3 takeaways from LA Kings 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks
The Los Angeles Kings were back in California for the first time in almost 20 days after starting the 2024-25 season with five road games. They were still on the road Sunday night but didn't have to travel nearly as far for a game against the Anahiem Ducks.
It would be a slow start for both teams but the Los Angeles Kings were able to take over early in the third period after a beautiful pass from Anze Kopitar to Adrian Kempe that completed the breakaway by beating Lukas Dostal through the five hole for the first goal of the game.
They wouldn't have to wait much longer for the game's second goal as Alex Laferriere could steal the pass and quickly beat Dostal. While the Ducks would get a goal late, it didn't matter as the Kings were able to secure the 4-1 win after Kevin Fiala and Mikey Andreson each added a goal on an empty net. They now enter their game against the Vegas Golden Knights with a 3-1-2 record.
3 takeaways from LA Kings 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings stay with almost the same exact lines
After a disappointing performance against the Maple Leafs, Jim Hiller made some big changes across all the lines. The immediate results were positive as the Kings looked much better against the Canadiens.
It certainly made sense to stick with those lines against the Ducks but there were a few changes with the return of Joel Edmundson. He missed the last two games to return to Los Angeles for the birth of his child but returned and once again was paired with Brandt Clarke, who was playing with Caleb Jones against Montreal.
The only other change is on the fourth line as Tanner Jeannot and Andre Lee switched sides with Trevor Lewis remaining at center.
Kings have to find a solve for these slow starts
While it wasn't a home game, it is the closest thing the Los Angeles Kings have had to one this season after five games in the Eastern Time Zone. While it is nice to be closer to home, it is worth wondering if the shift back to the Pacific Time Zone played a factor in what was a very slow first period.
The Kings would end up with six shots, one more than the Ducks, which is actually noteworthy because the Kings had to kill two penalties in that opening period. The first was a high stick by Trevor Lewis and then Kevin Fiala called for hooking.
While the time change could be a reason for a slow start, this has been a growing trend for the Kings this season. This dates back to their first game of the season where they didn't get into a rhythm into the third period against the Buffalo Sabres.
The good news is that similar to the game against the Sabres, the Kings were able to come away with the win but that hasn't always been the case as evidenced by the game against the Maple Leafs. This is something they need to fix.
Los Angeles Kings best line was clear against the Ducks
One of Jim Hiller's big changes to the lines was moving Quinton Byfield back to left wing with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, where he played last season. The subsequent move was to slide Alex Laferriere back to play with Alex Turcotte and Warren Foegele.
It seemed like this move was to try and get the top line going with Byfield back alongside Kopitar and Kempe but the best line against the Ducks, similar to the Canadiens, was Laferriere-Turcotte-Foegele. While Adrian Kempe got the scoring started for the Los Angeles Kings, this line made their presence known with a goal shortly after by Alex Laferriere that extended the Kings' lead to 2-0 in the third period.
They only accounted for one of the four goals when on the ice but they were doing a great job controlling the puck. They were definitely the most consistent for the Kings in giving them offensive chances on the night and there is no reason for Hiller to break them up.
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