With a 5-3 loss in Nashville on Saturday night, the Kings have now gone three straight games without a point for the first time this season. It’s not necessarily the loss that has concerns on the rise, it’s more the manner in which the defeat manifested itself.
Following Thursday night’s home loss — right before the team headed out of LA and was set to begin a six-game road trip – LA coach Todd McLellan was asked, ‘Do you have a goaltending problem?’
His response was as follows:
“Do we have goaltending problem? We have goaltending moments, but we have D moments and forward moments that don’t go our way.”
Without looping back with McLellan on that specific topic once again… the Kings officially have goaltending moments, D moments, and forward moments that aren’t going their way.
And it was all on full display vs. the Predators on Saturday.
Just 40 seconds into the game, Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley had already given up two goals. Not a good start, to say the least.
Whatever plans McLellan and the coaching staff had put together for the goalies on this road trip was out the window in less than one minute of playing time. In came veteran Jonathan Quick.
Sean Durzi scored before the first intermission to have LA trailing 2-1. Anze Kopitar assisted on that first goal and he did it again early in the second period, setting up Adrian Kempe’s marker that tied things up. Quinton Byfield added a third LA goal later in the middle frame on the power play and it appeared the Kings had taken control back. However, a myriad of meltdowns in the third period resulted in three unanswered goals by the Predators and now the Kings are left with several questions — beginning with who will start in goal for Sunday’s game vs. the Blackhawks?
Three stats from the game:
– This was the second time in Kings franchise history they allowed two goals in the first 40 seconds of a game.
Tonight was also the second time in Kings franchise history they allowed 2 goals in the first 40 seconds of the game
The other was March 28, 1982 vs the Oilers
Mark Messier (0:14) and Dave Lumley (0:24)— Blake Warye (@bwaryeofblake) January 22, 2023
– Kempe’s goal was his team-leading 19th goal on the year.
– It was Kopitar’s 10th multi-point game of the season and 121st of his career on the road. Only four skaters have more multi-point efforts on the road in club history: Marcel Dionne (175), Luc Robitaille (134), Wayne Gretzky (125) and Dave Taylor (123).
Below are select highlights from Saturday night’s game:
Additional Post-Game Notes:
Coach McLellan explaining the flow of the game @LAKings | #LAKingsLive | @CarrlynBathe pic.twitter.com/68TTaLatLb
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) January 22, 2023
Fox explaining what happened in the final period @LAKings | #LAKingsLive | @JimFox19 pic.twitter.com/Rt3Fja2uQw
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) January 22, 2023
Lead photo via NHL
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com