LOS ANGELES — In a marquee Saturday game against one of the NHL’s most star-studded teams, the Kings looked to be in control and headed for their 10th victory in March … until they weren’t.
A 1-0 lead heading into the third period rapidly crumbled as LA racked up penalty minutes and made a series of errors that will surely have the Kings’ heads shaking when they watch them back. In the end, Toronto managed to keep a slightly cooler head and will leave LA with its 44th win of the season in a tight race for the Atlantic Division crown.
A scoreless first period saw LA try to punch Toronto in the mouth early, with the Kings looking to advance the puck quickly into the Maple Leafs’ zone. LA completed some long passes up the ice and recovered multiple dumps that helped the Kings reach threatening positions, but LA didn’t manage to fire as many shots off as it would’ve liked.
The Kings’ pace slowed down as the period progressed and LA started to struggle to play out of their own zone. Still, the Kings managed to keep Toronto’s top scorers fairly quiet, with Leafs center John Taraves breaking his stick late in the period on a slapshot attempt—an ample metaphor for the two teams’ fairly toothless attacks. LA’s first power play came late in the frame, but the Kings totally squandered their man advantage by committing multiple turnovers that allowed Toronto to ice the puck and relieve pressure. LA head coach Jim Hiller attributed the dull power play to a lack of organization.
“I don’t think we got set up all that often,” Hiller said. “You’ve got to be set up to move it around to take your shot, so I didn’t think we probably had enough control.”
Yet, the second period began on a positive note for LA, as Alex Laferriere opened the scoring just under two minutes in, smoothly cutting from the boards on the right wing across Anthony Stolarz’s goal and firing a well-timed backhand to give the Kings a lead. The goal was Laferriere’s 16th of the season, but his first since a Feb. 22 game against Utah Hockey Club and only his fourth point in March.
The Maple Leafs still didn’t have much going offensively save for a dangerous-looking wrister on a breakaway from Bobby McMann, and heading into the final 20 minutes of play, LA seemed confident and in control.
But the train came off the tracks almost immediately in the third period, albeit in an unexpected moment. A hooking penalty on Tavares gave LA its third power play of the game, but Auston Matthews turned the game on its head by scoring a shorthanded goal to level the score. Darcy Kuemper denied the American All-Star’s initial breakaway opportunity, but Matthews led the charge to reclaim the puck in LA’s zone and tucked a wrist shot past Kuemper at the second opportunity. The referees had to review the sequence to see if Matthews had tapped the puck out of the air above his shoulders, but the goal ultimately stood, much to the delight of the many fans in blue and white jerseys scattered around Crypto.com Arena.
With the score level, LA struggled to chase a goal and committed multiple penalties that put the Kings in compromising positions. Shortly after Matthews’ goal, Andrei Kuzmenko went to the box to serve a delay of game penalty for LA, quickly followed by Drew Doughty tripping Mitch Marner, meaning Toronto briefly had a five-on-three advantage that may not have resulted in a Maple Leafs goal, but certainly set the tone for the Kings’ third-period struggles.
Having not tightened up their defense, Warren Foegele committed another tripping penalty while Vladislav Gavrikov and William Nylander were already serving two minutes, giving Toronto another power play midway through the third. With Toronto controlling the puck around the Kings’ goal, Kuemper saved a Matthews shot only to deflect the puck with his left leg straight to a lurking Tavares, who tapped in the rebound to put Toronto in a lead the Leafs wouldn’t relinquish.
JOHNNY JUBILATION!! pic.twitter.com/JrgSoS6Qln
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 30, 2025
After the game, Laferriere reflected on Toronto’s firepower taking advantage of its power play opportunities.
“If you look at their lineup, you know if [they have] a five on three, they’re probably going to score,” Laferriere said. “So, yeah, you definitely don’t want to give those guys much ice, and giving them that ice is detrimental.”
LA had about eight minutes left to work towards a goal and accumulated a lot of shots, but few of them truly threatened Stolarz’s net. Adding insult to injury for the Kings, while Kuemper was pulled from his goal, Marner lifted the puck high in the air for the Leafs to clear their lines, only for Kings captain Anze Kopitar to completely misjudge the flight of the puck and allow Tavares and score an empty-netter. With 1:25 left on the clock, the Kings had ample time to find an equalizer, but Kopitar’s lackadaisical defense permitted Toronto to kill the game and suck the life out of the stadium.
Between Kopitar’s late-game slip-up and the four minor penalties LA accumulated in the final frame, one can’t help but think the Kings shot themselves in the foot and needlessly surrendered a winnable home game against tough opposition. Thankfully, LA has a chance to rebound against the league-worst San Jose Sharks tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Los Angeles.