The Kings earned their 45th win of the season on Thursday night, surpassing last year’s win total of 44 games and coming within three victories of tying the franchise-high 48 wins set back in 2015-16. Wrapping up their four-game season series with their Freeway Face-Off foe, the Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks by a convincing score of 6-1. Earning seven of a possible eight points against the Ducks this season (3-0-1), the Kings now lead the Edmonton Oilers by four points in the standings with each team having four games remaining on their schedule.
It was a penalty filled game from both sides tonight as a total of 12 penalties were called. Special teams playing a vital role in the game’s outcome, the Kings struck for three power play goals on six opportunities. Opening the game with a power-play goal just 1:24 in, Jim Hiller’s personnel change paid immediate dividends. Going to a five-forward look with the absence of an injured Drew Doughty, Quinton Byfield, who was promoted to the top unit notched his 21st goal of the season after ripping a one-timer from the slot. Byfield received a pass from Andrei Kuzmenko and went five hole for the goal. Keeping the game scoreless the rest of the period, the Kings successfully killed off three Ducks power plays and the went into the first intermission leading 1-0.
The Ducks evened the game early in the second period and it was the red hot Cutter Gauthier. Entering the night coming off of back-to-back two-goal games, Gauthier beat Darcy Kuemper with a one-timer on a line rush to reach the 20-goal mark in his rookie season. Quickly responding like they’ve done so many times this season, the Kings retook the lead just 31 seconds later. After gaining possession in the offensive zone, Kuzmenko found Mikey Anderson on the blue line. Anderson found a shooting lane, released a wrist shot and the ageless wonder captain Anze Kopitar tipped Anderson’s shot, resulting in his 20th goal of the season. With the goal, Kopitar reached the 20-goal mark for the 14th time in his career. Next extending their lead to two goals, Kevin Fiala cranked a one-timer for the Kings second power-play goal of the game and his team-leading 11th goal on the man advantage. Not done scoring yet, Alex Laferriere added his 17th goal of the season with an impressive display of skill. First batting the puck out of mid air, Laferriere gathered the puck and attempted a shot in the slot. First whiffing on the original shot, Laferriere stuck with it and backhanded the puck through the five hole of Lukas Dostal as he fell to the ice. The Ducks would challenge the play for an uncalled high stick, but the goal would stand. The Kings led 4-1 after 40 minutes.
Further extending their lead 1:08 into the third period, Fiala buried his second power-play goal in the same fashion as his first. Set up by Kuzmenko’s third assist of the game, Fiala blasted another one-timer past Dostal for goal number 32 on the season, moving just one goal behind Adrian Kempe for the team. Closing out the game’s scoring was Jordan Spence, who also beat Dostal via the one-timer. Pocketing goal four on the season, Spence ripped a shot just inside the blue line off of a Phillip Danault pass.
Kuemper was stellar yet again stopping 24 of 25 shots. Kuemper’s performance further extends his streak of consecutive games allowing two goals or less to an astonishing 15 games.
