Quick Shines with 54 Saves But Kings Fall to Golden Knights in Double OT
- Updated: April 15, 2018
The Vegas Golden Knights have made the most of their home-ice advantage as they have taken a 2-0 series lead before their opening-round series with the Kings shifts to Los Angeles. However, to suggest that they had to earn both victories would be an understatement. That goes especially for Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena.
Entering Game 2 on Friday night, the Golden Knights were at an advantage, albeit a controversial one. Following their loss in Game 1, the Kings received news that their all-star defenseman Drew Doughty would be meeting the NHL’s Player of Development Safety department to discuss his hit on William Carrier. Unfortunately for Doughty, despite not having a prior reputation in addition to said hit being — or looking like — a routine one, he was suspended for Game 2. This meant that the Kings’ defensive corps, already depleted with the absences of Jake Muzzin and Derek Forbort, needed to step up their game if they had any chance to win.
On Friday night, the silver-and-black got off to an inauspicious start as Alex Tuch scored on the power play at 14:47 of the first period to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. The Kings, however, hung in there and it was their star netminder who stole the show.
Despite outshooting their opposition 25-12 through the first two periods, the Golden Knights were unable to get any insurance. This was thanks to Jonathan Quick‘s solid play but also the defensive unit in front of him.
Instead, it was the Kings who struck next, scoring their first goal of the series.
At 15:55 of the second, defenseman Paul LaDue took a point shot that thanks to a screen by Tanner Pearson, beat Marc-Andre Fleury to tie the game up. Dion Phaneuf assisted on the goal as did Michael Amadio, who recorded his first-career playoff point on the play.
From there, it was a back-and-forth affair with neither club giving an inch. Both the Kings and the Golden Knights had a plethora of chances to win but neither Quick nor Fleury were having any of it. Instead, the game went to overtime and, ultimately, the second one.
It was in the second extra frame — the 15:23 mark to be precise — where Vegas pulled away as Erik Haula beat Jonathan Quick in front to give the home team the win and put them up 2-0 in the series before heading to STAPLES Center for Game 3.
In a rare occurrence, the Kings were outshot, and significantly at that.
The Kings were outshot 56-30 overall, but it was Jonathan Quick’s 54-save performance that not only kept the silver-and-black at bay but gave them every opportunity to win. As mentioned, even the club’s defensive corps, despite being shorthanded, elevated their collective game. Alec Martinez, as expected, led the way in Doughty’s absence by logging 44:51. Additionally. rookie Oscar Fantenberg turned plenty of heads as he made the most of his 41:03 of ice time, dishing out eight hits and blocking four shots in what was a career night for the 26-year-old. As for the latter category, though, the aforementioned Martinez led the way with eight blocked shots.
If the Los Angeles Kings were looked upon to step up their collective defensive game, then they did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the Kings’ offensive unit was virtually invisible on this night. Yes, they had their chances and the aforementioned Fleury was on his game but with the likes of Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar in tow, the silver-and-black have been expected to light the lamp and so far, that has not been the case. Perhaps returning to Los Angeles will help spark the club’s offense but as of now, it has been disappointing, to say the least.
In the shots category, Dustin Brown led the way for the Kings with six shots while sharing a four-way lead with seven hits with Tyler Toffoli, Trevor Lewis and defenseman Christian Folin.
So, it’s onward and upward.
The Kings and their fans certainly weren’t happy about Drew Doughty’s suspension but they did make the most of a bad situation and should be proud despite the outcome.
It was a hard-fought effort but a disappointing loss. With that said, here’s hoping that home-ice advantage will benefit the Los Angeles Kings in Games 3 and 4 like it did for the Vegas Golden Knights in Games 1 and 2.
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