The game started out with the beaming smile from a 35-year-old who celebrated his 418th career goal like it was his first.
Ilya Kovalchuk’s face lit up as Drew Doughty and teammates joined him in the corner for Kovalchuk’s first goal with the Kings and first in the NHL since 2013. It could not have been much prettier: a backhand redirect of a patient pass by Doughty near the boards.
A couple of hours later Tuesday, Kovalchuk sat glumly at this locker stall after a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place.