Thanks again, Devils – LA Kings

One of my favorite traditions of any Kings game is when the part of the national anthem that goes “oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave” is sung, the Kings banners wave up on the jumbotron. As they were playing the Devils today that seemed even sweeter – thanks for the first Stanley Cup Champions one Devils! And thanks for the game, we’ll take those two points.

It was fitting too that the Kings honored Rogie Vachon, the first King to have his jersey retired, recent Hall of Fame inductee, and all around stand up guy. He still holds the record for the Kings ‘winningest’ season, where they had 105 points and only lost 17 games the whole season.

Period one was a snooze fest. The Devils had 4 shots on goal. 4. And they scored on their second shot, 3:38 in. It appeared to be an easy shot to stop, and it didn’t help that almost immediately following Jordan Nolan got an offensive zone penalty. In a move shockingly similar to last game Tyler Toffoli had a shorthanded breakaway but didn’t have the happy ending Jeff Carter’s did, and the Kings remained a goal behind. Thankfully it didn’t set the Kings on their heels too much, and they continued in their steady rhythm. Again it was the chemistry of Dustin Brown and Nic Dowd that stood out, as did the play of That 70’s Line.

The second period was much more interesting, and for once, in a good way! I do hope this is a trend that keeps up, where instead of shutting down in the second, they seriously wake up. (It was an afternoon game, perhaps they was still asleep during the first period?) Dowd, Brown and Devin Setoguchi had an extended (and that word is less generous than it should be – it was a good 90 seconds) shift with great puck movement and pressure that led to the Kings equalizing goal. Alec Martinez, who’s slapshot can usually be counted on in clutch times, found it’s way to the back of the net quite easily. A Kings power play followed (seemed to be a theme, goals followed by penalties) which of course, considering the Kings streak lately, didn’t go anywhere. The Devils almost took the lead again in a particularly scary moment that wasn’t Budaj’s finest hour, but a strong defense in front of him kept it tied. Tanner Pearson put the Kings in the lead with 1:40 remaining in the second (so close to a McFlurry!) with a shot from the left circle that saw nothing but net.

51 seconds into the third Carter gave the Kings their insurance goal when he snuck his own rebound straight through Corey Schneider’s legs; beautiful doesn’t quite describe it. It was the end of the Kings dominance, as they saw their 22-9 shot count even up around 25 before long. It didn’t help that Dwight King was called for a penalty, and it seemed Budaj was being called upon to cover up a lot of loose pucks in scrambles by the Kings net. With 2:32 remaining one of those gave the Devils the life they needed, and they came within 1 of tying the game. They came so close to forcing overtime, and perhaps would have with Schneider pulled; instead, the Kings pushed the advantage and scored on the empty net. Jake Muzzin was credited with the goal, but credit Dustin Brown for streaking down the ice after it, stopping any Devils players also chasing after it from being able to stop the puck’s momentum. All said and done the Kings won 4-2. They showed some solid chemistry on most of their lives, though potentially having Anze Kopitar back in the lineup tomorrow against the Ducks won’t be unwelcome.

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