Kings Defeat Panthers 2-1: Helenius Scores First NHL Goal

 

By Tim Haddock

 

Samuel Helenius scored his first NHL goal to spark a late comeback, and Adrian Kempe netted the game-winner as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1.  The Kings overcame a 1-0 deficit with third-period goals from Helenius and Kempe, snapping a two-game losing skid before embarking on a five-game road trip.  Coach Jim Hiller praised his team's resilience and the performance of the Kempe-Fiala line combination in securing the much-needed victory.

 

 

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Samuel Helenius scored his first NHL goal, Adrian Kempe scored his team-leading 24th goal, and the Los Angeles Kings rallied late to beat the visiting Florida Panthers, 2-1, at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.

 

The Kings were coming off a long road trip and a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at home.

Kings coach Jim Hiller used the S-word after the loss to the Penguins on Monday but wouldn’t admit his team was in a slump.

 

The win over the Panthers came at a good time. The Kings are headed on a five-game East Coast road trip that starts against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and needed a pick-me-up after a stretch of tough losses and close calls.

 

Down 1-0 in the third period, Helenius tied the score on a goal assisted by Tanner Jeanott and Jordan Spence.

 

It gave the Kings a boost and a reason to celebrate.

 

“I don’t think anybody expected Sammy to score his first NHL goal this season,” Hiller said. “It’s kind of special out there.”

 

Six minutes later, Kempe scored the go-ahead goal. He was playing on a line with Kevin Fiala, who assisted on the goal, and was a new look for the Kings.

 

“Before the goal, I thought we were going pretty good. It’s great to see. I thought that line was good all night,” Hiller said.

 

“I thought they had an impact. It was physical. They were competing.”

 

It was the first win for the Kings in three games. They went 2-3 on a five-game road trip, losing to the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken. The road trip ended with a 4-2 loss to the Kraken.

 

The Kings didn’t play much better when they returned home, losing in a blowout to the Penguins.

 

After the Penguins game, Hiller was asked about how his team was playing. He said even though he thought the team was playing well, it wasn’t winning. But the Kings also didn’t panic.

 

“We didn’t overreact and were probably a little bit tired coming back from that road trip,” Hiller said. “In the end, the points are what you need. Points are important. You don’t get much for second place. It did feel like we were playing good hockey. The points should come.”

 

Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves. The Kings scored two goals or fewer for the seventh time in the past eight games.

 

Kempe scored a goal for the fourth game in a row.

Evan Rodrigues scored a power-play goal for the Panthers in the second period to give his team a 1-0 lead.

 

Helenius scored the first goal of his career in his 25th NHL game. 

 

The Kings are 26-14 with five overtime losses after 40 games and in third place in the Pacific Division