Kings right wing Samuel Fagemo, left, attempts a shot on goal as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar defends during the second period on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick deflects a shot off of his mask during the first period of their game against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche skates with the puck against Phillip Danault #24 of the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings right wing Samuel Fagemo, left, and Colorado Avalanche left wing Andre Burakovsky battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, below, deflects a shot as Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen, right, celebrates his goal with defenseman Cale Makar during the first period of their game against the Kings on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Colorado Avalanche celebrate a goal against the Kings in the first period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick waits for play to resume against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Andre Burakovsky #95 of the Colorado Avalanche skates the puck against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings right wing Samuel Fagemo, left, attempts a shot on goal as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar defends during the second period on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Trevor Moore #12 of the Kings skates the puck against Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper in goal against the Kings in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings center Anze Kopitar, right, reaches in on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kurtis MacDermid during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Arthur Kaliyev #34 of the Kings skates the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper makes a save against the Kings in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Kings celebrate a goal against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Kings celebrates a goal with Alex Iafallo #19 against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings center Anze Kopitar, second from left, celebrates his goal with right wing Dustin Brown, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Colorado Avalanche Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Brendan Lemieux #48 of the Kings and Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche skate for the puck in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper in goal against the Kings in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings left wing Alex Iafallo, left, attempts to score on Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, right, stops a shot by Kings right wing Samuel Fagemo during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper deflects a shot during the second period of a game against the Kings Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Kings skates the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Mikey Anderson #44 of the Kings is tripped by Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche in the third period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, left, falls as he tries to pass the puck while under pressure from Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings defenseman Sean Durzi, center, falls over goaltender Jonathan Quick, below, as he is pushed by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kurtis MacDermid during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Alex Newhook #18 of the Colorado Avalanche skates the puck against the Kings in the third period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Nicolas Aube-Kubel #16 of the Colorado Avalanche skates the puck against the Kings in the third period at Crypto.com Arena on January 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick sprays water on his face prior to a game against the Colorado Avalanche Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — A solitary penalty, a careless turnover and a blocked shot attempt that led to a goal by an unmarked player exiting the penalty box were among the mistakes that blemished the Kings’ effortful performance in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings out-shot Colorado handily, 41-27, but blights on their game led to a lopsided defeat. Colorado was playing its second game in as many nights, meting out minutes conservatively and deploying players for shortened shifts while taking five penalties.
“When you talk about mistakes, usually they’re in your net and of course we made a couple,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan, whose team lost its third game in a row. “The difference right now is that that team over there capitalizes on them, where it takes us an extra four or five chances.”
Center Anze Kopitar scored the Kings’ goal, while Jonathan Quick stopped 23 of 26 shots for his second straight loss and the third in his last four appearances.
Wingers Mikko Rantanen, Kiefer Sherwood and Nicolas Aube-Kubel scored for Colorado. Rantanen added an assist on defenseman Devon Toews’ goal, Toews’ 28th point in 27 games. Center Nathan MacKinnon contributed two assists. Darcy Kuemper surmounted a scare after he took a hit to the head in Monday’s victory over the Minnesota Wild. He made 40 saves on Thursday, nearly earning a shutout less than 24 hours after backup Pavel Francouz produced one against the Ducks.
Colorado has won 15 of its last 17 games and has now won eight of its last nine meetings with the Kings across two seasons.
“I think this was a real game, last year at the end of the year, it wasn’t a real game when we played against them. But we didn’t have a lot of the pieces that we have right now,” McLellan said.
With 1:35 left, a takeaway by MacKinnon and Rantanen’s quick pass to Toews led to an empty-net goal, putting the game in the refrigerator for Colorado.
Colorado’s third goal, just over four minutes into the third period, was emblematic of the game. At the end of a power play, defenseman Sean Durzi had his shot blocked by forward J.T. Compher, initiating transition for the Avalanche. Winger Logan O’Connor collected the loose puck and lofted it ahead for Aube-Kubel, who had just finished serving his penalty. His breakaway goal gave the Avs breathing room.
“The break between the second and third (periods) didn’t help us, it certainly helped them and they regrouped,” McLellan said. “Then the third goal really took a lot out of us because it was at the back end of the power play. Everybody’s yelling and screaming, and yet we didn’t have cover and maybe didn’t make the best puck decision either.”
The Kings threatened during the second period, including a whirling effort from winger Trevor Moore that set off a dangerous sequence. They carried a 34-15 advantage in shots on goal into the second intermission, but they also lugged a 2-1 deficit in tow.
Just before the nine-minute mark of the second period, the Kings got on the board with a power-play goal. Defenseman Drew Doughty’s slapshot created a rebound that winger Alex Iafallo located before making an alert pass to Kopitar, who popped the puck into the net for his 13th goal of the season. Kopitar has four goals and seven points in his last six games.
Just more than three minutes into the second period, Colorado scored for the second time in eight attempts on net off a blase giveaway. Kings winger Brendan Lemieux threw a blind backhand pass off the wall that squirted into the slot, where Sherwood rifled it in for his first goal of the season.
“We’d probably call it a bit of a hope play. (Lemieux) would probably like to have that one back,” McLellan said.
The Kings out-shot the Avalanche 7-1 to start the game, but it was Colorado striking first, just before the midpoint of the first period. Kings winger Carl Grundstrom, who played his first game since Jan. 1, took the Kings’ only penalty and the Avs capitalized on their lone power play.
Five players who average more than a point per night were on the ice together when defenseman Cale Makar’s touch pass set up MacKinnon’s seeing-eye shot from high in the zone that Rantanen tipped home. It was Rantanen’s 21st goal of the season and his fifth in as many games.
In their last three games, the Kings are killing penalties at a paltry 43 percent clip, allowing four goals on seven power-play opportunities. The Kings have allowed the sixth-fewest goals in the NHL at even strength, but they own the league’s fourth-lowest penalty kill percentage.
“I don’t have an explanation or we would have addressed it a long time ago,” McLellan said.
Center Quinton Byfield, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, made his regular-season debut. Sidelined by a broken ankle, then relegated to the minors and later hindered by a stint in COVID protocols, the 19-year-old Byfield played his seventh NHL game. He recorded three shots on goal, including a solid opportunity shortly before Colorado’s second goal.
“We talked about the explosiveness in his legs and the timing and the comfort with the puck,” McLellan said. “He showed all of those things today, a lot more than he did last year when he came up for those six games.”
