Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, left, and Kings left wing Tanner Jeannot go after the puck during the second period on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Kevin Hayes, right, controls the puck as he skates past Kings left wing Warren Foegele (37) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings center Alex Turcotte, left, reaches to defend against a shot on goal by Pittsburgh Penguins center Noel Acciari, right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) controls the puck away from Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor (10) battles for the puck with Kings defenseman Andreas Englund, left, as Kings goaltender David Rittich, right, defends the net during the first period on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings lost, 5-1. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) gets by Kings left wing Trevor Moore (12) for a shot on goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Kevin Hayes (13) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Kings, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor, front left, battles for the puck against Kings defenseman Andreas Englund, back left, as Kings goaltender David Rittich, center, defends the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings goaltender David Rittich (31), right wing Alex Laferriere (14) and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, third from left, look on as Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust, right, celebrates after a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor (10) passes the puck around Kings defenseman Jacob Moverare (43) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings left wing Tanner Jeannot (10) and Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Michael Bunting, right, battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the first period of a game against the Kings, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, left, and Kings center Alex Turcotte battle along the boards during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) reaches for a pass as Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic reaches to make a save during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings right wing Quinton Byfield, left, and Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Matt Nieto reach for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, left, and Kings center Alex Turcotte battle along the boards during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Blake Lizotte (46) controls the puck past Kings defenseman Andreas Englund during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor, left, gains control of the puck from Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) as center Cody Glass helps defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings goaltender David Rittich, right, blocks a shot by Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Anthony Beauvillier as Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (84) defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) controls the puck away from Kings right wing Quinton Byfield during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Kings goaltender David Rittich, right, blocks a shot by Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Anthony Beauvillier as Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (84) defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) controls the puck away from Kings right wing Quinton Byfield during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Anthony Beauvillier scores a goal past Kings goaltender David Rittich (31) as defenseman Brandt Clarke defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Matt Nieto,left and Kings defenseman Jordan Spence battle for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) controls the puck away from Kings right wing Quinton Byfield during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) is congratulated at the bench after scoring a goal during the third period of their game against the Kings on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
The Kings pay tribute to the Los Angeles Fire Department at center ice during an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Cody Glass wears a Los Angeles Fire Department cap while warming up before a game against the Kings, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
1 of 28
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, left, and Kings left wing Tanner Jeannot go after the puck during the second period on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
LOS ANGELES — On a night when the Kings honored first responders in a moving ceremony before the game, the brave men and women on hand hardly needed to spring into action as the Pittsburgh Penguins extinguished what little fire the hosts showed, 5-1, on Monday at Crypto.com Arena, snapping the Kings’ nine-game home winning streak.
Kevin Hayes, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Cody Glass and Anthony Beauvillier scored a goal apiece for Pittsburgh. Beauvillier, Crosby and Hayes each added an assist. Alex Nedeljkovic turned away 25 shots.
Adrian Kempe scored the Kings’ lone goal, with a two-man advantage. David Rittich had 27 saves in their first home loss since a 1-0 defeat to Buffalo on Nov. 20.
“I can probably count only five times that I’ve been disappointed with our team this season. Tonight is one, maybe the most,” said Kings coach Jim Hiller, whose team was playing its first home game since the devastating wildfires in the region. “I’m not going to make any excuses for (the emotion of the night). That should have been the opposite. Logic would tell you that it should have helped us, and not hurt us.”
The Kings lost consecutive games for only the fifth time this season, but two occurrences have come in their past five outings.
Their offense has been especially barren, having scored the fewest goals in the NHL since New Year’s Eve. They have produced two or fewer tallies in five of their seven games in 2025.
“I think it’s a little too early to say it’s a slump or say guys are squeezing, or those kinds of things,” Hiller said.
The Kings headed into the dressing room after 20 minutes down by two goals that were scored four minutes apart, at the 10:09 and 14:09 marks, and they never got any nearer to the visitors.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring with a power-play marker on which two of the Kings’ penalty-kill specialists were shown up by Hayes. He eased past Trevor Lewis and down the wall, skating to the net where his basic stop-and-go move shook Joel Edmundson before he scored in tight off Edmundson’s stick.
Crosby put the Penguins up by a pair with his dextrous deflection of Matt Grzelcyk’s knuckling point shot, bouncing the puck off the ice and by Rittich.
“Getting a couple [goals] was a good confidence boost. We generated a lot of good chances and we didn’t give up a lot against to do it,” Crosby said.
A defensive breakdown was the common thread between the first and third Pittsburgh goals, with the third coming at even strength, 8:26 into the second period. A near giveaway by Kris Letang drew all five Kings into the right circle. Three passes later, Malkin was sweeping the puck past Rittich to make it 3-0.
“(Malkin) was dancing there, he made a couple good moves. Eventually the puck found him again and he scored. He’s had a few nice ones here [in Los Angeles],” said Crosby, recalling that Malkin scored his first career overtime winner at what was then known as Staples Center back in 2006.
The Kings earned their first power play of the contest at 14:32, their second 53 seconds later and, 33 seconds later they produced their first goal of the game. A five-on-three situation enabled them to set up Kempe for a one-timer from the right circle that dented the post, and then a second that tickled the twine for his team-leading 23rd goal of 2024-25.
They retroceded that tally less than three minutes later.
Mikey Anderson’s neutral-zone giveaway led to a tempered, three-on-three counterattack. Glass slipped between both Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov, who had an uncharacteristically shaky night as a pairing, to redirect Hayes’ pass and regain a three-goal lead.
“It was definitely not our game tonight, from top to bottom. We didn’t get anything going, and even when we did with the power-play goal, they came right back and scored the fourth one, which, obviously, turned out to be a big goal,” captain Anže Kopitar said.
With 13:03 remaining in the match, Beauvillier padded the Pens’ lead, depositing the change knocked loose by Letang’s shot off a pass from below the goal line by Crosby, cementing the 5-1 final.
The Kings will next host the defending champion Florida Panthers before hitting the road for another five-game trek.
“We just weren’t good enough, that’s the bottom line,” Kopitar said. “Top to bottom, left to right, the game was not there. We’ve got to make sure that our game is a lot sharper and a lot better on Wednesday.”
