In the final game of their longest homestand of the season, the LA Kings picked up a 3-0 win against the New York Islanders on Monday night, with goaltender David Rittich earning his second shutout since Jim Hiller took over as coach.
Entering the matchup at Crypto.com Arena, the Islanders had won six games in a row, providing a tough test for Hiller’s group. The Kings were also coming off a disappointing loss to the Stars on Saturday, yet rebounded in a rather nice way; looking poised and controlling the play for most of the night.
Veteran-led offense was the theme of Monday’s tilt. Goals from Adrian Kempe and Phil Danault led the way, before Trevor Moore finished things off with an empty net goal.
PHIL MAKES IT
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Homestand Recap: The Kings collected a 3-1-1 record during their extended stay at home. It wasn’t glamorous at times, but seven out of a possible ten points is something for the Kings to be proud of and they’ll take any points they can get during this part of the season where teams are making their final playoff pushes.
5-for-5: LA’s penalty kill was again immaculate against New York. Not only did the Kings PK not surrender a single goal, they only allowed four shots when down a man. Success on the PK has been the most dependable aspect of LA’s game for the entirety of the season, often allowing them to have success even when the rest of the lineup is struggling. Although they had a strong all-around effort on Monday, the penalty kill once again played a huge role in the outcome.
Stat Sheet Takeaways: Defenseman Mikey Anderson, playing in his 250th regular season contest, played one second short of 19 minutes during Monday’s contest. Returning to the lineup after having missed nearly three weeks, Anderson slotted in to his familiar spot alongside Drew Doughty on LA’s top pair. The 24-year-old didn’t appear to be limited in any way; he had a physical game and was called upon several times when the Kings headed to the penalty kill.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Rookie Alex Laferriere recorded a career-best six hits vs. New York, surpassing his previous single-game high of four (2x, Last: Feb. 29, 2024, at VAN).
Stop It, Just Stop It: The last time the Kings ended a team on a winning streak of at least six games was Dec. 16, 2016 (Pittsburgh). And how did they do it? With a shutout.
Quirky Stat: Trevor Moore’s goal was his 25th of the season, making him the 13th different undrafted skater in franchise history to record a 25-goal season, and the first to do so since Wayne Gretzky in 1993-94. Yes, it’s true, the Great One was not drafted by an NHL team.
Danault Does It Again: When the Kings first signed Phil Danault via free agency, he had never scored more than 13 goals in a season. He now has scored at least 15 goals in each of his three seasons with the Kings, including 27 goals in 2021-22. He still has a chance to eclipse last year’s 18 goals given his current pace.
Hitting the Road: LA will head to the Midwest for a three-game trip beginning Wednesday in St. Louis. The Kings and Blues have split the season thus far with one win apiece. A back-to-back in Chicago and Dallas could be a tough test for LA, as they have yet to face Connor Bedard and have dropped the first two games of the season vs. the Stars.
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