- Kings beat the Capitals 5-2 for their first win of the season
- Adrian Kempe scored twice and Artemi Panarin had three points
- Read below for how LA erased a 2-0 deficit and what’s next on the trip
The Kings are finally on the board.
Los Angeles beat the Capitals 5-2 in Washington on Tuesday night for its first win of the season, snapping a six-game skid to start the year (0-4-2). Adrian Kempe scored twice, and Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists.
Washington looked in control early. Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson put the Capitals up 2-0 in the first period, and the Kings had scored just one goal in each of their previous four games.
Then came the final minute of the period. Kempe finished a 2-on-1 feed from Panarin at 19:27, and Panarin tied it at 19:58 after Mikey Anderson forced a turnover. Two goals in 31 seconds. Watch the Panarin tying goal:
Erik Gustafsson gave LA the lead 7:28 into the third period. The 34-year-old defenseman took the puck end to end on the power play, split two Capitals defenders and flipped a shot in off Logan Thompson’s glove. It was his first NHL goal since Jan. 12, 2025, after spending most of last season in the AHL with Grand Rapids.
Peter Laviolette was asked about the goal after the game.
“That’s a highlight type play,” Laviolette said. “It’s kind of old school. You go back and wheel it out of your own end and split everything up the middle and get behind.”
Kempe made it 4-2 at 11:35 off another Panarin feed, and Scott Laughton sealed it with an empty-netter. Check out the clincher:
Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves. He talked about how a winless start gets blown out of proportion.
“I don’t think it’s unusual for teams to go on losing streaks throughout the year, but when it’s at the start of the year, it gets magnified, and it feels a lot worse for us,” Kuemper said.
It was the first win behind the bench for Laviolette in Los Angeles, and No. 847 of his career. That puts him two shy of Ken Hitchcock for sixth all-time. The Kings had been the NHL’s only winless team before Tuesday.
There was one bad note. Quinton Byfield left after four shifts with an upper-body injury, and Laviolette said he will be evaluated Wednesday.
The Kings stay on the road for the second game of a five-game trip Thursday against the Islanders.
