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Disappointment to Ecstasy: Kings win round 2 of Freeway Faceoff |
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That was a game the Kings needed.
Dustin Brown scored 1:32 left in regulation to tie the Anaheim Ducks then reigned supreme in the shootout to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in round two of the Freeway Faceoff.
Los Angeles badly needed this boost as they had lost seven of their last eight going into the game against Anaheim, including a 3-2 overtime loss to Arizona on Friday night.
“Confidence is a funny thing,” said head coach John Stevens. “When we were winning we had all kinds of it, and then I would call it more ‘spirit’. I think when you have success and the group has success, it really brings a lot of spirit to the group.”
“I think games like this give you a real understanding of how hard every night it is to win hockey games, and just the fact that we can’t have any passengers in order to win hockey games.”
Despite the win, there are still questions about the Kings offense as they have not scored more than two goals in their losing skid. This was an issue last season and have brought up some questions about whether things have changed this season.
“Maybe from the outside [concern over lack of scoring] with the goal scoring being down the last 10 or so games,” said Brown. “There’s been a lot of frustration in the room the last seven or eight games, but frustration because we want to be better, so I think that’s a good sign for us. When things have gotten tough, we’ve gotten more mad.”
With scoring being down as much as it has, the Kings got a much needed boost on Friday when Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup. The 35-year-old winger only got an assist against the Coyotes on Friday but he made an immediate impact offensively as another threat for teams to watch out for.
“The key now is- he’s ramped up to play a game- just to get him reloaded,” said Stevens on Friday. “I thought he skated will, I thought he wanted the puck, I thought he really competed along the wall hard, which is hard being out as long as he has.”
With Gaborik back in the fold, it gives Stevens a few options as far as lines go. Gaborik has a history with Anze Kopitar in their careers with the Kings. However, the line of Alex Iafallo, Kopitar, and Brown has had tremendous success all year, especially with the re-emergence of Brown as an elite NHL player.
What it can do is spread some of the offense out through the second and third lines. Adrian Kempe has not been contributing the way he was back in October, so giving him a veteran to play with could help spark him along.
Whenever Jeff Carter comes back, it will only make this team better.
To make room for Gaborik, Brooks Laich cleared waivers and was sent down to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Since then, the Kings have placed Laich on unconditional waivers with the intention of buying him him out.
As well, Torrey Mitchell wasn’t available for the Ducks game as there was a delay with his visa papers due to Thanksgiving.
As per usual, a game against the Ducks means some rough stuff. There were three fights in the first period, highlighted by Kurtis MacDermid’s pummeling of Mike Liambas. However, in a separate bout, Andy Andreoff was knocked down by one punch from Kevin Bieksa. Andreoff had to leave the game and he did not return.
The Kings will look to build upon their win as they travel to Detroit to take on the Red Wings on Tuesday. The Red Wings have lost four in a row, including three tough overtime losses so expect it to be a tight game.
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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