Manor Just The Facts: Kings Not at Their Best vs. Stars, Still Beat Another Top Team

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If one of the signs of a good team is being able to win games when not at your best, the Kings are looking pretty good right about now.

Yes, coach Jim Hiller’s squad has now picked up four straight victories. However, they had to fight their way back for a win in Anaheim after coming back from the Thanksgiving break a little sluggish. On Wednesday, they were outplayed for at least the first period of a home game vs. the visiting Stars. Perhaps critics bemoaning the Kings struggling against a weaker opponent in the Ducks, were equally impressed when LA took down their second Stanley Cup contender in about a week’s time.

“The Anaheim game, as much as we got outplayed, we still had to go out there and win the third period and we did that, so that was the job,” said Hiller. “I’ve been on plenty of teams and had plenty of nights where you go out and lose, you play well and you lose. In the end, you’ve got to find a way to win, and I thought that’s what we’ve done here the last three games, is found a way to win in the third and you don’t just get lucky. You’ve got to earn it. If you’re not working, you’re not going to win.”

Trailing 0-2 after 20 minutes to Dallas, the home team regrouped at intermission and struck early after returning from the break. In his 250th career game, Tanner Jeannot put his team on the board. Later in the middle frame, Joel Edmundson got a lucky bounce and tied things up.

Right off the faceoff…

🚨
Edmundson from Burroughs

(Won't type that often)

Kopitar with an apple too

<5 min remaining in P2

Kings tie it 2-2

— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) December 5, 2024


“Big goal, we needed that,” Hiller said of Jeannot finding the back of the net. “He also has some good hits on the forecheck, we saw that too. That’s a big, strong, talented team and he’s the kind of guy that in those games, you need to step up. You’ve got a special presence to you, that has to be exposed in a game like that.”

Once again, the team rallied during intermission. Early in the third period, Warren Foegele — who has rather quietly been one of the Kings best forwards this season — scored an impressive wraparound goal to give LA their first lead of the evening. It eventually stood as the game-winner, with goalie David Rittich standing tall in net, stopping all 17 shots he faced over the final 40 minutes of regulation.

Lineup Notes: Trevor Moore remained on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, temporarily bringing some stability to the rotating door that has been LA’s LW1 position. The most significant change came on the fourth line, where Alex Turcotte played alongside Sammy Helenius, leaving the Kings with only 11 forwards. Hiller opted to go with seven defensemen for the first time this season, getting Kyle Burroughs his first action in quite some time. Why go 11+7 in this particular game? It’s something Hiller addressed during his postgame scrum (see video below).



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