Jordan Spence scored his first NHL goal, and captain Anze Kopitar added a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Saturday night.
Gabriel Vilardi ended a five-month goal drought, and Sean Durzi snapped a 29-game scoreless streak for the Kings, who secured their second win over the expansion Kraken this season.
Cal Petersen made 23 saves, helping Los Angeles solidify its hold on second place in the Pacific Division. The Kings have now earned at least a point in nine of their last 12 games. Despite the team’s limited playoff experience outside of a few core veterans, coach Todd McLellan emphasized the importance of these late-season games as preparation for postseason intensity.
“It’s called progress,” McLellan said. “We’re moving forward, so there is satisfaction in that, but it doesn’t end. We’ve still got to grow and move the needle forward. I kept hearing the term ‘meaningful games’ later in the year. … We’re getting that right now, and it’s a great thing for our team. This is the playoffs for us, and we’ve shown signs of growth during it, and it will have to continue for whatever we have left.”
Daniel Sprong scored for the second straight game since joining Seattle, while Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves in the Kraken’s debut in downtown Los Angeles. Morgan Geekie added a late goal with just four seconds remaining.
“That’s a hell of a team over there,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “They’re a big, heavy team. They’re hard to play against. They don’t allow any inside ice very easily, so you’ve got to work for your possession, and I thought we did that. I thought we worked our butts off for most of this hockey game. I want to go back and look at it, but I felt like we gave up too much off the rush.”
With defenseman Drew Doughty sidelined due to an upper-body injury, Spence and Durzi stepped up to provide unexpected offensive contributions from the blue line.
Spence scored late in the second period of his ninth NHL game with a long shot from the point that found its way through traffic and past Grubauer. The crowd gave a standing ovation to Spence, a 21-year-old defenseman who was born in Australia, raised in Japan, and drafted in the fourth round three years ago.
“It feels amazing,” Spence said. “Going into the game, I just wanted to focus on the simple things, trying to do the simple things on the ice in the O-zone and the D-zone. It was good to see that shot go in, and it was obviously an unbelievable feeling, and I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
Vilardi opened the scoring in the first period with a sharp deflection of a puck from Olli Maatta, marking his second goal of the season. The 2017 first-round pick had been dealing with injuries and playing in the AHL since shortly before Halloween, but he returned to Los Angeles seven games ago after strong performances in the minors.
“There were certain things in my game back in October that I wasn’t doing very well, specifically on defense, and I think I’ve improved on that,” Vilardi said. “It was nice to score, for sure. I feel like my defensive game has improved, but at the same time, I do want to contribute offensively.”
Kopitar extended the lead early in the second period, finishing off a rush with a goal set up by a long pass from All-Star Adrian Kempe to Alex Iafallo. This was only Kopitar’s second goal in 15 games, but he now has six points in the Kings’ last five games.
“They check hard, and there’s not a lot of room,” Geekie said of the Kings. “They’ve got some good veteran players and a good system.”
Sprong got Seattle on the board 2:12 later with an impressive solo effort for his second goal in as many games. He had also scored in Arizona on Tuesday.
The Kraken acquired Sprong from the Capitals on Monday in a trade for Marcus Johansson. The Dutch forward has quickly displayed the goal-scoring ability that was sporadic in his previous NHL stops with Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and Washington.
Durzi added a goal during a 4-on-3 power play, his first since January 13.
Doughty missed his ninth consecutive game for Los Angeles, but defenseman Tobias Bjornfot returned after a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
- A rematch in Los Angeles on Monday night.
