The Los Angeles Kings'difficult start to the season continued Thursday night as they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 at Crypto.com Arena. After jumping to an early two-goal lead, the Kings were unable to maintain their momentum, ultimately surrendering the lead and suffering their third consecutive loss.

The Kings started strong, with Warren Foegele scoring his first goal of the season within the first five minutes of the game. Foegele initiated the play with an effective forecheck, winning the puck and then burying a shot for the early 1-0 advantage. Shortly after, Kevin Fiala added to the Kings' lead, tapping in a pass from Quinton Byfield, making the score 2-0. Joel Armia also contributed to the goal, continuing his impressive performance in an elevated role.

Despite the Kings' strong start, the Penguins responded with four unanswered goals. Evgeni Malkin started the comeback with a power-play goal, followed by Connor Dewar who tied the game. Filip Hallander, playing in his seventh NHL game, scored his first career goal on a short-handed opportunity, giving the Penguins a 3-2 lead. Sidney Crosby sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

The Kings struggled with unnecessary penalties and leaky defense. The Penguins capitalized on special teams, scoring both a power-play and a short-handed goal. Kings' head coach Jim Hiller acknowledged the team is in a "funk". He highlighted missed chances and goaltending as key issues. Anton Forsberg, who made 22 saves, was in net for the Kings, with Pheonix Copley backing him up. Arturs Silovs made 30 saves for the Penguins.

The absence of center Anze Kopitar, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, forced the Kings to shuffle their lines. Additionally, starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper was also out with a lower-body injury.

Looking ahead, the Kings will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. The Penguins will continue their California road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.