The Los Angeles Kings picked up a second straight 4-1 win last night, defeating the Anaheim Ducks.
The win comes after the Kings took down the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, by the same score. After some really rocky games to start the year, it marks two very solid performances in a row for Los Angeles. For those interested, a full game recap is available below:
- ARTICLE: Ducks' offense falls flat in 4-1 loss to Kings
Defensively, the Kings have looked like a different team over the last two games, compared to the games in Buffalo, Ottawa and Toronto. They’ve been far more structured, and have really limited odd-man rush chances. They allowed just 14 shots last night, and fairly few of those were high-danger chances.
Drew Doughty’s absence has been felt more than maybe even expected, but I think there’s a bit of hope that the team could be starting to settle down in their own end. Joel Edmundson’s return also helped last night, but there's been a lot more buy-in over the last two games. The penalty kill has also been rock solid over the last two games, going 8-for-8.
David Rittich has really rebounded since his first outing against Toronto, with two good starts in a row. He’s stopped 40 of 42 shots in the back-to-back wins, and while he wasn’t tested a ton last night in Anaheim, it was a close game where a mistake could’ve been costly for Los Angeles.
I think Darcy Kuemper’s absence was a pretty big concern, with the netminder being placed on injured reserve. But so far, Rittich’s last two performances give hope that he can help stabilize the crease until Kuemper returns.
Offensively, the Kings managed 35 shots last night (bringing them to 66 shots over the last two wins), and switching up the lines also seems to have helped. They certainly had the better chances, and especially in the third period last night, were really starting to take over.
Both were mentioned in the last game recap article, but Alex Turcotte and Alex Laferriere continue to be two of the highlights for the team so far. With Laferriere, he solidified himself last year with his speed and forecheck, but his offensive ceiling was a little less clear. But at four goals in six games to start the year, Laferriere continues to look like he could make more of an impact this season.
It’s also been great to see Turcotte get a larger role, considering for a while it seemed like he may never really work out with the Kings as an NHL forward. But he's been one of the more consistent members of the forward group, and so far, the duo look like they could be poised to create a really well-rounded third line, alongside Warren Foegele.
Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe have led the way up front, and while Kevin Fiala’s start to the year has been a bit of a mixed bag at times, I think Fiala looked better last night. He’s managed 11 shots on goal over the last two games, and had some good chances prior to his empty netter against Anaheim.
At the same time, you’d also like to see more from Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore production-wise. While they were able to generate some opportunities last night, Trevor Moore has been held to a single goal this season (his only point), while Danault has just two assists. Both are pretty key for secondary scoring, so you’d like to see the production come along.
But Los Angeles looked good once again last night, and the hope is they’ve turned the page after the tough start. They’ve picked up eight of a possible 12 points with their 3-1-2 record, with a single road game remaining before their home opener. They’ll have a good test tomorrow night though, when they face the Vegas Golden Knights – the last two outings have been good, but now we’ll see if they’re able to sustain that momentum against tougher competition.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
- Are the Kings destined to be a middle-of-the-pack team this season?
- Darcy Kuemper shines as Kings sneak out win over Sabres in season opener
- Kings come up short against Bruins, fall 2-1 in overtime
- Kings suffer OT loss to Senators in wild 15-goal game
- Kings fall behind early, give up six goals in loss to Maple Leafs
- Kings take down Canadiens to snap three-game skid
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