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The Los Angeles Kings extended their winning streak to four games last night, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1.
It wasn’t a wildly eventful first half of the frame, and while the Kings did have the game’s first power play opportunity early on, they only managed one shot on goal. Vegas ended up having the better chances of the frame from there, with Cam Talbot notably having to make some nice saves in the final minute of the period to keep things scoreless after 20 minutes.
The game opened up a bit more in the second period, and the Kings came close to scoring with some chances off the rush from both Adrian Kempe and Arthur Kaliyev.
However, just over midway through the second period, Los Angeles did manage to finally open the scoring when Adrian Kempe buried a rebound off a point shot from Jordan Spence.
The Kings then had an opportunity to extend the lead on a power play only shortly after, and once again, Jordan Spence’s point shot led to the goal, being tipped in by Trevor Moore. While the Kings couldn’t convert another power play chance after that to end the frame, they got to intermission up 2-0.
Then only a couple minutes into the third period, Pierre-Luc Dubois managed to bury a bounce off the end boards on yet another Kings’ man advantage, extending the lead to three goals. Los Angeles did a great job from there, limiting chances for Vegas in third period and killing any chance of a comeback. While William Karlsson did get the Golden Knights on the board, a late empty net goal for Anze Kopitar – which marked the 400th tally of the captain’s career – secured a 4-1 win for the Kings.
With the victory, Los Angeles continues to ride a wave of momentum, extending their winning streak to four games. The Golden Knights are one of the clear contenders in the West aside from the Kings, and it was a good test to see that the Kings were able to take the play to Vegas when they’re at their best. The win also keeps Los Angeles undefeated on the road so far, with a perfect 7-0-0 record in away games this season.
The goals keep coming for the Kings, having scored at least three goals in 10 of their 12 games to this point. As of now, the Kings rank second in the NHL in goals per game, trailing only the Vancouver Canucks.
The top line keeps clicking for Los Angeles, as the team’s best unit last night. Special teams was a factor as well, with the string of power plays for the Kings from the end of the second period and beginning of the third period (where they capitalized twice), allowing Los Angeles to blow the game open.
Trevor Moore also scored again last night, bringing his totals up to seven goals and 12 points in 12 games. Moore remains tied for the team lead in goals, even with Anze Kopitar (with the captain scoring in the win as well).
It seems like I’m saying this in every game recap, but Cam Talbot was also once again very good when called upon. He made 37 saves in the win, and while not all of those were necessarily of a high calibre, he was key in keeping the game scoreless through the opening frame.
The game also marked the 300th of Matt Roy’s career. The blue liner has been a key part of the team’s defense group over recent years, and alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, the duo have formed a defensively-reliable second pairing. It’s going to be really interesting to see where things go after this season with Roy, given the defender is due for a new contract, but both Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke could be pushing for larger roles on the right side. Regardless, Roy is off to a good start this season and remains a big part of the team’s blue line.
The Kings will be right back in action tonight, as they return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM NOVEMBER
- Kings dominate in 4-1 win over Leafs
- Kings get past Senators to stay undefeated on the road
- Kings keep rolling with 5-0 win over Flyers
- 4 players who are exceeding expectations with the Kings early on 
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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