A strenuous West Coast road trip began for the Vancouver Canucks as they landed in Southern California, ready to face off against their rivals in a four-game stretch and especially that night in Los Angeles. The Canucks (27-20-11) faced off against the Kings (31-17-8) in heated rivalry, which delivered an exciting game. The Kings had dominated at home this season, possessing a 19-3-2 record. The goaltending matchup featured David Rittich for Los Angeles and Kevin Lankinen for Vancouver. Defenseman Drew Doughty was ruled day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Ultimately, the Canucks defeated the Kings 3-2 in overtime.
First Period Highlights
The opening frame witnessed a slow but tense pace, as neither team wanted to make a mistake in the early period. After a few rough shoves from the Canucks, the referee stepped in to separate the players from escalating into a full-blown fight. At the 10-minute mark, Vancouver was up on LA in shots, 3-1. The Canucks struck luck with a wrist goal from Nils Hoglander, his fifth of the season. The period concluded with Vancouver leading 1-0.
Canucks Look To Extend Lead in Second
The Kings began the second period by playing catch up, while the Canucks attempted to extend their lead. With Los Angeles struggling to tie the game, an opportunity to score was presented in the form of a minor penalty against Jake DeBrusk for tripping Phillip Danault. However, Vancouver's penalty kill unit proved to be resilient, shutting down the Kings' power play and any scoring chance. At the 6:53 mark, Conor Garland found the back of the net for his fifteenth goal, increasing Vancouver's score. The Kings looked frustrated as both teams went to their locker rooms, with the Canucks leading 2-0.
Third Period Push
In the final twenty minutes, the Kings were determined to get back in the game and score a goal on home ice. Off their game tonight, the team seemed to be lacking energy and struggled to maintain possession of the puck throughout the first two periods. Los Angeles fought desperately to score a goal but Lankinen remained steadfast. Too many missed shots from the Kings led to a lack of putting pressure on the opposing goalie and breakaway opportunities. With ten minutes left to spare, Adrian Kempe netted a snap shot, bringing the Kings within one goal. Warren Foegele then tied it up with a late tip-in, with assists from Jacob Moverare and Jordan Spence. Vancouver and Los Angeles were tied 2-2 as they headed to overtime.
OT Means Extra Time
Overtime began with a heart-pounding start. Drew O'Connor received a tripping penalty against Kevin Fiala, but Los Angeles was unable to score. With 54 seconds left, Garland scored the game-winning goal as the Canucks defeated the Kings 3-2.