Playoff implications were no secret heading into tonight’s game between the Utah Mammoth and the Los Angeles Kings. Utah, four points ahead of LA entering tonight, occupied the top Wild Card spot in the West, while the Kings sat one point behind the Nashville Predators for the second spot. Following a 4-0 win in Vancouver on Thursday, this was arguably the biggest game of DJ Smith’s tenure as Kings coach, and potentially the biggest game of the entire season.
And much like they have all season, especially at home, the Kings disappointed when the lights were at their brightest. Making the loss even more disappointing was the fact that LA actually got help from around the league. Nashville got hammered by Montreal 4-1, and the Seattle Kraken lost to Buffalo in a shootout, giving the Kings a chance to leapfrog into the playoff picture with a win.
With Crypto.com Arena packed and energized, Utah quit the crowd two and a half minutes in with a goal by Alexander Kerfoot. Once their momentum began, it could not be stopped, as the Mammoth outplayed the Kings both at even-strength and on the power-play. Two-power play goals and two-goal performances by both Kerfoot and Logan Cooley capped off the impressive showing. Mikhail Sergachev also totalled a whopping four assists, now totalling 43 on the season.
While the Mammoth had extremely impressive individual performances, the Kings had the opposite. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper was pulled after 40-minutes after surrendering 5 goals on 16 shots. Even veteran defenseman Drew Doughty had numerous miscues that led to Utah tallies, including a miscommunication and coverage error on Kerfoot’s second goal of the night.
“Definitely our worst game in the last three to four weeks. As big a moment as it is, we need more from our guys, and I’m one of them,” said Doughty postgame, taking some accountability for his and the team’s performance.
Head Coach DJ Smith was very blunt regarding the loss postgame.
“We had no legs, right from the get-go…we just simply weren’t good enough,” said Smith.
He added their slow start could have been due to it being the first game back from a long road trip, but ultimately doubled down on his message that their performance was not up to par.
If Los Angeles wants to make the playoffs, it must turn their home record around, as they get ready to host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday evening.