FINAL – Kings 5, Blue Jackets 2 – Helenius, Anderson, Moore, Hiller

The LA Kings bounced back from Thursday’s defeat to post a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday evening at Crypto.com Arena.

The Blue Jackets opened the scoring with the first period’s only goal, taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Kings forward Kevin Fiala tried to exit the zone with a backhanded stretch pass, but it was turned over up the middle, leading to a 2-on-1 the other way. Columbus forward Justin Danforth led the rush the other way and fed Dmitri Voronkov crashing the net, with the Russian forward burying his first goal of the season.

The Kings struck twice in a span of less than two minutes early in the second period, flipping the script for their first lead of the evening.

First, defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov scored for the second time in as many games, tying the game at one. Stationed at the right point, Gavrikov collected a pass from forward Adrian Kempe and fired through a double screen, inside the near post, past Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins for his second goal of the season and a 1-1 score.

Warren Foegele then buried his sixth goal of the season to put the Kings ahead for the first time. Forward Samuel Helenius helped the puck up to forward Akil Thomas through the neutral zone and Thomas gained the offensive zone with speed. He then fed Foegele through the slot, with the Kings winger collecting and shooting from the left-hand circle, snapping the puck into the top of the net for a 2-1 advantage. Helenius collected his first career NHL point with the secondary assist.

Inside the first minute of play in the third period, the teams traded goals on special teams, bringing the score to 3-2.

First, with Columbus on the power play, the Kings went the other way and scored their second shorthanded goal of the season. Forward Phillip Danault chipped the puck up the wall, springing forward Trevor Moore with space down the left wing. Moore used a quick release from the left-hand circle to snap his shot high on the glove side, past Merzlikins, for his second goal of the season.

On the same power play, Columbus was able to convert, pulling back to within a goal just 19 seconds after conceding. Defenseman Ivan Provorov was the recipient on the play, as he crashed in from the left point and scored on a rebound opportunity, off a Danforth shot, as the visitors scored their second goal of the evening.

Midway through the third period, forward Alex Laferriere continued his hot start to the season with his team-leading ninth goal, an insurance marker, as the Kings made it 4-2. Laferriere worked his way to the top of the crease and got a deflection on a point shot from forward Joel Edmundson, tipping the puck into the back of the net. Foegele collected the second assist on the play, giving him a multi-point game.

Inside a minute to play in regulation, defenseman Brandt Clarke iced the game with an empty-net goal, his second tally of the season, bring the final score to 5-2.

Hear from Helenius, Moore, defenseman Mikey Anderson and Head Coach Jim Hiller following tonight’s victory.

Samuel Helenius
On his getting through his first career game in the NHL
It feels good after the game, just to get the first-game nerves gone. It feels great to come here [to the NHL].

On his getting through his first career game in the NHL
Yeah, for sure. He’s such a good player and I like to play with him. We always play well [together], I just like playing with him.

On the differences between the AHL and the NHL
The speed is pretty much the same, but the little things happen so much faster. The little things just happen much faster.

Trevor Moore
On his goal and when he knew he had the green light to go while shorthanded
I thought the guy was making like a spin-around, D-to-D pass and that’s kind of green light to go, that’s my guy anyway, so I feel like I can jump that and then Phil made a good play on it, and knocked it out of the zone, so I was kind of already on the way there, I didn’t feel like I was giving anything up.

On his goal and when he knew he had the green light to go while shorthanded
I’ll take them any way I can get them, but it feels good to see one go in and especially beating a goalie, not just hitting an empty cage, it just feels good.

On Kevin Fiala and his final 40 minutes, after the goal against in the first period
Kevin, he’s the hardest on himself and he knows and he wants to be better in those areas, but it’s one of those things, where he knows he maybe shouldn’t make that pass, but also you’ve got to let Kevin try to make plays, because it’s what makes him elite. If you want him to just chip the puck up the wall night, you’re not getting your best version of 22, so we accept it.

Mikey Anderson
On getting the bounce-back win tonight
It’s good, obviously after a loss, you want to come out with a good response. First period, we all thought was so/so but we liked it a lot better in the second, so everyone is happy to come away with two points.

On what he felt improved between the first period and the final 40 minutes
You’ve got to give them credit, I thought they did a good job kind of clogging the neutral zone. We struggled to get through it and get pucks behind them. I thought the second was a little more direct. We played a little more below their goal line, got a few o-zone shifts, but I think it was just a little cleaner from us, maybe a little simpler. That’s the recipe sometimes.

On getting two more goals from defensemen tonight, as the Kings lead the NHL
It’s good. I think our forwards help us, they get to the net hard. Even today, Eddy with a good shot, Laf with a tip, so sometimes it goes in, sometimes they tip it, get a rebound. I think they’ve done a good job creating traffic and we’re just trying to shoot, get something down there and create something for them to get grinding.

Jim Hiller

Notes –
• Forward Samuel Helenius made his NHL debut tonight, becoming the second skater selected in the 2021 NHL Draft to skate in a game for the Kings, joining Brandt Clarke. Helenius also becomes the 13th different skater selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft to make his debut, and the 16th different skater of Finnish nationality to play a game for the Kings.
• Helenius (0-1=1) picked up his first career assist tonight, becoming the 51st skater in franchise history to record a point in their NHL debut and the 25th different skater to record a point in their debut aged 21 years of age or younger.
• Forward Alex Laferriere (1-0=1) scored his ninth goal of the season––his eighth at even strength––extending his point streak to a third game (1- 3=4), his second three-game point streak of the season. Laferriere joins Washington’s Connor McMichael (9EVG) as the only skaters 23 years of age or younger to tally at least eight goals at even strength.
• Forward Trevor Moore (1-0=1) scored his second goal of the season, the 11th short-handed goal of his career, passing Ziggy Palffy for sole possession of the seventh-most shorthanded goals in franchise history.
• The goal stood as the game winning goal, Moore’s eighth career GWG as a King, tying Bryan Erickson for the fourth-most game winning goals by an undrafted American-born skater in franchise history.
• Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (1-0=1) scored his second goal and collected his seventh point of the season, extending his point streak to a career-best fourth game (2-2=4).
• With the goal, Gavrikov has scored in back-to-back games for the second time in his career, his first such streak as a member of the Kings. The goal also markes Gavrikov’s first career tally against the organization that drafted him 159th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft.
• Forward Warren Foegele (1-1=2) recorded his sixth goal and third assist of the season, extending his current point streak to three games (2-2=4), tying a career-long that he has set six times before (Last: 3-2=5, Jan. 18 – Jan. 24, 2024 w/ EDM).
• Forward Adrian Kempe (0-2=2) recorded his eighth and ninth assists of the season, extending his assist streak against Columbus to a third game (0- 4=4), dating back to Dec. 5, 2023.
• Forward Anze Kopitar (0-2=2) notched his 11th and 12th assist of the season. Kopitar has now recorded six points (2-4=6) over his last five games against Columbus, dating back to Dec. 11, 2022.
• Forward Akil Thomas (0-1=1) recorded his first assist and second point of the season.
• Forward Philip Danault’s (0-1=1) assist marks his eighth of the season and the seventh time in his career he goes a five-game point streak.
• Defenseman Joel Edmunson (0-1=1) was awarded his third assist and sixth point of the season.
• Defenseman Brandt Clarke (1-0=1) scored his second power play goal of the season. Among all NHL defenseman, only Carolina’s Shayne
Gostisbehere (3) has scored more power play goals so far this season.
• Goaltender David Rittich turned aside 24 of 26 shots to earn his fifth win of the campaign (5-3-0).

The Kings are not scheduled to practice tomorrow, with a morning flight to Calgary. The team will return to the ice on Monday at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in advance of that evening’s game versus the Flames.