The Los Angeles Kings were back on the ice for the first time in about two weeks but were able to keep the momentum going that they had prior to the break. Before the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Kings had secured points in four straight games and were able to lock up two more on Saturday night against the Utah Hockey Club with a final score of 5-3.
It would actually be Utah that got the scoring started in the first period with a power play goal by Barrett Hayton but the Kings responded less than a minute later with Drew Doughty scoring his first goal of the season. In the second, it would once agian be Barrett Hayton with a power play goal but Kings tied it back up less than two minutes later with Kevin Fiala adding a power play goal of his own.
From that point forward, it was all Kings as Alex Laferriere added a goal to take the lead into the third period. Trevor Lewis pushed the Kings lead to two but Barrett Hayton would answer with another goal and secure a hat trick on the night. However, Mikey Anderson would score an empty net goal late in the third and put the game out of reach for Utah.
It was a good win for the Kings as they keep the momentum going into a big matchup Monday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. These are some of the top takeaways though from the game against Utah.
Return of the 11/7 alignment
For most of the season, the Los Angeles Kings utilized an 11 forwards, seven defensemen roster for games. However, when Doughty returned the team shifted back to a more traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen leading into the break.
On Saturday, it was back to the 11 forwards, seven defensemen alignment as the only two players inactive for this game was Akil Thomas and Kyle Burroughs. If there are no injuries, or any significant trades before the deadline, the Kings are probably going to be looking at this alignment for the rest of the season.
Brandt Clarke a non-factor even though he was active
One of the big questions coming out of the break was how Brandt Clarke might factor in with everyone healthy. When Doughty returned, Clarke was a healthy scratch for two games but returned to the lineup after Mikey Anderson suffered the finger injury.
Now with everyone healthy, Clarke was active for this game as the Kings went with seven defensemen. However, it was easy to miss him as he was basically a non-factor in this game. Clarke finished with only seven shifts and only 5:15 of ice time, which was easily the lowest of any players on the Kings.
The former first round pick is a very talented player and it is hard to believe that the team can't find a way to get him more than five minutes of ice time a night. It will be interesting if this is going to be a normal occurrence or if this game was just a one-time situation.
Drew Doughty carries over the momentum from 4 Nations Face-Off
While Clarke was a non-factor, Drew Doughty had his best game of the season and it really looks like playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off has helped speed up his recovery from his ankle injury. He did make his season debut at the end of January and while he was playing around 25 minutes every game, Doughty wasn't playing at the level fans have come to expect.
In the tournament though, Doughty seemed to hit that next level and played very well for Team Canada. That play carried over Saturday night as he would score his first goal of the season as well as add two assists (one of the assists came on a power play) to lead the Kings in points with three.
THAT'S THE 4 NATIONS CHAMP pic.twitter.com/P7EhNt45pL
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 23, 2025
For most of the season, the Kings did a really good job managing the absence of Doughty but with him now back, and playing at a high level, it is going to be a huge boost for this team.
Kings struggle with the penalty kill
The biggest negative from the game on Saturday night against the Utah Hockey Club was their penalty kill. The Utah Hockey Club would have two power plays and capitalized on both with goals by Barrett Hayton. This was a big reason the game was as close as it was and if Utah were to win, it would have been the deciding factor.
For most of the season, the Kings have done a relatively good job killing penalties as they are fifth in the league with a percentage of 81.9%. It doesn't feel like it is time to panic and could have been a tough night for this group but something to watch moving forward.