Kings snap 5-game skid in win over Flames
LOS ANGELES — The Kings were in dire need of a low-scoring affair and a win, and the Calgary Flames obliged on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena, where the hosts bageled the visitors, 2-0.
They had surrendered 14 goals in two losses since returning from the Olympic break, and against two teams they were chasing in the Pacific Division.
Saturday’s victory was the Kings’ first in six games and their fifth in 15 outings. Calgary had won three of its past four decisions before the loss.
Alex Laferriere lit the lamp for the Kings, and Adrian Kempe tacked on an empty-net goal. Anton Forsberg made 29 saves in his second shutout of the season.
Until that dying-embers empty-netter, there were more players on the injury list than on the scoresheet for the Kings. Andrei Kuzmenko underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, taking his status from day-to-day to week-to-week. Also absent were Drew Doughty (lower-body injury), Joel Armia (upper-body injury) and Kevin Fiala (broken leg).
Dustin Wolf, formerly of Hermosa Beach and Tustin, stopped 35 of 36 shots for Calgary.
With under 100 seconds to play, Wolf went to the bench for the extra attacker as the Flames were in danger of being blanked. Then, as 37.3 seconds showed on the clock, Kempe skated down a wobbly pass from Artemi Panarin and sent the puck from the red line to the vacated cage.
Though the Kings earned a higher quantity and quality of chances in the second period, 35:36 came and went without a goal for either participant, until the Kings got on the board. Quinton Byfield was back in the middle, Laferriere returned to the wing opposite Trevor Moore and all three forwards were back in the points column.
Moore hit the post with a shot attempt, recovered the puck and passed to Byfield behind the net. The Flames got caught puck-watching as the puck came to an uncontested Laferriere in front for a redirection shot. Moore and then Laferriere followed up on the rebound, which earned No. 14 goal No. 14 for the campaign.
The Kings threatened early in the stanza, with Kempe setting up a pair of near-misses for Anže Kopitar on a night where the familiar duo skated with newcomer Panarin.
A scoreless first period restored some normalcy for the Kings, who had given up 13 goals in their previous four periods with their two netminders, Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper, combining for a .739 save percentage. Each squad put 13 shots on goal, with Forsberg and Wolf answering every bell.