Now 6-2-2, the Los Angeles Kings remain perfect away from home after their 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Now 6-2-2, the Los Angeles Kings remain perfect away from home after their 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Phil Danault started the scoring early, burying his own rebound in front on the power play 3:11 into the first period.
Danault's goal was the only one scored in the first, but early in the second period, Carl Grundstrom put the Kings up two.
Exactly five minutes into the period, Grundstrom buried an Adrian Kempe feed after a strong defensive play from Grundstrom started the Kings on a rush.
Anze Kopitar then put the Kings up three a few minutes later, poking home an Andreas Englund shot that had been blocked from close range.
Former Kings draft pick Dominik Kubalik got the Senators on the board late in the period, firing home a Claude Giroux feed from the slot on the power play.
Josh Norris then made it a one-goal game just over four minutes into the period, tipping home a Jacob Bernard-Docker point shot while the Kings were temporarily short-handed as Kopitar slowly exited the ice after taking a puck to the face.
The Kings were able to hold on though, extending their road undefeated streak to 5-0.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday's victory:
Adrian Kempe Not Scoring, But Still Finding the Scoresheet:
He might not look like the 41-goal scorer we saw last season, but Kempe is still finding a way to contribute offensively for the Kings early on.
His two assists against Ottawa brought him to eight on the season, giving him 11 points in 10 games so far.
Yes, four of the assists are secondaries and two of his three goals are empty netters, but Kempe's still a point-per-game player right now.
Kempe will be hoping to rediscover his scoring touch soon after missing a few good chances again on Thursday, but 11 points in 10 games should ease the sting of not finishing right now.
It's also a good sign that the chances are still coming for Kempe.
As Todd McLellan has mentioned several times, there's no concern about the finishing returning for Kempe. There would only be a concern if he wasn't getting chances and wasn't impacting the game in other areas.
He's doing both of those things and when the scoring returns, he'll be in a good spot.
Andreas Englund With a Strong Performance:
It took Englund a few games to settle into a new system, but he has stepped up his performance level recently.
After scoring his first career goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Englund added another primary assist on Thursday to compliment a strong defensive effort.
The highlight of his night was a fantastic defensive display one-on-one against Tim Stutzle, as he gave the young star zero daylight to work with and shut him down.
According to the numbers, Englund and Jordan Spence were dominant on Thursday, outscoring the opposition 2-0 while on the ice, while outshooting and out-chancing them by a wide margin too.
Of course, this pair sees mostly offensive zone starts and isn't tasked with the more difficult matchups, but they're performing when given ice time and that's what matters.
The main draw to Englund has been his physical element this season, but he's starting to show a more expansive game right now.
Confidence is Key on the Road:
After the game, Kempe was asked why the team is finding so much success on the road, and confidence was the answer.
"It’s just confidence, for sure, we feel like we’re a pretty good road team and we can go into any building and get points.," said Kempe. "It’s just that confidence with playing well."
I'll take it a step further and say the Kings are playing with a swagger we haven't always seen from them at home.
On the road, they impose themselves on games, they don't let the opposition dictate the pace of play, the Kings set it.
If they can find that same swagger at home, the Kings will win a lot of games and might even push the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division title.
What's Next:
The Kings finish the Eastern Conference portion of this road trip Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.