The Los Angeles Kings remain undefeated at home after a 3-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club after a win by the same score over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. After a scoreless first period by both teams, the Kings would break the tie with Brandt Clarke scoring a power play goal midway through the second period.
The Kings would be able to keep the pressure on and once again get some offensive production from their defense as Joel Edmundson pushed the lead to two. However, even though it seemed like the Kings were taking this game over and building momentum, Kevin Fiala would get a penalty for cross-checking that Utah capitalized on and cut the lead in half heading into the third period.
Once again it was the defense that came through, specifically Joel Edmundson, as he would score early in the third period to get the Kings that two goal lead back. The final goal of the night came from Utah as Logan Cooley would beat Darcy Kuemper.
It was once again a pressure filled closing minutes but the Kings were able to hold onto that one goal lead and now have a 5-2-2 record on the season. These are some other notes from today's game.
Kevin Fiala benched midway through the second
Kevin Fiala would be called for two penalties in this game with the second one proving to be more costly. The first penalty was in the first period as Fiala would go to the box due to interference in a penalty that was suspect (and became even more questionable later in the game when Utah was not called for essentially the same action).
However, the second penalty would occur in the second period as Fiala would head to the bench for crosschecking. It was a play that didn't need to be made and Jim Hiller certainly wasn't happy as that would be the end of the game for Fiala. He would not have another shift for the remainder of the game and be replaced by Quinton Byfield to finish out the second period and then Alex Laferriere through the third.
Penalties have been a big issue, especially when they happen in the course of the game for the Kings, so it isn't surprising to see Fiala get benched. The penalty in this game combined with the tripping penalty late against the Sharks on Thursday night, it seems like Hiller wanted to send a message.
Defensemen lead the way against Utah in a game of firsts
The Los Angeles Kings had three goals and all were from the defensemen in what was a night of firsts for Brandt Clarke and Joel Edmundson. Clarke got the scoring started on the power play and this would be the first power-play goal of his career. It would also be the first goal of the season for the former first round pick and his third career goal.
As for Joel Edmundson, he would score two goals in this game, and would be the first time in his NHL career that he had a multi-goal game. The two goals this season are already more than he had all of last season over 53 games and his first goal since December 20, 2023, when he was a member of the Washington Capitals.
Darcy Kuemper solid in his return for the Kings
The Los Angeles Kings also saw the return of Darcy Kuemper in today's game after missing the past five games due to a lower-body injury. The last time he was in the crease was against the Ottawa Senators in a game which he gave up eight goals.
DARCY 😱 pic.twitter.com/odvbtCenwj
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 26, 2024
He seemingly put that poor performance behind him but also the injury as he looked good against Utah with 23 saves on 25 shots. There is no question that Kuemper gives this team the best chance to win and if he can stay healthy, it would be a big boost for them.