LAS VEGAS — The Los Angeles Kings are off to a strong start in the 2025 preseason, improving to 2-0 with a 3-1 road victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. Goaltender Anton Forsberg, making his first appearance in a Kings sweater, stole the show with 32 saves, including several critical stops in the second period, to anchor the win.
Vegas opened the game with heavy offensive pressure, but an early slashing penalty to Ben Hutton swung momentum toward the Kings. Though LA’s first power play came up empty, just five seconds after the man-advantage ended, Taylor Ward buried a wrist shot from the left circle at 5:06 to give LA a 1-0 lead.
Brian Dumoulin and rookie standout Liam Greentree earned assists on the play, with Greentree collecting the first of two helpers on the night. Vegas nearly equalized midway through the first when captain Mark Stone rang one off the post. Initially ruled a goal on the ice, video review confirmed the puck never crossed the line, preserving the Kings’ advantage.
Forsberg was sharp throughout the frame, stopping 14 Golden Knights shots to keep LA ahead.
Forsberg Holds Strong
The second period saw more Vegas pressure, highlighted by another near miss when Reilly Smith clanged a shot off the post. LA struggled offensively early in the frame, going over nine minutes without a shot on net until Jared Wright finally tested Golden Knights starter Adin Hill.
Hill was replaced by Akira Schmid just past the midway point of the period, but Forsberg continued to be the story, turning away 11 shots in the frame. A late penalty to LA’s Henry Brzustewicz gave Vegas a chance to tie it before intermission, but Forsberg made five saves in the closing moments to preserve the one-goal lead.
Insurance and a Finish
LA doubled its advantage early in the third when Jeff Malott knocked home a rebound from in close at 7:57. The play was set up by Alex Turcotte, who fired the initial shot, and Greentree, who threaded the cross-seam pass. Turcotte, looking increasingly confident, has now recorded points in back-to-back preseason games.
Vegas quickly cut the deficit in half, with Viliam Kmec beating Forsberg just 41 seconds later. However, the Kings clamped down defensively from there, allowing only one shot on goal in the final six minutes of regulation.
With just over a minute remaining, Trevor Moore sealed the win with an empty-net backhander from center ice, capping off a disciplined third period for LA.
The next game for the Vegas Golden Knights is a preseason home game vs. the Utah Mammoth on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM PT.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
