The Los Angeles Kings have struggled mightily of late but got back into the win column on Saturday, beating the New York Rangers 2-1 at home.
It was a tight, cagy game throughout with few chances being exchanged.
Both goalies stood tall when the chances did come though making goals tough to come by.
Kevin Fiala opened the scoring for the Kings, outwaiting Jonathan Quick in front for his eleventh of the season late in the first period.
The Kings dominated the first half of this game, allowing just two shots against in the first period.
They shut things down to start the second period, but the Rangers grew into the period around the halfway mark.
Their pressure ended in a goal from Chris Kreider, picking up a rebound in front after the Kings failed to clear the zone.
The Kings were struggling to cleanly exit the zone and the fourth line was caught out on a few consecutive icings leading up to the goal.
The Rangers continued to get their chances in the second, but the Kings hit them back just before the period ended.
The Kings' third line, now centered by Quinton Byfield, hit them on a quick attack.
Alex Laferriere got the puck out of the zone and Jaret Anderson-Dolan then stripped K'andre Miller in the neutral zone before driving the net and sneaking a backhand behind Quick.
Miller recovered and cleared the puck off the goal line, but it shot straight to Byfield who buried in front.
Taking a one-goal lead into the third, there were some nerves given the Kings' inability to hold tight leads recently.
They stood strong though, fighting off a late flurry of Rangers chances.
David Rittich was on his game, making a few big saves, none bigger than his sprawling stop on Alexis Lafreniere late in the third period.
He certainly earned his "Big Save Dave" nickname, finishing the night with 22 saves and 1.84 goals saved above expected per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Rittich was also a key component in the Kings shutting out the league's second-best power play. It's often said that your best penalty killer has to be your goalie, and Rittich proved that true on Saturday.
According to Todd McLellan post-game, Rittich earned another start on Monday, as he's proving to be excellent cover for Cam Talbot who's struggled a bit recently.
Rittich was the standout performer from this game, but Byfield's play back at center shouldn't go unnoticed either.
Byfield didn't miss a beat up the middle, swinging low and picking up speed to attack the Rangers defense all night. He was also solid in his own zone, picking up a goal to cap off a strong game.
He even went a respectable 50% in the faceoff dot on Saturday. There wasn't much to complain about Byfield's performance and he looked like the center the Kings thought they were drafted in 2020.
Now it's about replicating and improving on that performance for the Kings.
They can't rely on stellar goaltending and two goals a night to win hockey games, but they're back on track.
No games are easy in the NHL, but with the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres up next the Kings have a real shot to get back on a little winning streak and climb out of this funk.