In a game where their defense did everything right, the Kings’ inability to capitalize on prime scoring chances proved costly, wasting a chance to steal momentum in Denver.
In what was one of the wildest games we've seen so far in the postseason, the Los Angeles Kings entered Game 2 in Denver in what was as big a game for the Kings, looking to tie the series 1-1.
As it turns out, LA suffered a heartbreaking road overtime defeat after a back-and-forth effort, resulting in a 2-1 loss. The Kings were exceptional on defense, led by Anton Forsberg, Mikey Anderson, and Mathieu Joseph, holding the Avs to two goals, but once again couldn't score on offense, leaving the door open for Colorado to strike.
Arguably, it was the greatest defensive performance we've seen from the Kings this season, with 23 hits, 26 blocked shots, and Colorado going 0/3 on the power play. LA was making all the plays on defense to try to steal this game, but they couldn't hold on late.
The Kings wanted to play physical, and we got it against the Presidents' Trophy winners. The game had no flow in the first period, several minor penalties, and scrums in the first 14 minutes of regulation.
Once again, both teams were very slow offensively, especially on the power play, missing easy shots that should have gone in. LA and Colorado combined for five power plays in the first period and converted on zero of them.
The physical play and hits were there, making it hard for either team to generate good looks. Trevor Moore had a very good look early in the game after finding himself alone for a chance to give LA the lead, but Avs goaltender Scott Wedgewood made a nice save to stop the goal.
Both goaltenders did an excellent job in the first period, especially on the power play, killing the opposing team's scoring chances. Even with the Avalanche having more shots on goal, the Kings had plenty of chances to score, but once again were struggling to capitalize after getting timely stops.
For the second straight game, we ended the first period scoreless. LA did a good job of increasing its physicality and taking big hits against the Avalanche, despite being outshot 14-6 after 20 minutes.
To open the second period, at the 16:48 mark, Colorado was on the power play, and Quinton Byfield stole the puck for a breakaway rush by himself against Wedgewood, but came up short after an extended glove save to stop the breakaway goal.
LA continued to miss opportunities on offense, with its defense coming up big; the offense needs to start capitalizing on those key turnovers and stops at some point.
The game continued to get physical. LA did a good job getting hits, especially Mathieu Joseph, who already had six hits midway through the second. Certainly, it was his best game with the Kings this season.
LA's defense continued to make big stops, especially on the 3-on-1 with the Avs having a chance to score, but Mikey Anderson got a stick on Martin Necas to kill the play. In the last few minutes of the period, the Avs had good chances to score, but credit Anton Forsberg, Drew Doughty, and Mikey Anderson for playing their role on defense.
After 40 minutes, the game remained 0-0. Great effort from the Kings defensively in that period to keep the Avs off the scoreboard, but LA still was struggling to capitalize on offense.
At the 19:50 mark of the final period, Colorado thought they had scored a goal, but the puck landed on the outside of the net, overturning the goal. LA kept dodging serious bullets with the Avs struggling to score, but so was LA, leaving the door wide open for Colorado to score.
The tension was so high that the referees were just letting both teams play, without calling penalties.
Finally, at the 6:56 mark, LA scored the first goal of the game to take a 1-0 lead. It was the breadman, Artemi Panarin, scoring the power play goal on a one-timer goal, the biggest goal of Panarin's time with the Kings.
Definitely the best all-around game we've seen from the Kings this season, especially in a hostile playoff environment on the road.
But it was clear at one point the Avs would strike back, and they did. At the
But it was clear at one point the Avs would strike back, and they did. At the 3:35 mark, Colorado got a very good look at the net after great puck movement. The open look secured a goal for captain Gabriel Landeskog to tie it 1-1.
After a gritty last two minutes of regulation, we were headed to overtime in Denver for extra periods. Credit LA for the effort on defense, holding the No. 1 offense in hockey to just one goal.
In overtime, the Kings once again had an opportunity to seal this game and tie it 1-1 after forward Samuel Helenius had an easy shot with Wedgewood losing his stick, but another clutch save by Wedegwood killed the chance.
The Avalanche sealed the game in the extra periods, capitalizing on LA's missed chances to win and take a 2-0 series lead. Center Nicolas Roy cleaned up the rebound and put the puck just under the legs of LA to win a gritty game.
Key Stats
Despite the loss, credit the Kings' defense for playing an excellent game throughout regulation. To hold the league's best offense to just two goals was special.
Anton Forsberg, starting in his second playoff game, was exceptional, finishing with 34 saves on 36 shots. Artemi Panarin, for the second straight game, scored a goal, the only King so far to score in the playoffs.
Mikey Anderson and Mathieu Joseph were also great in this game defensively, combining to finish with eight hits and eight blocked shots.
Tough loss for the Kings and an opportunity to secure the split, now they're headed home trailing 2-0.
Game 3 will be on Thursday, 7:00 PM PT at Crypto.com Arena.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.