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Coming off a shootout loss in their opening contest on Friday, the Kings were looking to find their way into the win column with a victory over the Coyotes on Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Rookie Faceoff. Despite another stellar performance from goaltender Jacob Ingham, LA once again fell short — falling 3-2 to Arizona.
Here are 10 Tidbits recapping Saturday’s events:
1. Andre Lee, Frankie Pinelli, and Alex Laferriere all sat out the game, in a pre=scheduled roster move. That didn’t stop Martin Chromiak from taking center stage, though. After the aforementioned trio stole most of the headlines on Friday, the Slovakian native made sure he coach Marco Sturm didn’t forget about him. With the game scoreless in period 2, Chromiak fed Aatu Jamsen with a pass and the latter fired home a one-timer to give the Kings a 1-0 lead.
2. Later in the second period, Chromiak benefited from a loose puck in the slot. He knew exactly what to, wristing a shot into the net to cut the Coyotes lead to 3-2. However, that was as close as the Kings would get. They had several chances in the final minute of regulation, yet the Coyotes held strong and didn’t give up another goal.
3. Back to Ingham, he played the first 40 minutes and stopped everything that came his way, other than a shot with the Kings defending a 5-on-3 disadvantage. Not too shabby for a goalie playing on back-to-back days and for the first time in about a year due to back surgery. Ignoring the wins and losses of the Rookie Faceoff tournament, Ingham has certainly raised some eyebrows this weekend with his impressive play. It will be interesting to see how Erik Portillo responds in Monday’s finale. One of the goalies will start with AHL Ontario this season, the other will most likely begin their 2023-24 campaign with ECHL Greenville.
4. Camp invitee Jacon Oster replaced Ingham in goal for the third period. He could possibly get another 20 minutes on Monday. However, with the extra rest (including a day off on Sunday), perhaps Sturm will go with Portillo for the full game.
5. One camp invitee who was strong throughout the game was forward Easton Armstrong. He was noticeable on nearly every shift, either causing havoc, shooting the puck, blocking shots, running over the goaltender – he did it all. The kid had hustle, which is exactly what somebody without a contract needs to show in these situations.
6. Penalties were a theme for LA, and not the good kind. There seemed to be an endless parade to the penalty box and it cost them — not only by giving up a few goals, but also in potential offensive zone time, as they spent much of the game defending.
7. Per the norm at this tournament, the Kings rotated the captaincy and alternates, with Sammy Helenius (sporting a fresh shiner from his fight on Friday) and Chromiak earning the honors.
8. On paper, the Kings should have a bit of an easier time with the Coyotes on Saturday compared to drawing them for their opening contest. Arizona’s top prospects, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley played in that first game, then departed Vegas to join the Coyotes charter heading to Australia. That didn’t stop Conor Geekie, though. He netted Arizona’s first two goals, both on the power play.
9. Shane Doan was a noted Kings killer during his playing days in Arizona. Thus, it didn’t go unnoticed to see Josh Doan wearing the C on Saturday. It may have brought back a few worrisome memories for several wearing LA polos in the stands.
10. Back to Jamsen… just saying.
Monday will be the third and final game of this year’s Rookie Faceoff. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30pm vs. the Anaheim Ducks.
In the meantime, an all-new Kings Of The Podcast episode dropped earlier in the day. If you missed it, be sure to click the link below.
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