Matvei Gridin scored the go-ahead goal with 8:39 remaining and the Calgary Flames held off the Kings 3-2 on Saturday night.
Yegor Sharangovich had an empty-net goal and an assist, and Morgan Frost also scored for Calgary. Dustin Wolf made 29 saves, helping the Flames improve to 2-0-1 in their last three road games after winning just one of their first six away from the Saddledome.
Sharangovich’s empty-netter with 1:14 left gave Calgary a 3-1 lead. Mats Zuccarello scored his first goal for the Kings just 18 seconds later on a six-on-five advantage.
Wolf, a Northern California native who moved to suburban Los Angeles and then Orange County to participate in the Kings’ youth hockey program during his formative years, has won five of six games against them in his NHL career.
Joel Armia also scored and Anton Forsberg stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who lost five of seven games on their homestand. It concluded with four straight defeats in which they totaled six goals.
Frost converted Sharangovich’s pass off the rush with a one-timer from the right circle 2:13 into the second period. Armia tied it at 6:21 of the third with a wrist shot from the slot.
Gridin and Martin Pospisil created pressure in the offensive zone, leading to a turnover and Gridin’s one-timer for his sixth goal of the season at 11:21 for Calgary (9-10-1).
The Kings (5-11-2) did not have star winger Artemi Panarin in the lineup following the death of his grandfather. The Kings are 5-0-1 when Panarin has multiple points in a game and 0-11-1 when he does not.
Up next for Kings: at Boston on Tuesday.