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The Los Angeles Kings split their weekend back-to-back set, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Saturday, before coming up short with a 6-5 overtime loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets last night.
Against the Canadiens on Saturday, after withstanding some chances on a Montreal power play, the Kings went on to control the first period and opened the scoring midway through the frame, as Anze Kopitar buried a pass from Kevin Fiala. Then only 19 seconds later, Viktor Arvidsson took a pass on a rush to beat Jake Allen, quickly making it a 2-0 game. Los Angeles was able to hold off Montreal for a while with limited chances being allowed through much of the second frame as well (despite being outshot). In the third period, the Kings managed to extend the lead midway through the period, as Alex Edler’s point shot deflected in off a defender to beat Allen. Mike Hoffman did get Montreal on the board soon after though, wiring a shot past Pheonix Copley. Then later, Cole Caufield managed to beat Copley from a horrible angle, pulling Montreal to within a goal with a bit of time left. However, the Kings held on from there, and Adrian Kempe added an empty netter, leading to a 4-2 win.
Then last night, Los Angeles was without Drew Doughty, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Blue Jackets got on the board about seven minutes into the opening frame, as Kent Johnson made a great play to find Kirill Marchenko in front, who beat Jonathan Quick. Then on a power play soon after, Jack Roslovic’s shot was deflected in by Boone Jenner, extending the lead. The Kings weren’t outshot badly, but spent a lot of the period in their own end and exited the frame down 2-0.
The Kings came out better in the second period and got on the board five minutes into the frame, after Anze Kopitar took a pass in close and made a move to beat Elvis Merzlikins. Then only a few minutes later, the Kings managed to cause a turnover on the forecheck and while Carl Grundstrom couldn’t score off a chance in front, Blake Lizotte buried a rebound to tie the game.
Patrik Laine did put Columbus back ahead soon after, burying a one-timer on a 2-on-1. However, Sean Durzi made some nice moves for a zone entry and was able to find Jaret Anderson-Dolan coming down the wing, who beat Merzlikins to tie it up once again about five minutes later.
The second period scoring continued soon after though, and despite the Kings having a power play, they ended up giving up a rush the other way, and Jack Roslovic finished a nice pass to put Columbus back ahead. Then after Kevin Fiala took a bad penalty for playing with a broken stick, Roslovic scored off another one-timer on the ensuing power play, putting Columbus up 5-3 through 40 minutes.
The Kings ended storming back in the third period though, dominating the first half of the frame. About five minutes in, Merzlkins couldn’t locate the rebound off a shot from Sean Walker and Kopitar scored his second goal of the game. Then only 39 seconds later, the Kings managed to cause more issues on the forecheck and the puck ended up getting out to Adrian Kempe after a scramble in front, who roofed a shot to tie the game at 5-5. Things did even out a bit after that but neither team was able to convert and the game continued to overtime.
In the extra frame though, Patrik Laine made a nice move on a 1-on-1 to get around Durzi and while Quick made the save, the puck bounced back off Johnny Gaudreau’s glove in front, and in an effort to keep it out, Kevin Fiala ended up putting it into his own net. While there was a long review afterwards, it was ruled as a good goal, as the Blue Jackets took a 6-5 win and the extra point.
The back-to-back highlights more inconsistency from the Kings. They put together a really solid effort in Montreal, limiting the Canadiens to just 22 shots and not a ton of high-end chances. Last night though, while still only allowed 26 shots, there were way more quality opportunities given up.
I will say this, though: the Kings may be a frustrating team based on their inconsistencies, but their ability to score, while simultaneously giving up just as many quality chances against, has made for a lot of exciting games this year.
The penalty kill also continued to struggle against Columbus, only successfully killing off one of three penalties. Right now, it’s operating at just 71.6 per cent.
I’d imagine people will be quick to compare Jonathan Quick and Pheonix Copley since the call-up, but context is important. While Quick has allowed 11 goals over his last two starts and Copley has allowed just four goals over his two wins, the Kings have put together completely different efforts in front of them. They did a good job limiting chances in both Ottawa and Montreal, while their defensive efforts against Toronto and Columbus were poor at best.
While Quick’s .882 save percentage this season is brutal, I think it looks an awful lot worse than how he’s been playing, given how many chances he’s facing on a nightly basis. He hasn’t been great by any means, but he’s also not frequently giving up bad goals (as was the case with Cal Petersen).
The Kings are still 2-1-1 on the road trip overall, but the loss to Columbus did seem like a great opportunity to pick up points. They’ll be back in action tomorrow, when they face the Buffalo Sabres.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER
Kings earn important home win over Coyotes
Kings end homestand with 4-2 loss to Hurricanes
Big first period propels Kings to win over Sens in first game of road trip
Kings suffer blowout loss against Maple Leafs 
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