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The Los Angeles Kings continued their success on the road last night, defeating the Ottawa Senators 3-2.
The game also marked the first time Cam Talbot and Joonas Korpisalo faced their respective former teams.
The Kings managed to open the scoring early on a power play, where despite a few good saves from Korpisalo, Phillip Danault was able to bury a rebound in front.
Drake Batherson did nearly manage to tie the game right afterwards, getting a shot off from a good spot on an entry, but rang it off the crossbar. The Kings continued to get some good chances in a good first half of the frame though, and Quinton Byfield set up Adrian Kempe with a great pass, but Kempe hit the post on an open net.
Ottawa then had another chance to tie it on a power play later, where Drake Batherson walked right past Talbot but just as it looked like he’d float the puck into the open net, Vladislav Gavrikov managed to get his stick on it and deflect the puck out of play.
So after a pretty entertaining and eventful first period, the game still remained 1-0 through 20 minutes.
The Senators had some good chances early in the second period when starting the frame on a power play, but after they couldn’t convert, Anze Kopitar sprung Quinton Byfield on a breakaway with a good pass, but Byfield just couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Then only shortly after, Alex Laferriere set-up Kevin Fiala with a great chance on a one-timer, but he too was stopped on a good save by Korpisalo.
However, the Kings did finally manage to extend the lead five minutes into the frame, when Carl Grundstrom took a pass from Adrian Kempe on a rush to beat Korpisalo with a great shot. Then only four minutes after that, Anze Kopitar managed to bury a rebound that dropped down to him in front, extending the lead to 3-0.
The teams traded power play chances after that, and while the Kings couldn’t convert, Dominik Kubalik took a pass in the slot to beat Talbot with only 20 seconds to go in the frame, cutting the lead to 3-1 after 40 minutes. So despite the Kings putting together a great frame overall, Ottawa had a bit of momentum to end the frame.
Then four minutes into the second period, Anze Kopitar took a puck to the face, and as he was heading off the ice, Jacob Bernard-Docker wristed a shot through traffic to beat Talbot, making it a one-goal game.
Los Angeles had a few good chances to reinstate the multi-goal lead on a power play a little later but couldn’t convert, and Ottawa continued to press to tie it. Talbot had to slide over to make a big save on a rush chance from Brady Tkachuk, before Los Angeles had another late power play to try to secure the win but couldn’t convert. However, the Kings did a great job keeping the puck out of their end through a lot of the final two minutes of the game, on route to the 3-2 win.
With the win, the Kings remain undefeated through five road games this season, and now also hold a 6-1-1 record across their last eight games.
It was a bit of a chaotic opening period, with the teams both trading some great chances, and it was pretty shocking that it was only a 1-0 game through 20 minutes. However, the Kings really took over in the second period, and it looked like they could’ve run away with the game there. Overall, it was another really strong effort.
The top line continues to look great, with Quinton Byfield, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe driving a lot of the Kings’ scoring chances. Just between the trio, the Kings could’ve probably secured the win earlier in the game if they’d been able to bury more of their opportunities.
Cam Talbot is also starting to establish himself as a notable part of the team’s success, with yet another good start last night. He was tasked with making some good saves, and needed to be on his game, because Korpisalo was playing well at the other end. Especially coming against his former team (where he struggled last season), you can bet this win was was important to Talbot.
We're only 10 games in, but the Kings continue to look great so far this season. The effort hasn’t been a question, and the team is locked down defensively, really limiting rush chances from turnovers, which plagued them at times last year.
Los Angeles will be back in action on Saturday, when they face the Philadelphia Flyers.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM NOVEMBER
- Kings dominate in 4-1 win over Leafs 
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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