It’s still a 3-2 league?
In what was a very physical battle at Rogers Arena on Monday, the Kings came away with another two points against the Canucks.
Things began with 20 minutes that were similar to Saturday’s game against the Lightning, as each team looked fast and ready to play right from puck drop. After ending the first period tied 1-1, the Kings scored a pair of goals in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead entering the third.
LA did a decent job at locking the game down from there, despite surrendering a late to Brock Boeser, who continues to love playing against the Kings.
With the victory, LA prevented Vancouver from becoming the first team to clinch a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Additionally, after tonight’s win, the Kings sit only one point behind the Oilers (although Edmonton has two games in hand) for second place in the Pacific Division. Thursday night, the two clubs will meet up for a rather interesting tilt.
Solving Vancouver?: In recent memory, LA has struggled to match up against their longtime division rivals. The script has been flipped this season, however, as the Kings have collected points in all three games; including a pair of wins on Vancouver’s home ice. Since a playoff showdown between these two teams is a real possibility, finding ways to beat the Canucks is a positive sign for the surging Kings.
LA Scoring Race: In recent weeks, the Kings internal scoring race has become closer than ever. Entering Monday night’s action, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, and Anže Kopitar were all tied at 62 points. Kopitar has now temporarily jumped out ahead after a goal and assist vs. Vancouver. He’s once again reminder everybody it’s never worse to count out LA’s 36-year-old captain. After all, he’s led the club in scoring 15 times in his career.
FIALA OPENS UP THE SCORING
@LAKings I #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/ywhLlZMo7s
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 26, 2024
WE'LL TAKE THAT TWO GOAL LEAD@LAKings I #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/Xo41bDPT3A
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 26, 2024
More sLOVEnia: With his assist, Kopitar reached the 40-assist mark for a franchise-record 14th time in his career and is tied with Sidney Crosby for the most such seasons among active skaters. On top of that. Kopitar has now recorded 1,205 points in his career, tying Vincent Damphousse to officially enter the top 50 in scoring in league history.
Strength at Center: Depth at center has been talked about extensively this season, and it certainly paid off on Monday. Phil Danault and PL Dubois won 62% and 75% of their faceoffs on Monday night, respectively; while Kopitar and Blake Lizotte combined for two of the Kings three goals.
Stat Sheet Takeaways: A combined 70 hits on Monday further illustrates just how physical the game was. It also continued a recent trend for the Kings, as they’ve seen a sharp increase in physicality during their post All-Star break portion of the season.
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