In a city that was once a house of horrors for LA Kings teams, Jim Hiller’s squad rolled to a 4-1 win over the Canadiens on Thursday night. It was the team’s fourth straight win in Montreal — and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
After spending several weeks on the road, the Kings left Canada after the game with a respectable 2-1-2 record thus far this season. Holding six points after their first five contests is something nearly everybody would have signed up for, even if the way they got here was a bit ugly at times.
Starting for the second consecutive night, goaltender David Rittich stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced, earning his first win of the season.
Helping power LA’s offense were a pair of defensemen, Mikey Anderson and Andreas Englund, who both chipped in with a goal. Forward Alex Laferriere scored early in the second period and Adrian Kempe later added an empty-net goal to cap things off.
Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault stopped 28 shots and denied Kevin Fiala on a penalty shot.
After a day off on Friday, the Kings will practice in El Segundo on Saturday — where Hiller will likely tip his hand regarding plans to either leave Quinton Byfield at wing with Kempe and Anze Kopitar or return him to centering the third line. Against the Habs, Hiller had Alex Turcotte at 3C, which also caused Trevor Lewis to slide over from wing to 4C. For now, it remains unclear when Akil Thomas will draw in. However, LA’s bench boss continues to praise the work of Turcotte and rookie Andre Lee.
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