The LA Kings skated to their fifth consecutive victory, as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens by a 4-0 scoreline on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings held Montreal to just one shot on goal during the first period of play and collected the lone tally from the first 20 minutes, scored by forward Carl Grundstrom. Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois gained the offensive blueline with control, as he attacked the zone powerfully, before he fed the puck through the high slot to Grundstrom, who one-timed it home from the top of the right-hand circle for his seventh goal of the season.
Midway through the second period, forward Trevor Moore doubled his team’s advantage, as he buried his tenth goal of the season, tying him for the team lead. Moore’s goal came on a wraparound effort, as he tucked the puck in on the forehand past Montreal netminder Jake Allen. Dubois collected the secondary assist on the play, his second point of the afternoon, his first two-helper game as a King.
Just over three minutes into the third period, the Kings extended their lead to three goals through forward Trevor Lewis. Linemate Jaret Anderson-Dolan intercepted an attempted clearing pass from Montreal, turned the puck around the other way and fed Lewis in the low slot, where he buried his third goal of the season.
Shortly before the final media timeout of the afternoon, Moore buried his second goal of the game for an insurance marker that put the Kings ahead 4-0. Off a buzzing offensive-zone shift from his line, Moore took a pass from forward Kevin Fiala and his backhanded attempt from a sharp angle snuck inside the near post on Montreal netminder Jake Allen for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.
Hear from Grundstrom, Moore, goaltender Pheonix Copley and Head Coach Todd McLellan following today’s victory.
Carl Grundstrom
On the team’s commanding victory tonight
I think we played hard, we played 60 minutes tonight and didn’t give them anything for free. It was a good night for us
On the focal points from the group in today’s game
We stuck with ours game plan and kept playing with the puck, tried to play our game all the way in. I think that was key for us.
On a strong night from his line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Laferriere
I think we found each other better today, it usually takes a couple of games to get to know each other. I think today was was a good game for us.
On playing with Pierre-Luc Dubois and what playing with him opens up for him on the ice
Yeah, he’s really strong on the puck, so I justtry to skate and be open for him, to find lanes. He makes it easy [on us].
Trevor Moore
On a suffocating performance and how the Kings limited chances as well as they did
Yeah, I think we just kind of stuck with our game. A couple turnovers there in a second, but other than that, just shift after shift, we did what we wanted to do, stayed patient and got the win.
On getting production from throughout the lineup today
It’s crazy, it makes it easier on everyone, right, because you tilt the ice and it’s hard for them to get out of their zone and all that kind of stuff. It’s going good.
On Kevin Fiala’s level of play since joining the line with he and Danault
I think really highly of Kevin’s game, I think everyone does, the guy is so creative and even just listening to him talk on the bench, about what he kind of wants wants us to accomplish in the o-zone and the neutral zone, stuff like that, it’s pretty cool. It’s working out.
On seeing Pheonix Copley getting the shutout tonight
I think he gave us so much last year, so much stability and I never had any doubts that we were going to see some really good games out of him and it wasn’t like it’s his fault early. We’re happy to put some good efforts in front of him and he’s been rock solid.
Pheonix Copley
On the limitation of chances in front of him in today’s win
A lot of blocked shots, we limited their chances against, limited their zone time and as a result, we didn’t give up much.
On following up a strong performance on Monday with a shutout today
I just want to keep getting better and better. Regardless of what’s going on for me, I just want to stick to my game and keep building my game, so that’s big but more importantly, getting wins and keeping it rolling as a team is the most important thing.
On staying sharp throughout a game when his shot volume in the first period was so low
Yeah, that can be a challenge sometimes, when the guys are kind of dominating the play like that and playing so good defensively. As a goalie, you just have to roll with it, I can’t control the game that’s going to happen in front of me, you just have to be prepared for the opportunities when they come. So, it’s not always easy, but you just have to find a way to stay into it and stay ready when the shots come.
On winning two straight during a time when his starts haven’t been as frequent as last season
It’s kind of like the shot question, it’s kind of the same, just a little bit more time in between starts, so it’s just staying ready and getting my reps in in practice. I mentioned I’ve been working with Bucks a little bit extra, our goalie coach, and doing a little bit of extra work and trying to stay sharp, keep areas of my game where I want them. So, it’s just been staying sharp and being ready for the opportunities when they come.
Todd McLellan
Notes –
– Trevor Moore (2-0=2) recorded his team-leading third multi-goal game of the season which included his 50th and 51st career goals with the Kings. His 51 goals are the most by a California-born player with a California-based NHL team. Moore’s 11 goals on the year eclipses his 2022-23 season total (10G in 59 GP) and now has six points (4-2=6) in his last three games.
– Trevor Lewis (1-0=1) registered his third goal of the season for his 169th point (73-96-169) as a member of the Kings, one point shy of tying Mike Donnelly (87-83=170) for the seventh most points by a U.S.-born player in franchise history.
– Pierre-Luc Dubois (0-2=2) collected his fifth and sixth assists on the year for his second multi-point effort of this campaign. Dubois has eight points (2-6=8) in his last five games against the Canadiens, dating back to March 1, 2022 (w/ WPG).
– Kevin Fiala (0-1=1) notched his team-leading 14th assist for his 20th point this season (6-14=20). He is the second Kings skater this season to hit the 20-point mark, joining Adrian Kempe (8-12=20).
– Jaret Anderson-Dolan (0-1=1) recorded his first point of the season, while Andreas Englund (0-1=1) and Arthur Kaliyev (0-1=1) also picked up helpers.
– Pheonix Copley stopped all 18 shots faced for his first shutout of the season and third of his career. Copley is the first Kings netminder to have the Kings record at least one point during each of his first five decisions in a season since Darcy Kuemper (5-0-3) and Jonathan Quick (5-0-1) in 2017-18.
– The Kings improved to 10-0-1 on the season when scoring first.
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