The Los Angeles Kings (16-13-9) and forwards Joel Armia and Adrian Kempe gave a good performance yesterday night (Dec. 29) against the Colorado Avalanche (29-2-7) in the game's opening frame in the first period and in clutch time late in the game on the road.
Scoring chances and points from Joel Armia gave the Los Angeles Kings late life in the third period vs. Colorado in a loss on Monday night on the road
Physically and on special teams on the penalty kill on 5-on-4 yesterday against the Avs, the Kings were very competitive and held their own in the defensive zone vs. Colorado in the West. A shorthanded goal on special teams on the penalty kill from Armia on an odd-man rush yesterday gave the Kings life in the final frame in the third period.
But the Avalanche converted on more opportunities and giveaways from turnovers that were costly that caused the Kings to fall short yesterday in the final frame in the third period by a score of 5-2 in Colorado on the road.
Kempe and Armia gave their thoughts and reactions to the media yesterday after the 5-2 loss on the road to Colorado in Denver in the West.
There were opportunities that Armia and the Kings had late in the game and in the middle frame in the second period on special teams on a breakaway for Kempe late in the second.
Here's a look at everything Armia and Kempe said to the media postgame following the Kings' competitive 5-2 road loss to Colorado on Dec. 29 in Denver at Ball Arena.
Adrian Kempe
On his thoughts from the loss last night vs. Colorado
"System wise, forechecking, effort, I think everything was there. I thought we played well. I thought we kept their top guys to minimal chances, I thought we played them really strong. Only scored two, obviously it’s tough to win games, we’re struggling scoring, so it’s obviously frustrating. Everything else, I thought was clicking pretty well tonight."
On how missed opportunities made a big difference last night vs. Colorado defensively and in the zone
"I think me, I had a breakaway there, Kopi had a couple chances, Perrs had an open net, they blocked, and then they come down the other way and scored on a not as good of a chance. It stings when you miss those opportunities. We’ve got to be better, personally, I’ve got to be better, bear down on our chances. I think scoring is the main issue right now."
On how the penalty kill played on special teams for the Kings yesterday
"I thought the aggressiveness was there. I thought everybody was back on the same page. We did all that stuff that we’ve been doing in the past, and went back to being a little bit more aggressive than we have been last couple of games. I think that worked out well for us and created momentum for us for sure."
On the impact Joel Armia had on the game for the Kings shorthanded vs. Colorado yesterday
"He's great. Every situation, power play, five-on-five PK. He's a threat every time he's out there, and he gets a puck. We were talking about it before going out there, and he took it, did it all himself. So that's something you have to be aware of if you're on the other side of it, and it's been great for us so far."
On any positive takeaways from the game
"If we weren’t playing well, obviously that would have been a bigger issue. Defensively, we’re still doing the right things, checking wise, effort wise, I think we’re still doing the right things. I think that’s the most important thing, that we’re still relying on our identity, all that kind of stuff. Hopefully the goals will start coming. That’s all I can say, but I think everything else was there."
Joel Armia
On his takeaways from the game yesterday vs. Colorado
"I think we played pretty good. Had a lot of chances to score, but just didn't, and they're a dangerous team. They don't need much to score. But overall, I think we played a solid game, but in this league, it's not enough. It's a hard league to play in."
On what made the difference in the game yesterday offensively for LA
"That's what it usually is like. When you get a chance, you need to just bear down and score goals, and I feel like if we put couple of those in the whole game is different."
On the shorthanded goal he scored on special teams yesterday
"I feel like I didn't get pressured that much. Just saw lane and try to take it."
On how the special teams played on the penalty kill yesterday vs. Colorado
"I think we were a lot more aggressive. We're at our best being aggressive and don't give them time to do any set plays or anything. So, yeah, I liked it."
On how the Kings can build from the past two games this past week
"Yeah, 100%. I think against Anaheim, everything was going in, and we showed what we can do, and they're a really good team, too. You just got to take all the positive with you and build from this."