Was it a trap game? Pretty much, yes.
After solid wins over Vegas and Colorado earlier in the week, coach Todd McLellan was looking to go 3-0 since Christmas. His Kings players didn’t help him achieve that goal.
Unfortunately for veteran defenseman Alex Edler, that also meant his 1,000th NHL game came in a 4-2 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
Three stats from the game:
— Coming into the New Year’s Eve matchup in Downtown LA, the Kings had allowed five shorthanded goals. Meanwhile, the Flyers had already bagged six shorties. Tack on another in each of those categories now, as Philly’s Noah Cates scored the go-ahead goal while the home team had a man-advantage in the third period.
— The Flyers had given up the game’s first goal in 25 of 36 games prior to arriving in LA. They did it again Saturday when Adrian Kempe converted on a one-timer at 9:46 of the first period. The Kings were 13-3-1 when scoring first, but that record didn’t help them in this one. They’ve now lost four games this season after being first on the scoreboard.
— Franchise icon Jonathan Quick appeared in his 22nd game of the 2022-23 season. He now holds an 8-9-4 record after going 1-3-2 in December. His lone win came on December 1 against Arizona.
Below are select highlights from Saturday afternoon’s game:
Additional Post-Game Notes:
All @LAKings players had special nameplates in the locker room tonight, honoring Alex Edler in his 1,000th @NHL game…#NiceTouch pic.twitter.com/wgAFygwRAv
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) December 31, 2022
Kopitar postgame pic.twitter.com/pT6rmN450l
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) December 31, 2022
Edler on 1000 NHL games pic.twitter.com/AAajAKUyPt
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) December 31, 2022
McLellan talking like Trevor Moore won't be back for more than a week.
Wonder if a move to IR is coming.
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) December 31, 2022
McLellan said LA didn't have what was needed to win today. They didn't have energy or the details in their game, & weren't connected early in the game.
He also liked the jump Byfield had in his game… And qualified that this came after he didn't have much ice time vs Avs.
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) January 1, 2023
McLellan on LAK PK pic.twitter.com/jEua0hMI0B
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) January 1, 2023
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