The Los Angeles Kings were back on the ice after a few days off on Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks. Jim Hiller made some pretty big changes before their game against the Canadiens and kept those same lines against the Ducks.
While the Kings ended up with the same number of goals in this game that they had against Montreal, the flow of the game was very different. It didn't take that long for the Kings to score against the Canadiens with a goal in the first two periods before adding two goals in the third.
In the game against the Ducks, it wouldn't be until the third period that there would be any goals but once they started, Anaheim really didn't have much answer. The scoring started after Anze Kopitar sent a pass almost the length of the ice from deep in their own zone off the board that Adrian Kempe grabbed in stride and beat Lukas Dostal.
THE JUICE IS LOOSE pic.twitter.com/XsVyMV8M7r
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 21, 2024
Alex Laferriere takes advantage of big Ducks mistake
The second goal for the Kings would come about six minutes later when Alex Laferriere would capitalize on a poor pass by the Ducks in their own zone. He would intercept that pass and quickly beat Dostal on the near side.
Laferriere's goal was the exclamation point on a really good night for that entire line as he, along with Alex Turcotte and Warren Foegele, were the only group that was really giving the Kings any offensive chances early in the game. The Kings should focus on keeping this line intact as long as they continue to play like this.
The final two goals were empty net goals with Kevin Fiala extending the lead back to two goals after the Ducks had their first goal of the night with less than three minutes in the final period.
Grade for the Los Angeles Kings offense against the Ducks: B+
The third period was great and the Kings offense really took over, especially after Adrian Kempe's goal. However, these slow starts have become a trend and it is something that they can't afford to continue, especially with games against the Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club upcoming.