It’s been less than a month since the start of the season and the Los Angeles Kings took on the Chicago Blackhawks in their fourth afternoon game thus far.

It’s mind-blowing that the Kings, somehow lost 4-3 to the Blackhawks in a shootout. They dominated the entire game, barely giving the Hawks anything, but still blew a two-goal lead and then allowed Tyler Bertuzzi to equalize with 30 seconds left in regulation.

The Kings played exactly as they had to against the last-place Blackhawks to pick up two points. They were the better team in all areas of the ice, spent most of the game in the offensive zone with the Blackhawks on their heels and put the puck on net outshooting Chicago 40-21.

They were all over the place against the Blackhawks, but they just couldn’t find a way to extend their lead by more than two goals, which allowed them to stay in the game even though they didn’t generate anything substantial .

Kuemper’s late collapse cost Kings 2 points

This was one of those games where you could say the reason the Kings lost was because of the goaltending. They had a lead throughout the game, but the Blackhawks were able to come back, tying the game twice. It’s not that they allowed them to get back into the game, but it’s the fact that they were opportunistic.

Darcy Kuemper didn’t get much action throughout the game, especially in the first two periods, only needing to stop eight shots. The third period was where the Blackhawks started putting more pucks on net and it was a tough 20 minutes for Kuemper as he scored three goals on 11 shots. The way the Blackhawks scored their first goal and allowed them to build on something made it even worse. Nick Foligno’s weak, low-danger shot sailed past Kuemper and only in an act of desperation did he throw his gloved hand back, forcing the puck over the goal line. The second goal came from the top of the circle, Craig Smith’s clearance was too quick for Kuemper and he reacted too late allowing the Blackhawks to tie the game.

Related: LA Kings game notes: Complete 60-minute effort earns 6-3 win over Golden Knights

Although Kuemper’s third goal wasn’t great, he allowed the play to develop by not clearing the puck hard enough. He tried to get the puck around the boards, but couldn’t get past Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones and seconds later Bertuzzi found the back of the net.

Kuemper got lucky in overtime when Connor Bedard stripped all three Kings skaters, but ultimately hit the post. After all that, there was a shootout and he couldn’t buy a save. From the third period on, it looked like he was fighting the puck. He didn’t look comfortable or confident in front of the net and that showed late, especially in the shootout.

Laferrière leads the kings’ offensive

Nobody expected it Alex Laferrière to start this good start now with a team-leading eight goalstwo of which arrived yesterday. No matter where or who he plays with this season, he always manages to produce, create chances and, most importantly, put the puck in the net. He gets to the right areas and his shot placement was great. Whether on the first line with Kopitar and Kempe, playing with Turcotte or Byfield, or on the first power play unit, it’s not very often that we don’t find him on the scoresheet. With the way he’s produced so far, scoring 30 goals doesn’t seem that far-fetched.

“I really worked on my shooting this summer (…) I think this year you just have to be patient and try to find the open lane and yes, like I said, they are just going in now,” said Laferrière.

His two goals yesterday were due to the way he played. His first goal was the result of him finding that good zone and opening up on the power play, which allowed Anze Kopitar to find him all alone on the back door. Laferrière plays a complete game and his ability to track and return the puck has allowed him to score several goals this season. He did it again yesterday by starting the game by taking the puck away from Bertuzzi. This play allowed the puck to go the other way as he carefully tracked waiting for the puck to be dealt to him near the top of the left circle.

Laferrierre scores goals and he scores big goals in big moments. While there are a few players known for scoring but failing to find the back of the net, he is someone the Kings have been able to rely on to take over in the scoring department.

“He’s been our most consistent player for 12 games (…) right now he’s hot and he’s shooting well, finding good spots but his game is a complete game so it’s good that he’s scoring and we’ll take still goals for sure, but I just like the way he plays the game, he took a step forward,” said head coach Jim Hiller.

The Kings will have a busy week as they travel to the Midwest to face the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild before returning home to host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.