Final – Kings 0, Lightning 3 – Kopitar, Spence, Hiller

The Kings abandoned their fourth consecutive match on the road, falling by a score of 3-0 Thursday evening against the Lightning of Tampa Bay.

Just under five minutes after the game, the lightning opened the scoring. Strongr Brandon Hagel, skating in transition, took a step on the defender of kings Jordan Spence in a situation in 1 against 1 before skating on a escape. Hagel fired five holes on King David Rittich goalkeeper, scoring his 21st goal of the season to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage.

For the third time in four games, the Kings had a goal from the table withdrawn, which would have equaled the match halfway through the second period. Out of the penalty, defender Jacob Moverare seemed to win the offensive zone and find a Quinton Byfield, the latter, scoring his 12th goal of the season, but Moverare was tried out of a challenge by Tampa Bay coaches , keeping the score of Tampa Bay, keeping the 1-0 Lightning score.

With less than five minutes to play in the third period, Tampa Bay has doubled his advantage, while Hagel buried his second goal from the match. With striker Nikita Kucherov on a breakaway, Rittich was aggressively loaded and made a sprawling safeguard on the first attempt, but Hagel followed the game and put the rebound at a bland range, giving the hosts an advance of two goals.

With the Kings on a late power game 6 against 4, the Tampa Bay Anthony Cirelli striker struck the empty net at a distance, carrying the match at the final 3-0 score.

Listen to Anze Kopitar, Jordan Spence and Jim Hiller after this evening match.

Anze Kopitar
On the difficulties of the team at the moment
It seems that we do the right things, it’s just that you should really continue. I mean, we are likely, but for any reason, the washers do not enter. It is very difficult to mentally now, when you do not mark and do not lose tight games. It ends up being 3-0 tonight but it was tighter than the scoring. We have to find a way, that’s the essential, I mean, there is no other way to say it, really. We will have to score goals, whether on the power game, 5 against 5, we just have to find a way.

In terms of team frustration, work and competition being there, without the offense
Yeah, it’s quite frustrating. The guards do a very good job to keep us in the game and everything. We don’t give up much, it’s like I said, putting the washer in the net. It belongs to this group and I being at the top of this list to advance the offense.

Where he feels that the team’s level of confidence is currently
I would not say that confidence is a sky raised at the moment, but sometimes everything you need is a small rebound, a little something to trigger the group. We are still obviously convinced that it is in this room.

If three goals prohibited on four games look like “when it rains, it pours”
Yeah, it does, but I can’t look back. We just have to refocus and make sure that on Saturday, we are ready to leave and continue to cring.

Jordan Spence
On the group’s offensive struggles at the moment
I don’t think our confidence is there for the moment. Obviously, we are likely to score certain goals and we do not capitalize on our chances. At the end of the day, we just don’t play well right now. We just have to reset, forget tonight and be ready for Carolina.

In terms of frustration at this time when the washer is not going for the team
It was difficult. We do not do our job to score goals. At the end of the day, we have to score goals to win matches and we don’t do that. At the end of the game, I think we show our emotions on the reasons why we are crazy and I think that, on the whole, it was not our game. We just have to stop it.

On the momentum, prohibited goals give the team
At the end of the day, it’s hockey, it happens, the teams go through collapses, but I think the right teams, they get back and try to do their best to win matches and that’s what We have to try to do. We get bad rebounds right now, but think that if we, if we play our game, if we do good things on the ice, good things will always come. We will just try to recover our confidence and our mojo.

After withdrawing Doughty with the group
It is a key element of our team, on and out of the ice. We are really happy to find him and every quarter of work he is, he is getting better and better. Big to see that. It is regrettable that we have lost two games in a row, but in the end, it is good to recover this leader who is vocal, on and out of the ice, to make us move forward, collect our groove and try to win games.

Jim Hiller

* Hiller confirmed before the match that defender Brandt Clarke would be a healthy scratch in tonight’s match. He added that he had a conversation with Clarke about the situation, but did not explain the status of Clarke beyond.

Notes –
• goalkeeper David Rittich withdrew 30 of the 32 shots to the goal he faced during this evening’s match. This marks the first performance of Rittich at 30 events since he made 31 stops on March 30, 2024 in Calgary.
• The new game in a single stop of the stop guard occurs the day after the day after his partner, Darcy Kuemper, made 36 stops on 38 shots faced against the Florida Panthers, his highest total in a single match this season .
• The Kings were bleached this evening for the fourth time this season and the second time in two nights. In total, the Kings have only four goals during their current trip to date and have scored 22 goals in the NHL in 13 games in January.

The Kings have a planned team of the day tomorrow in Raleigh, after their back. The team will return to the ice on Saturday, February 1 for a complete morning skate in North Carolina.