LA Kings: Three takeaways from Thursday’s win over the Avalanche

After three frustrating, one-goal losses to begin the season, the LA Kings have found their way into the win column in 2021.

Though they fell behind 2-0 to the Colorado Avalanche, the Kings came back to tie it with a pair of power play goals in the second period. Adrian Kempe then put home a beautiful pass from Anze Kopitar to give LA a late lead in the third, and Blake Lizotte added an empty netter to secure the 4-2 victory at Staples Center on Thursday night.

Here are three other takeaways from the Kings’ first victory of the season.

Takeaway #1: Jonathan Quick flashes vintage form

Jonathan Quick may have turned 35 on Thursday, but at times throughout the night, he made a few saves that reminded Kings fans of his younger self.

Colorado was really controlling the game late in the first period and early on in the second. Already down 2-0, the game really could have gotten away from LA at that point. But Quick made some huge saves to keep the Kings in the game and give them a chance to come back.

It may just be one game, but against one of the most talented offensive teams in the NHL, Quick showed he’s still capable of coming through with some huge saves when his team needs him to. It was one of the better performances the Kings have seen from him over the last few years. If Quick can get back to playing like this consistently, it would go a long way for them.