Kings Fall 2-0 to Golden Knights in 2024 Rookie Faceoff Opener…

The Los Angeles Kings opened the 2024 Rookie Faceoff with a 2-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.

Vegas took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play in the first period, with Mathieu Cataford setting up Jakub Brabanec for a goal, giving the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead after the first 20 minutes.

The second period was scoreless, though Kings forward Koehn Ziemmer generated two solid opportunities, including a 2-on-1 break and a chance down the left wing, both of which were denied.

Kings goaltender Erik Portillo had a strong start, stopping 10 of 11 shots before Carter George took over in the third period.

Vegas extended its lead late in the third with another power-play goal, as Braeden Bowman scored from close range, making it 2-0. Despite some late 6-on-5 chances for the Kings, including a one-timer by Ziemmer off a pass from Liam Greentree, they couldn’t find the net, leaving the final score 2-0 in favor of Vegas.