The Los Angeles Kings, despite a series of injuries and absences, are nearing another postseason appearance.
Pheonix Copley made 25 saves, and Sean Durzi, Carl Grundstrom, and Kevin Fiala scored to lead the Kings to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night. This win helped the Kings create more separation in the Pacific Division standings.
Durzi scored at 11:45 of the second period, capitalizing on a deflection that left the goal open. Grundstrom then stole the puck from Brandon Tanev and beat Martin Jones glove-side with 14:38 remaining to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Fiala sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds left, marking his 23rd of the season.
“I didn’t think there was a lot of ice for either team. Both teams played a very tight, smart game. There wasn’t space to make plays, and if you had a chance to get it to the net, you’d better take advantage of it,” said Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan. “Fortunately for us, we got the lead, and there would only be one or two tonight.”
The win likely dashed Seattle’s hopes of catching the Kings in the standings. Los Angeles is now eight points ahead of the Kraken with six games remaining, while Seattle has a game in hand. The Kraken’s likely path to the playoffs will be through one of the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference.
“It’s a really disappointing loss, but this group knows what it takes,” said Seattle coach Dave Hakstol. “There’s enough guys that have been here. They know what it takes.”
Copley faced few dangerous chances, with most of Seattle’s shots coming from a distance. However, he made crucial saves when needed, such as stuffing Eeli Tolvanen on a breakaway at the start of the third period and a sprawling glove save on Jordan Eberle during a delayed penalty against the Kings.
“We were working really hard in our (defensive) zone for the full 60, and I think that’s how we’re going to have to win games here coming down the stretch,” Copley said. “They’re gonna be tight games. They’re gonna be hard-fought battles. So I think that’s just kind of how we wanted to play defensively.”
Seattle capitalized on the penalty, with Oliver Bjorkstrand scoring on a rebound with 11:35 left for his 18th season goal. Copley made a key stop on Daniel Sprong with about five minutes left and withstood Seattle’s final push, leading to Fiala’s clinching goal.
Fiala, who had missed seven of the previous nine games due to injury, played a crucial role in the win.
“He had a huge game for us tonight, which doesn’t affect him. He’s still making plays and still controlling the puck,” said Los Angeles’ Alex Iafallo, who picked up his 200th career point assisting on Durzi’s goal.
Seattle goaltender Martin Jones made 16 saves, but it was a different outcome than their last meeting in late November when the Kraken won a wild 9-8 game in Los Angeles.
Game Notes
- Los Angeles D Mikey Anderson was scratched after leaving Thursday’s game against Edmonton with an undisclosed injury.
- Tanev skated in his 400th career game.
- Only two of Seattle’s seven remaining games are against teams currently in playoff positions, both against Vegas. Los Angeles has three of its six remaining games against likely playoff teams.
Up Next
- Kings: At Vancouver on Sunday.
- Kraken: Host Arizona on Monday.
