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The Los Angeles Kings earned their fourth straight win, taking down the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 today.
The only lineup changes were Carl Grundstrom and Arthur Kaliyev switching places in the bottom-six, with Grundstrom joining Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Laferriere, while Kaliyev moved down to the fourth line in his place. Meanwhile, Cam Talbot got the start.
Los Angeles came out strong with a couple good early chances, but did allow an early 2-on-1 that was stopped by Cam Talbot, before having to kill off a penalty. However, Los Angeles ended up with their own power play soon after, where Drew Doughty’s point shot went wide but Kevin Fiala got to the bounce off the boards and beat John Gibson from a bad angle, opening the scoring. Then on another power play only minutes later, Arthur Kaliyev ripped a shot past Gibson, quickly making it a multi-goal lead. Los Angeles went on to throw 13 shots on goal, as part of what was a pretty strong opening frame.
Then only about a minute into the second period, Vladislav Gavrikov sent the puck on net from the point, and it was tipped in by Quinton Byfield, extending the lead to three. Less than two minutes after that, Kevin Fiala drove down the wing and cut to the front of the net to drive past Gibson and score, making it 4-0 early in the frame.
Anaheim called a timeout from there, and we saw a fight between Andreas Englund and Sam Carrick after that, before a big scrum erupted following a bit of a dangerous slew foot from Frank Vatrano.
Then after John Gibson made a huge save on Pierre-Luc Dubois, Anaheim did get one back a little later off a slapshot from Radko Gudas that got through Talbot, cutting the lead to 4-1.
Adrian Kempe had a chance to re-extend the lead shortly after on a breakaway, but he was denied on a deke by Gibson, before the Kings had an unsuccessful power play late in the frame.
The Kings did manage to reinstate the four-goal lead early in the third period at 4-on-4 though, when Adrian Kempe found Anze Kopitar with a great pass for a one-timer goal.
However, Anaheim cut the lead down again later in the frame on a power play, with Alex Killorn taking a pass from Mason McTavish to beat Talbot. The Kings still cruised to the win from there though, picking up a 5-2 win.
It’s another really well-rounded win for the Kings for their fourth straight victory, as they stay perfect on the road at a 9-0-0 record to start the year.
Scoring keeps coming at a wild pace for Los Angeles, tied for the NHL lead in goals per game. The team continues to get contributions from the majority of the forward group, with five different forwards already reaching at least 16 points across the 18 games. Especially now with Kevin Fiala on the Danault/Moore line, and Quinton Byfield only getting better, Los Angeles has two lines capable of being really dominant any time they’re on the ice, not to mention a great bottom-six as well.
The Kings’ power play helped them get ahead in the first period, clicking for two goals as well. While they may have allowed their first power play goal in eight games, special teams continues to be a major positive for Los Angeles.
On a side note: what a hit from Adrian Kempe on Frank Vatrano in open ice. You don’t necessarily see Kempe playing overly physical often, but this was quite the surprise for a good, clean hit.
Another player deserving of praise is Jordan Spence, who had another assist today, sitting at eight points through 17 games. With the team getting so much offense from their forward group, Spence may be overlooked a little, but he’s helping to generate chances from the blue line. Despite a limited role on the bottom pairing, he’s keeping pace with the likes of Drew Doughty in terms of production, and he’s a player to watch as the season goes along, especially considering Matt Roy remains set to become a free agent next summer.
On the flip side, you’d like to see a bit more out of the third line, with Pierre-Luc Dubois having managed just three points over his last nine games. He looked good against St. Louis, and it’s not like the line hasn’t been getting their chances, but the results haven’t been consistent as of late. The Grundstrom/Kaliyev swap was also an interesting one, with Grundstrom providing a little more on the forecheck, though without Blake Lizotte already out, the fourth line seemed a little less impactful without Grundstrom as well.
Regardless, the Kings are playing great hockey. Led by their offense, it’s tough to find much to critique – the team is putting together consistent efforts just about every game, and while it’s early, Los Angeles looks like they could beat any team in the league with the way they’ve been playing.
They’ll be right back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Montreal Canadiens, as they kick-off a three-game homestand,
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
- Kings stay perfect on the road, extend streak with win over Golden Knights
- Kings' winning streak ends in overtime loss to Penguins
- Kings still looking to solve home-ice struggles
- Kings earn important home win vs. Panthers, Pierre-Luc Dubois injured
- Kings end homestand with win over Blues 
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