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A trip out east seems like exactly what the doctor ordered.
The Los Angeles Kings improve their record against the Eastern Conference to 11-3-0 as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Tuesday night.
More importantly, the Kings offense appeared to have ignited as their four goals against Detroit was only the second time since Nov. 7 that they have scored more than two goals. During that 10 game stretch, the Kings are 2-6-2 where the two wins are when they surpassed two goals.
“I think when we’re a good team, we’ve gotten some quality minutes out of everybody- three pairs and four lines,… said head coach John Stevens after the game. “We don’t know how good we are. We’ve got lots of work to do, but it’s nice to see us come on the road and stick with it.…
Detroit opened the scoring in the first period when Oscar Fantenberg aggressively went after Frans Nielsen outside his own blue line. Nielsen then passed to a streaking Mike Green to set up a two-on-one with Luke Glendening where Green faked out Jonathan Quick with a pass and shot it past him to open the scoring for the Red Wings.
Halfway through the second period, the Red Wings thought they were going to get another goal when Dylan Larkin was alone in the slot, but Quick probably made his best save of the year to rob him. With Quick and unable to see the puck, he stuck out his blocker and knocked down Larkin’s shot.
With two minutes left in the period, Dustin Brown stepped out of the corner and threw it on the Detroit net and beat Jimmy Howard to tie the game. For those counting at home, Brown now has 10 goals, just four back of his total from last year.
Stevens was quick to point out after the game that if it was Quick’s ability to keep them in the game, it could have turned out quite different. Quick in the end stopped 23 of 24 shots to get the victory.
“If you make a mistake and get scored on, especially if a young player makes a mistake, it can really magnify what just happened out there,… said Stevens. “But if we can make a mistake, get a big save and just kind of correct things because your goalie made a save, I think it’s a little easier to move on.…
After the Brown goal, Anze Kopitar scored with seven seconds left in the second period and then Adrian Kempe scored within the first minute of the third period to take a 3-1 lead and have all the momentum to end the game.
Kopitar, who added a second goal in the third to get the 4-1 score, has been enjoying a renaissance after not living up to his usual offensive expectations. His two goals on Tuesday gives him 12 on the season, equaling his 2016-17 total.
“Last year was just a lot of hockey played even before the season with Olympic qualifiers and the World Cup and all the travelling I did,… explained Kopitar. “So I was pretty tired going into the season and things just did not go [the way I wanted them to].…
“I’m not trying to find excuses for last year, but I just had a bad year. I’m not looking back and looking ahead, we want to keep this rolling.…
Coming up next for the Kings they have a back-to-back with Washington and St. Louis on Thursday and Friday. The Capitals are coming of a five day break in the schedule and will be looking to build on a three game winning streak. The Blues have won four of their last five games and take on the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.