The Los Angeles will have an opportunity to sweep their two-game series against the Arizona Coyotes tonight, after winning the first game on Thursday by a score of 3-2 in a shootout.
The Kings had a really strong game and were able to control the play through a good portion of the night. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Los Angeles didn’t allow a single high-danger scoring chance in the first period and allowed just three in regulation overall. That said, Jonathan Quick had to make a pretty excellent save on Phil Kessel in overtime, before Gabriel Vilardi was the hero for the Kings in the shootout, picking a corner on Darcy Kuemper to secure the win.
The top-nine had a good game overall, though it was the line featuring Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Moore, who I had been praising in recent games, that was a bit quiet. Overall though, it was a strong effort from the forward group and it was good to see Blake Lizotte back in the lineup as well.
The Kings will have an opportunity to jump to a winning record tonight, if they can beat the Coyotes once again. According to LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley, Cal Petersen is expected to start, while Jaret Anderson-Dolan is out with an injury.
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Are you happy with Gabriel Vilardi's performance so far this season?