The Los Angeles Kings kept rolling in December with a quick two-game road trip, which also happened to be their annual Mom’s Trip. Their first game was on Dec. 8 in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth and concluded on Dec. 10 in Seattle against the Kraken.
Jim Hiller and the Los Angeles Kings get a couple of points in the standings vs. the East on the road this past week
Followed by a quick trip home on Dec. 13 against the Calgary Flames. Then they went on the road again for a three-game road trip that began in Dallas on Dec. 15 and concluded with back-to-back games in Florida against the Panthers on Dec. 17 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 18.
The flight to Salt Lake City was a fun one because the moms got to fly with their sons as part of the Mom’s Trip. It was a fun time for the players to be with their moms, who were a big influence on their hockey careers.
In Salt Lake City, the scoring began in the first period with forward Adrian Kempe scoring the tenth goal of his season, followed soon after by forward Joel Armia scoring his sixth goal of the season in the same period.
This gave the Kings a 2-0 lead against the Mammoth. The second period started with a power play goal by Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther only 34 seconds in. There was no other scoring in the second period. The third period was where the scoring picked up the most, with Anze Kopitar scoring his sixth goal of the season, which was eventually the game-winning goal.
Clayton Keller, forward of the Mammoth, later scored in the same period. However, Joel Armia scored his second goal of the game, an empty-netter, sealing a 4-2 victory for the Kings and their moms.
The second and final game of the Mom’s Trip concluded Dec. 10 against the Seattle Kraken. The first period started off as a defensive battle with no score for either team. The second period started off the same way until forward Jared McCann opened up the scoring for the Kraken about three minutes in, which was a power play goal against a struggling Kings penalty kill unit.
In the same period, Alex Laferriere scored the second short-handed goal of his career and his seventh goal of the season, tying the game. The third period began with Kings forward Kevin Fiala scoring his team-leading eleventh goal of the season on the power play, giving the Kings a 2-1 lead.
However, the Kraken tied the game again when forward Matty Beniers scored late in the same period with a power play goal, which resulted in the game going to overtime. The Kraken won in overtime with a power play goal one minute and twenty-one seconds into the period by defensemen Vince Dunn. Ending the Mom’s Trip on a sour note.
The Kings returned to Los Angeles for a quick home game against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 13. The game started off slow until Adrian Kempe opened up the scoring for the Kings in the first period with his eleventh goal of the season. In the middle of the second period, forward Blake Coleman of the Calgary Flames tied the game with a short-handed breakaway.
The score remained tied until the end of regulation, forcing overtime. Everyone believed Anze Kopitar scored the overtime winner for the Kings; however, after video review, it was waved off for kicking, so it didn’t count. Soon after, Morgan Frost scored, winning the game for the Flames.
The Kings then embarked on a three-game road trip that began on Dec. 15, where they faced the Dallas Stars for the second time this season. The first period was scoreless with no real chances. The second period started with a powerplay goal by Los Angeles Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko. Unfortunately, this was the only goal for the Kings. Later in the same period, Stars forward Matt Duchene tied the score at one-all.
The scoring for the Stars then rolled on in the third period with Oskar Bäck and Mikko Rantanen, followed by an empty-net goal by Wyatt Johnston to give the Stars a 4-1 victory. The game was not without controversy, however. In the first period, Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper was injured in a collision with Stars forward Mikko Rantanen.
The injury occurred during a Stars goal, which was disallowed due to goaltender interference. The injury, however, put Kuemper on injured reserve with no time set to return.
The Kings continued their road trip on Dec. 17 in Sunrise, Florida, to face the Florida Panthers for the second and final time of the season. The first period ended with a 1-0 lead for the Kings, thanks to a power play goal by forward Joel Armia. Unfortunately for the Kings, the scoring picked up in the second period with Panthers forward Anton Lundell scoring a power play goal, tying the game at one-all. In the same period, Carter Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers kept rolling with Sam Bennett scoring 10 seconds into the third period, giving the Panthers a 3-1 lead. In the same period, Kevin Fiala scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season, cutting the lead to 3-2. Sadly for the Kings, that’s how the game ended. Los Angeles Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller was optimistic when he gave remarks on the performance in Florida.
"So we didn’t go away. We came with some energy, with some compete. And if we can keep doing that, you just have to believe, I know we sound like a broken record. You just have to believe we’re gonna start scoring some goals."Jim Hiller
The next night, the Kings wrapped up their three-game road trip in Tampa to face the Lightning for the first time this season. The scoring opened up for the Lightning with a powerplay goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand near the final minutes of the first period which would eventually be the lone goal for Tampa Bay.
The second period gave momentum to the Kings with Adrian Kempe scoring his 12th goal of the season, tying the team lead with Kevin Fiala, knotting the game at one-all. Later in the same period, Kempe scored again with a backhand, giving him a team-leading 13th goal. This was also his first multi-goal game of the season. The game ended 2-1, and allowed the Kings to avoid getting swept on their road trip.
The Kings now return to Los Angeles for a three-game homestand with back-to-back games on Dec. 22 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dec. 23 against the Seattle Kraken. They then have a holiday break, with the action picking back up on Dec. 27 with the second game of the Freeway Faceoff against the Ducks.