Just what the doctor ordered.
The Kings defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2, picking up a much-needed win after three straight regulation losses.
Trevor Moore got the monkey off his back in a very big way; the forward notched his second career hat trick on Wednesday. Prior to this game, Moore had only one goal in his past 10 contests. He appears to be finding a high level of chemistry with PL Dubois (who assisted on all three of Moore’s goals), which is a good sign for coach Jim Hiller.
Seattle gained some momentum in the final frame and made the game close, but the Kings responded with a pair of goals of their own to seal the two points.
Wednesday’s showdown with the Kraken was a better all-around effort from the Kings than they showed on their recent road trip. Both the forwards and defense looked connected and appear to be building chemistry together.
For whatever reason, the Kings appear more comfortable playing with the 11/7 format, something that was necessitated by the absence of Phil Danault. Of course, however, they hope to get Danault back as soon as possible.
Stat Sheet Takeaways: The Kings only turned the puck over two times against the Kraken. Even as they’ve struggled of late, LA has played more comfortably with the puck and has had stronger defensive efforts. It showed once again on Wednesday.
Unselfish Hockey: Two of the Kings _ goals on Wednesday were the direct result of extended passing sequences. In recent games, the Kings were hurt by their preference to elect to pass the puck instead of getting opportunities on net. While they’d probably like to continue to develop more of a shooting mentality, the Kings moved the puck around nicely against the Kraken and played a large role in their win.
Headed Up North: LA departed for San Jose immediately following Wednesday night’s win. Thursday’s contest against the Sharks will conclude the final back-to-back for the Kings this season. Just like Wednesday, anything else than two points would be considered a disappointment. LA is still in the thick of a playoff race and matchup very well against San Jose.
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