The Kings’ Anze Kopitar, left, eyes the puck as the New York Rangers’ Alexis Lafrenière, top right, tries to keep up during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Sean Walker, top right, battles for the puck against the New York Rangers’ Filip Chytil during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin blocks a shot during the first period of their game against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Gabe Vilardi controls the puck during the first period of their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Gabe Vilardi celebrates after scoring against New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, right, during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Gabe Vilardi, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Gabe Vilardi, right, and the New York Rangers’ Adam Fox battle for position during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Blake Lizotte loses his stick as he battles for the puck against the New York Rangers’ Alexis Lafrenière during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings coach Todd McLellan reacts to a play during the first period of their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goalie Cal Petersen, right, blocks a shot as the New York Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck, center, and teammate the Kings’ Mikey Anderson collide during the first period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Kevin Fiala (22) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first period of their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Julien Gauthier (12) battles for the puck in front of Kings goalie Cal Petersen during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck, right, scores past Kings defenseman Drew Doughty during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck, right, scores past Kings goalie Cal Petersen during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck (16) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Kings during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Adrian Kempe, right, fights with the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Actor Will Ferrell reacts to his video of “Go Kings, Go” on the scoreboard during the second period of their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin shoots the puck at Kings goalie Cal Petersen during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin, not pictured, shoots the puck at Kings goalie Cal Petersen during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin shoots the puck at Kings goalie Cal Petersen during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant looks on during the second period of their game against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goalie Cal Petersen takes a moment after a New York Rangers player fell on top of him during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goalie Cal Petersen takes a moment after a New York Rangers player fell on top of him during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goalie Cal Petersen, right, skates with teammate Matt Roy after a New York Rangers fell on top of Petersen during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko, right, celebrates with Mika Zibanejad after scoring a goal during the second period of their game against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko (24) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Kings goalie Cal Petersen, right, during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko (24) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Kings goalie Cal Petersen, right, during the second period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goalie Cal Petersen looks on after giving up a goal during the second period of their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Sean Walker (not pictured) scores a tying goal past New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, left, during the third period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Kings’ Sean Walker, center, celebrates with teammates Anze Kopitar, top, and Jacob Moverare after scoring a tying goal during the third period of their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin looks back at the puck after the Kings’ Sean Walker scored a tying goal during the third period on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin blocks a shot during the third period of their game against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider (20) celebrates with teammates after scoring the go-ahead goal during the third period of their game against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings players listen to the National Anthem prior to their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goalie Cal Petersen takes the ice prior to their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goaltender Cal Petersen gets loose prior to their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stands on the ice prior to their game against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who did not play, skates on the ice prior to their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
LOS ANGELES — With Larry David sitting against the glass, the New York Rangers curbed the Kings’ enthusiasm on Tuesday night, as they rallied from a two-goal deficit to win, 5-3, at Crypto.com Arena, snapping a five-game home win streak for the Kings and handing them their third straight loss.
Wingers Kevin Fiala and Gabe Vilardi scored for the Kings as did defenseman Sean Walker, whose goal was his first in a year and a half after a knee injury robbed him of almost all of last season. Fiala figured into every Kings goal, registering two assists to match center Anze Kopitar’s pair, and Cal Petersen had 20 saves.
Defenseman Braden Schneider, center Vincent Trocheck and winger Kappo Kaako each scored a goal for the Rangers, before winger Chris Kreider potted the game-winner and added an empty-netter. Wingers Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere and defenseman Adam Fox contributed two assists apiece. Igor Shesterkin, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, sloughed off two early goals to make 35 saves in a victory.
“Our game tonight matched our year, where we’re inconsistent and we’re up and down. Whether it’s within a game or two-game segments … we’re still searching,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.
Kreider sealed the Kings’ fate with a shot into the vacated cage with 50 seconds left.
“He’s one of our top players, he’s always playing the right way,” Lafreniere said.
After they breathed life into their game with a frantic effort and a fortuitous bounce, the Kings found themselves chasing the game anew, surrendering a goal 54 seconds after drawing even. A long pass off the end boards came to Kreider ahead of the pack, then he fired a shot to the near side that seemed more likely to produce a whistle and an offensive-zone faceoff than a score. With no traffic and an ostensibly non-threatening shot to deal with, Petersen ceded the go-ahead goal.
Petersen later successfully poke-checked Kakko on a breakaway to preserve a one-goal deficit in addition to making stellar stops on Rangers stars Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad earlier.
“Cal has to make that save. Cal made some outstanding saves,” McLellan said. “(But) sometimes it’s the one that you need rather than all the ones you made that makes the difference in the game, and we needed that one.”
Five minutes into the third period the Kings courted disaster but ended up with a tying goal in an odd but exhilarating sequence.
At one end, Petersen lost his stick and was drawn way out of position as he had to rely on defenseman Alex Edler and Matt Roy to stave off an impending attack. Kakko’s shot was stopped by a diving Petersen, and then the Kings had to defend while both Petersen and winger Viktor Arvidsson, who tried to pass his twig to his goalie, were both stickless.
At the other, the Kings recuperated and Kopitar hit a trailing Walker for a shot that banked in off a defender for the veteran defenseman’s first goal since May 13, 2021, two seasons ago.
“It was just desperation. I think we did a good job keeping the puck out of the net at that time. Cal made a good save on the first one, we scrambled and got it done, then we scored right after,” Arvidsson said. “It was a big momentum goal, but then they scored on the next shift.”
The Rangers had assumed control for the first time all night during a delayed penalty. They moved the puck with aplomb, setting up a one-time blast from the left dot by Zibanejad. Then Chytil controlled the bumper position and heaved a shot attempt that was blocked before Kakko tapped home a backhanded goal with 1:16 left in the second period.
“The first 10 minutes, it was two-nothing after that, so it wasn’t good at all. Then we started playing our game, and that’s what we can do,” Kakko said.
Nearly seven minutes earlier, Trocheck skated through three zones, drove wide against three defenders, cut to the inside and somehow flipped the puck over defenseman Drew Doughty’s shoulder and above Petersen’s head to knot the score at 2-2.
The Rangers had halved their deficit, scoring off persistent forechecking, 2:22 into the second period. Chytil dumped the puck in and ultimately collected the primary assist on Schneider’s third career goal and his first of the season, which came off a long, short-side shot through traffic.
Trevor Moore’s hat trick carries Kings past Oilers
The Kings had mounted a 2-0 lead with two goals in the first 6:01 of the match. That didn’t appear to bode well for the Rangers, who entered Tuesday’s game having won just one of the 10 games when their opponent scored first this season.
The Kings converted decisively on their first power play of the night. They won the initial faceoff at the 5:48 mark and 13 seconds later the puck was in the net. In between, they connected on two cross-ice passes with Doughty dishing to Fiala, whose seam pass bypassed Kopitar in the slot to find Vilardi on the backdoor for his team-leading and career-high 11th goal of the campaign.
Fiala rejoined the Kings’ top trio after skating on the third line since late October.
It took the Kings a mere 35 seconds to validate that decision, solve Shesterkin and gain the game’s first goal. Winger Adrian Kempe’s forechecking forced defenseman K’Andre Miller to rim the puck around the boards, where it was intercepted by Kopitar. He found Kempe for a shot attempt, which was blocked, but Fiala cashed in on a follow-up opportunity. Fiala paces the Kings in overall scoring with 21 points.
“Anze and Kempe had perhaps one of their better games lately, and that’s probably due to the fact that Kevin was there helping them out … it was just a different mix tonight, a different energy on that line,” McLellan said.
