They rolled out their fullest lineup in weeks, against a fellow last-place team that was missing key personnel. And they were looking to build off a tightly played divisional game from earlier in the week.
Yet those ingredients went wasted in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at Staples Center. In a contest between teams with a combined minus-66 goal differential going into Thursday, the Kings came up negative again. They suffered defensive breakdowns in the second period in getting swept by a combined 9-2 score in the season series against Ottawa, without second-leading scorer Matt Duchene.