road trip with the win and continues it Thursday against the New York Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET. Kuemper said the task now is to turn one victory into a run.
“Losing streaks happen during a season, but when it happens right at the beginning, it gets magnified,” Kuemper said. “It feels worse and looks worse. We got a win now, and we have to keep it moving.”
