NHL

Montreal Canadiens at Los Angeles Kings

· National Hockey League
Final
4 - 3

Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki lead Canadiens' late comeback for a 4-3 win over the Kings

Nick Suzuki scores goal for Canadiens

Jake Evans also scored and Jakub Dobes made 35 saves for the Canadiens, who salvaged the final stop of their three-game California road trip with a late surge led by their offensive stars.

Shortly after Slafkovsky tied it on Montreal's only power play, Cole Caufield forced a turnover that went from Slafkovsky to Suzuki for a one-timer that slipped underneath Darcy Kuemper’s arm.

Montreal had its NHL-leading 20th comeback victory one night after making a late rally — and then blowing a lead — in a wild 6-5 loss to Anaheim.

Alex Laferriere scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period for the Kings, who have lost seven of nine — including two of three under interim head coach D.J. Smith.

Scott Laughton scored in his debut for the Kings, who acquired the center in a trade with Toronto on Friday. Kuemper stopped 19 shots.

Captain Anze Kopitar opened the scoring with his seventh goal late in the first period. The Kings' 38-year-old captain, who is retiring this spring after 20 seasons with LA, ended his 21-game goal drought since Dec. 8.

Slafkovsky put Montreal ahead late in the second when he skated in off the boards. The 21-year-old Slovak's first goal since January was also his 50th point, making him the first Canadiens player to record three 50-point seasons before turning 22.

Los Angeles didn’t take a penalty until Trevor Moore went off for slashing with 5:53 to play, but Slafkovsky tied it moments later.

Phillip Danault got a lukewarm reception during his first game in Los Angeles since the Kings traded him back to Montreal in December. Danault had four solid seasons for the Kings, but then played 30 goalless games this fall and reportedly requested an exit.

Up next Canadiens: Host Toronto on Tuesday night.

Kings: At Columbus on Monday night to open a five-game trip.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 1-1

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 14:12 Anze Kopitar Goal (7) Tip-In, assists: Adrian Kempe (30), Artemi Panarin (43)
Goal 2nd Period 3:09 Jake Evans Goal (9) Slap Shot, assists: Kirby Dach (6), Zachary Bolduc (16)
Goal 2nd Period 15:41 Juraj Slafkovský Goal (22) Wrist Shot, assists: Nick Suzuki (52), Alexandre Carrier (13)
Goal 2nd Period 17:31 Scott Laughton Goal (9) Wrist Shot, assists: Jared Wright (1), Brandt Clarke (25)
Goal 3rd Period 6:44 Alex Laferriere Goal (16) Wrist Shot, assists: Brandt Clarke (26), Trevor Moore (10)
Goal 3rd Period 14:38 Juraj Slafkovský Goal (23) Slap Shot, assists: Lane Hutson (53), Nick Suzuki (53)
Goal 3rd Period 15:27 Nick Suzuki Goal (21) Slap Shot, assists: Juraj Slafkovský (29), Cole Caufield (27)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/mtl.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMTL https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/la.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLA
15 Blocked Shots 13
21 Hits 32
3 Takeaways 8
23 Shots 39
1 Power Play Goals 0
1 Power Play Opportunities 3
100.0 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
23 Faceoffs Won 22
51.1 Faceoff Win Percent 48.9
10 Giveaways 13
3 Total Penalties 1
6 Penalty Minutes 2
Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Andrei Kuzmenko, LW Injured Reserve Mar 6
Kevin Fiala, LW Injured Reserve Mar 6
Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Josh Anderson, RW Day-To-Day Mar 22
Kirby Dach, C Out Mar 17
Patrik Laine, RW Injured Reserve Jan 10

Game Information

crypto.com Arena

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,145 | Capacity:

2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Buffalo 44 20 95 7
Tampa Bay 43 21 91 5
Montreal 38 21 86 10
Boston 39 23 86 8
Detroit 38 24 84 8
Ottawa 37 24 83 9
Florida 34 32 71 3
Toronto 29 29 71 13

2025-26 Pacific Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Anaheim 39 27 82 4
Vegas 32 25 78 14
Edmonton 34 28 77 9
Los Angeles 28 25 73 17
Seattle 31 29 71 9
San Jose 32 30 70 6
Calgary 29 34 65 7
Vancouver 21 40 50 8
Full Standings