The Los Angeles Kings are hoping to leave the state of Pennsylvania with a win after an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. On Thursday, the Kings have the Philadelphia Flyers and are able to get out to an early 1-0 lead.
While the Kings seemed to be in control for most of the first period, it didn't really amount to any real scoring opportunities. However, that all changed after Phillip Danault was able to find a streaking Kevin Fiala who was able to beat the defense and beat Aleksei Kolosov for the first goal of the game.
Oh my Kevin pic.twitter.com/7hSriDOXhl
— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 20, 2024
The goal tonight against the Flyers was the 11th of the season for Fiala and the first since he scored in the first game of this seven-game road trip against the New York Islanders. As for Phillip Danault, it was his third point in four games after a goal against the New York Rangers and an assist against the New Jersey Devils.
Los Angeles Kings have been great at getting an early lead
One of the things the Los Angeles Kings have done really well recently is getting an early lead. In fact, this is now the sixth straight game where the Kings have scored first dating all the way back to their last home game on December 7th against the Minnesota Wild.
While the Kings have won a majority of these games, it is far from a guarantee as they are 3-1-1 in those five games. The Flyers would actually respond shortly after the Kings go and at the end of the first period, the two teams were tied at one after Noah Cates beat Darcy Kuemper for Philadelphia.
For the Los Angeles Kings, the second period is where they can really distance themselves from the Flyers and take this game over. This season, the Kings have outscored their opponents in the second period while the Flyers have been outscored 46-27.