OTTAWA, Ontario — The Kings collected a point for the third straight game to open the season but dropped a wild, 8-7 decision against the Ottawa Senators on Monday afternoon.
Ottawa’s Josh Norris capped a two-goal effort with the game-winning goal 56 seconds into overtime.
Zack MacEwen also had a pair for the Senators, with Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux also chipping in.
Anton Forsberg surrendered three goals on nine shots before being replaced by Mads Sogaard, who was recalled on an emergency basis Monday morning and allowed four goals on 17 shots.
Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere each scored a pair for the Kings, while Trevor Lewis, Adrian Kempe and Tanner Jeannot also scored. Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves.
Tied 6-6 midway through the third, Norris gave the Senators their first lead of the game when he cashed in their fourth power-play goal, but Jeannot tied it up with 5:34 remaining.
“Not a good game from our side,” Kings forward Adrian Kempe told LAKings Insider. “We’re up 4-1 or 4-2, whatever it was in the second period and that’s just, I don’t care that they come back, we have to shut the game down at that point. Unacceptable from our side. Defending poorly, careless, everything. It wasn’t clicking tonight.
“I think kind of early in the second we had the momentum going the right way. I think everybody started feeling good and then a couple goals back and penalties started to happen, so yeah, a momentum shifter for sure, you kind of lose rhythm, all that kind of stuff. Still, out of character, how many penalties there were both ways. We have to be better than we were out there in the second half of the game.”
Kings coach Jim Hiller saw the game as a missed opportunity.
“We didn’t have the mindset to check and it turned into a crazy game that we could have won,” Hiller told LAKings Insider, citing defensive breakdowns. “That’s just a mindset. There’s nights that you just don’t have it, another team makes good plays and not much you can do, but we were just all over the rink tonight. That just means we weren’t ready to play the type of game that was needed. It’s a hard game to play. Took a lot out of us in Boston, mentally and physically, but the job is to do that every night.”
The Kings’ Brandt Clarke, a native of Nepean, Ontario, a suburb of Ottawa, had a standout performance with three assists, playing a pivotal role for the Kings. Monday’s game marked Clarke’s first NHL appearance in his hometown.
This marked the eighth time in franchise history that the Senators both scored and allowed six goals in the same game – and the third time against the Kings.
The Kings have not lost to the Senators in regulation since Jan. 10, 2019.
KEY MOMENT
With the Senators trailing 3-1 and looking uninspired, MacEwen’s first goal midway through the second period served as a spark for the Senators’ comeback.
KEY STAT
The Kings, who came into the game carrying a perfect penalty kill percentage having shut down all 10 of their opponent’s chances, gave up three power-play goals Monday.
UP NEXT
The Kings continue their season-opening seven-game road trip with a stop in Toronto on Wednesday night to face the Maple Leafs.