Panagiotis Mavridis Jonathan Quick earned career win #350 and Adrian Kempe’s hot streak continued as the LA Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Friday.
Was this a home game? It sure felt like it last night, as the LA Kings traveled to Honda Center in Anaheim and beat the Ducks 4-1.
With the win, the Kings hop over the Vegas Golden Knights for second place in the Pacific Division and now trail the Calgary Flames by just three points, however, the Flames have two games in hand.
From start to finish, the Kings were in the driver’s seat. They controlled play, dominated offensively, and it reflected on the scoresheet.
Carl Grundstrom scored the lone goal of the first period in his return to the lineup. It came off of a nice no-look pass from Quinton Byfield on the boards, which Grundstrom redirected into the net.
0-1 Grundstrom(7)-ASST: Byfield(1), Brown(16): https://t.co/q1ADMK65eL#LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/VtGyJ5Z12A
— Eric (@kingsgifs2) February 26, 2022
In the second period, the Kings just rallied, scoring three unanswered goals – including two by Adrian Kempe – to bring the score to 4-0.
Early in the third period, off a neutral zone turnover by Trevor Moore, Troy Terry got the Ducks on the board. That would be all the hosts would get as the Kings locked things down the rest of the game.
When asked about the hectic playoff race in the Western Conference, Kopitar made it clear that the Kings weren’t watching the standings, “we just want to stay in the moment and go game-by-game.”
Three takeaways:
1. Jonathan Quick earns his 350th career win
After Cal Petersen got the recent two games in net, the Kings turned back to Jonathan Quick, and he certainly held up his end of the bargain.
Quick stopped 24 of 25 shots that came his way, good for a .960 save percentage and 1.02 goals saved above expected (GSAx). He also drew two penalties, while taking one himself. Funny enough, the Kings scored on one of the two power plays that he drew, but also scored on the 4-on-4 that came from his own penalty taken.
350 career wins for @JonathanQuick32! 🙌🙌🙌@Yaamava | #MilestoneMoment pic.twitter.com/nQz9DyaZei
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 26, 2022
“I don’t think I have to say too much, we’re used to what Quickie does. Sometimes we get complacent with it because he’s so good back there,” Kopitar said in the post-game.
I have a feeling we’ll see Quick hit 400 by the end of his career in Los Angeles…
2. Kempe’s reign of terror continues
Is there anyone in the league that is hotter than Adrian Kempe?
The Swedish winger scored two more goals last night, bringing his total for the season up to 25. He now has multi-goal performances in three of his last four games.
We got you a replay of @AdrianKempe's 25th goal, free of charge. 🧃#YoureWelcome #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/2m5j2KN7A9
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 26, 2022
Kempe also managed an assist on Kopitar’s power-play goal in the second period.
He has been crucial to the Kings’ offensive success this season. Well on his way to eclipsing the 30-goal mark, the 25-year-old could end up tallying into the high-30s by season’s end.
3. Yawney steps up in McLellan’s absence
Todd McLellan was placed on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list just minutes before puck drop, which led to assistant coach Trent Yawney being elevated to interim head coach for the game.
Yawney earned his first win as a head coach since the 2006-07 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also got bragging rights taking down his former team in Anaheim, where he spent 2014-2018 as an assistant coach.
“It feels good, obviously. It’s a little crazy how Todd [McLellan] went down and nobody saw it coming, but Trent [Yawney] and Marco [Sturm] did a good job preparing us and being behind the bench for us,” Kopitar told media when asked how it felt to get Yawney the win.
It’s unclear when McLellan will return to the Kings’ bench.