Putting a blowout loss from earlier this week clearly in their rearview mirror, the Kings reverted back to what they are at their best — a strong defensive group. That dedication helped lock down a 2-1 victory for LA at the Prudential Center on Thursday night.
Outstanding goaltending from Kings goalie David Rittich, as well as Devils netminder Nico Daws, created a tightly-contested affair for most of the night. A late goal from Quinton Byfield, who continues to make his mark in the NHL, was just what LA needed to secure the victory.
The Kings controlled play and generated good chances the majority of the night – a stark contrast to when they’re off their game. LA was threatened by a late push from the Devils, yet solid overall defense and the aforementioned play of Rittich between the pipes (stopping 26 of 27 shots) sealed the two points. Anze Kopitar, playing on one of coach Jim Hiller’s revamped lines (with Byfield and Kevin Fiala) produced the team’s only other goal of the game, coming shorthanded in the second period.
With his 16th goal of the season, Kopitar has now scored a goal in three straight games against the Devils and has nine points (3G, 6A) over his last eight games vs. New Jersey.
PL Dubois, skating with Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere, looked particularly effective and engaged each period of play, picking up an assist with 16:10 of ice time.
Byfield Continues to Shine: The eye test would suggest the former second overall pick has been one of LA’s most consistent forwards throughout the season, and he also has the analytics to back it up. He’s looked strong on the top line throughout this season – building on the progress he showed toward the end of 2022-23. Being a consistent presence in the lineup and a mainstay alongside Anze Kopitar has helped him surpass his previous career highs in goals and points. After tonight, Byfield has 39 points (17G, 22A) in 49 games. He also has nine points in his past seven games. Overall, his 17 goals are tied for second among all Kings skaters and he sits fourth in team points.
Special Teams: All three goals in Thursday’s contest occurred on special teams, including the shorthanded goal from Kopitar and a game-winning power play goal from Byfield. Although the man-advantage for the Kings has looked sluggish as of late, a timely power play goal and killing 4-of-5 Devils power plays allowed them to emerge on the right side of the game’s special teams battle.
Arvidsson’s Return: The Swedish winger made his much-anticipated season debut on Thursday and slotted into his familiar position on LA’s second line alongside Trevor Moore and Phil Danault. This trio has had great success ever since being put together in 2021-22 and looked like they were ready to pick up right where they had left off as soon as the puck dropped. Arvidsson brings something that has been lacking from LA’s top power play unit for the entire season: he’s a right-shot forward. Hiller will likely hope that Arvidsson – who was perhaps LA’s most dynamic forward in his first game back – can kick-start the Kings mediocre man-advantage numbers. Carl Grundström and Blake Lizotte were placed on LTIR Thursday morning in order to clear room for Arvidsson. More info on those moves can be found in the link below.
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