National Hockey League
Los Angeles 2, Pittsburgh 1
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 18, 2024
Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Jean Hebert, Michael Markovic
Linesmen: Ryan Jackson, Brad Kovachik
Attendance: 18422

Adrian Kempe's second goal of the game, a short-handed tally late in the third, gave the visiting Los Angeles Kings a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

At 1-1, a turnover by Pittsburgh's Lars Eller led to a Kings two-on-one break. Kempe kept the puck and, from the right dot, shot it between the pads of Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry with 3:10 left in regulation.

The Kings have won three in row and five of six.

Los Angeles goaltender Cam Talbot got his first win since Dec. 23, making 29 saves.

Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins, who have lost four of five.

Jarry picked up his third straight loss, tallying 31 saves.

Both teams had their pregame routine altered, as the players were on the benches for an extended ceremony to retire former Pittsburgh superstar winger Jaromir Jagr's No. 68.

Jagr, 52, then joined the current Penguins team -- all wearing No. 68 jerseys and many wearing mullet wigs reminiscent of Jagr's early-career look -- for the pregame warmup skate, culminating in Jagr taking a couple solo laps and saluting the fans at center ice.

Crosby's 31st goal of the season gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 18:43 of the first, five seconds into a power play.

On a faceoff to Talbot's right, Crosby won the draw to linemate Bryan Rust. He fed it to Erik Karlsson at the left point. Karlsson walked the puck to the center point, then fed Crosby high in the right circle for a blast of a one-timer inside the far post.

After a scoreless second, Jarry preserved Pittsburgh's lead in the opening two minutes of the third with a blocker save on a point-blank shot by the Kings' Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Kempe, just after coming onto the ice, tied it at 13:49 of the third. From the right point, he one-time a feed from Drew Doughty at the opposite point. The puck nicked the skate of Pittsburgh's Rickard Rakell, changing the trajectory just enough to allow the puck to squeak between Jarry's pads.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Los Angeles   Pittsburgh
Adrian Kempe 2 Points Sidney Crosby 1
Adrian Kempe 2 Goals Sidney Crosby 1
Viktor Arvidsson 1 Assists Erik Karlsson 1
N/A Power Play Goals Sidney Crosby 1
Adrian Kempe 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Cam Talbot .967 Save Percentage Tristan Jarry .941
Cam Talbot 29 Saves Tristan Jarry 32
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Los Angeles 34 2 0-3 4-5 10 23
Pittsburgh 30 1 1-5 3-3 6 36
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Penguins have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .519 after a loss.
  • Los Angeles will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Kings have a W/L % of .615 after a win and .407 after a loss.