Some wrongs in life eventually get corrected. While the scoreboard showed 6-0 in Buffalo earlier this season, Kings coach Todd McLellan felt LA had played a solid game through 40 minutes. Monday night in Downtown LA, his squad made up for that previously disastrous period vs. the Sabres.
Adrian Kempe scored early in the second period, sparking an eventual 5-2 victory in the rematch.
As has been the case of late, the Kings penalty kill was also strong once again. They shutdown 4-of-5 man advantages by the Sabres. In net, goalie Pheonix Copley stopped 27-of-29 total shots on the night to earn his 17th victory of the season.
Overall, the Kings improved to 30-18-7 (67 points) and moved up to second place in the Pacific Division, leapfrogging Seattle. However, the idle Kraken have two games in hand on Los Angeles.
Three stats from the game:
– Per NHL PR, Adrian Kempe became the third skater in Kings history to record five straight goals, joining Luc Robitaille (2/4/92 – 2/6/92) and Tomas Sandstrom (11/22/90 – 11/24/90). The last to do so for any team was Jack Eichel with Buffalo (11/16/19 – 11/17/19).
– Kempe scored his second shorthanded goal of the season and eighth of his career. This tied Trevor Moore, Yanic Perreault, Glen Murray and Jari Kurri for eighth-most in franchise history.
– The Kings victory was No. 200 for Rob Blake as GM. In doing so, the Hall of Fame player became the fastest general manager in franchise history to reach that regular season milestone. In 427 games leading the club, Blake’s teams have amassed a 200-179-48 record.
Below are select highlights from Monday night’s game:
Additional Post-Game Notes:
https://twitter.com/BallySportWest/status/1625381858279030785?t=e8-X9XITaeplHJuHhzaeIw&s=19
Durzi on Copley pic.twitter.com/qWadXijZEO
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) February 14, 2023
Copley told me he isn't like some old school goalies; he's "all about" getting new gear. Loves new pads, new gloves, all of it.
And shated this re: his new mask… pic.twitter.com/hPgJ7YPCSM
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) February 14, 2023
Thoughts on Potential Jakob Chychrun Trade to Los Angeles Kings
Lead photo via ALo Images
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