The LA Kings looked to wrap up their road trip on a high note and go into the All-Star break with momentum, and that’s exactly what they did as they took down the Detroit Red Wings, 5-3.

It was the Kings’ second and final meeting with the Red Wings this season. They went 2-0-0 and outscored them 9-3. LA also outshot them 87-46 in that same span, showing that it’s been quite lopsided in these meetings.

It was a feisty matchup, with two fights and a total of 30 penalty minutes between the two sides. Despite the feistiness after the whistle, there didn’t seem to be much physicality, with the Kings recording a season-low six hits while Detroit had 23.

This 13-day break between games will give the Kings the opportunity to get Matt Roy back and hopefully allow Mikey Anderson and Alexander Edler to progress in their rehabilitation.

The MAD line’s dominance continues

The LA Kings’ most beloved line of Trevor Moore, Phil Danault, and Viktor Arvidsson continued their dominance last night as they combined for a total of three goals and six points, ultimately giving the Kings offense on an otherwise weak night from the other lines.

Phillip Danault recorded his third two-goal performance of the season and was oh-so-close to a hat-trick, hitting the post on the empty net late in the third period.

Although Danault may get a lot of the credit, I think we should focus on Arvidsson’s game as well. He was crucial in creating the chances and driving the offense, especially on Danault’s second goal, where he got and maintained the puck along the boards before sending it up to Moore for the 2-on-1. He finished with a goal (the eventual empty netter) and two points.

“It wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be,” Danault laughed on missing the hat-trick empty net opportunity in the post-game presser with media. “I think it’s more iconic for me to get two and Arvidsson to score too.”

All three forwards finished with an expected goals rate of above 62%, according to MoneyPuck.

Austin Strand with a multi-point performance

Who had Austin Strand recording – TWO – points in their pre-game predictions last night? Stop lying.

Seriously though, Strand looked very solid. He had two assists, created offensive plays, and got the puck to the front of the net, which helped result in some goals.

He had four shots on goal, one hit, and was second on the team in expected goals percentage (xG%) with 82.96%.

Is he going to be in the lineup when everybody is healthy? Probably not, but it’s nice to see that these depth options from the taxi squad and Ontario can step in for short periods of time when needed and do their job.

Great end to a great road trip

Todd McLellan was not shy to let the media know how proud he was of the team to conclude the road trip, as they dealt with the adversities of being on the road for 10 days.

“It was a hell of a team effort tonight and on that whole road trip. That was a good trip, that was an excellent trip,” McLellan told media post-game. “Outstanding trip, really, when you think about it. The buildings we had to go in, the length of time we were on the road. Dealing with variables that all teams deal with, not just us, we’re not special, but the ability to chip in on the backend. It was a really good trip, the guys deserve the time off now.”

It’s great to see the coaching staff go out of their way to show appreciation for how the team battled on the long road trip. They came up with results, not just effort. It’s a massive confidence booster going into the second half of the season.

The LA Kings are off until February 15. We’ll see where they are in the standings with several other Western Conference teams playing make-up games.

Rasmus Kupari returned to Ontario; Wolanin, Strand officially recalled

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