In a tightly contested battle at Enterprise Center, the St. Louis Blues dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, extending their early-season skid to 3-2-1. What started as a scoreless, penalty-filled first period gave way to a gritty back-and-forth affair, but a late power-play tally from Adrian Kempe proved to be the dagger for the Blues’ faithful.
The game remained deadlocked at 0-0 through the opening frame, with both sides trading infractions—Justin Faulk sitting for interference and Corey Perry for slashing—but Jordan Binnington and Darcy Kuemper stood tall, combining for zero goals on limited chances. Shots weren’t detailed for the period, but the tension was palpable as the Blues looked to build on their recent form against a Kings squad desperate for a win.
Early in the second, the Kings struck first at 1:47 when Alex Laferriere capitalized on a backhand feed from Kempe, slipping the puck past Binnington to make it 1-0. St. Louis pushed back but couldn’t find the equalizer before the intermission, heading into the third trailing despite a fight that saw Jeff Malott and Tyler Tucker drop the gloves for five-minute majors at 13:42.
The Blues refused to go quietly. Just 2:18 into the third—and on the man advantage—defenseman Justin Faulk ripped a wrist shot from the point, assisted by Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, to knot the score at 1-1. The building erupted, but that momentum fizzled as penalties mounted: Brayden Schenn tripped up a King at 15:13, and Kuemper drew a tripping call himself with just 39 seconds left, handing St. Louis a late power play they couldn’t convert.
Overtime brought more drama. Pavel Buchnevich hooked up an LA forward at 1:26, gifting the Kings their second power play of the night. Kempe made no mistake, blasting a slap shot at 1:50 with helpers from Andrei Kuzmenko and Kevin Fiala to seal the 2-1 victory. The Kings outshot St. Louis 28-18 overall, showcasing their edge in puck possession, while both teams went 1-for-4 on the power play.
Binnington was stellar in defeat, stopping 26 of 28 shots (.929 save percentage) in 61:50 of work, but couldn’t bail out the team’s 5.6% shooting clip. Faulk led the Blues with a goal and three shots in 23:37, while Kyrou and Thomas each notched an assist. Schenn added three shots and won 11 of 17 faceoffs but took a tripping minor late.
For the Kings, Kempe was the hero with a goal and assist, tormenting St. Louis for 18:33. Laferriere’s tally stood as the opener, and Kuemper earned first-star honors with 17 saves on 18 shots (.944 SV%). Quinton Byfield controlled the circles (15-7) and fired three shots in a team-high 20:51.
The loss stings for a Blues team that’s shown flashes of the tenacity that defined their 2019 Cup run, but defensive lapses and special-teams woes loom large. They’ll look to rebound Thursday against the Central Division rival Colorado Avalanche.
