FINAL – Kings 3, Kraken 1 – Petersen, Danault, McLellan

The LA Kings made it four consecutive victories, and six of their last seven, as they skated to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Phillip Danault scored twice, while Adrian Kempe also found the back of the net and Trevor Moore added two assists. Goaltender Cal Petersen won his third consecutive decision, with 17 saves between the pipes.

The Kings opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game, as Adrian Kempe scored his 17th goal of the season, setting a new NHL career high in the process. Off an extended cycle in the offensive zone, Kempe drove the net and put home an Alex Iafallo rebound to get the visitors on the board.

LA doubled its lead at nearly the same time in the second period, as Danault stayed hot with his eighth goal of the season. After a high-to-low exchange, started by defenseman Mikey Anderson, Danault made his way just outside the blue paint and buried a rebound in tight, giving him four goals and six points over his last six games.

With the Kings shorthanded for an extended spell, due to a high-sticking double minor assessed to Matt Roy, Seattle pulled a goal back midway through the second period. Operating on the power play, forward Marcus Johansson was able to put home a rebound, after Cal Petersen denied a deflected effort, to get the hosts on the board for their first of the evening.

After a low-event third period, that saw fewer total chances, but a decent share of quality ones, the Kings iced the game late with an empty-net goal from Danault, his second of the evening.

Hear from Petersen, Danault and Head Coach Todd McLellan following tonight’s game.

Cal Petersen

Cal on the dub 👑#GoKingsGo @LAKings pic.twitter.com/sOoCd7Cqae

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) January 16, 2022

Phillip Danault

On tonight’s game and getting the win in Seattle
I think it was a great game to be honest with you, they caught us off guard a little bit, they play very hard and they play the right way. They were a tough team to play today. I thought we battled well and scored some big goals. Big 60 minutes from us.

On finding a way in a tight-checking game to get the win
A good team finds a way. We stuck to our plan, they came out flying and they use their barn a lot too, the boards are very lively here, you miss the net and it’s one shot and done. We’ve definitely got to learn from this game, it was grinding today.

On finding goals regularly from right outside of the crease
Yeah, obviously if you want to score goals, you have to get there. I got a good bounce and some great play from my wingers. It’s huge for me and Arvy is chipping in as well. If you play well defensively as a team, it brings the offense.

On the play of the team’s goaltenders right now
Yeah, Cal and Quickie, they’ve both been very solid for us. They’ve given us a chance, Cal’s giving us a chance, and Quickie, every single game. Cal tonight was outstanding as usual, making some huge saves, key saves as well. When the game could have turned around, he made the big saves. It’s huge for us, you need big goalies to win, to make the playoffs, and that’s what we got.

Todd McLellan

On the win tonight
It was a battle, a fight for us both ways. They checked hard, they closed gaps, they took space away, won some races to pucks and we did the same thing. Both goaltenders made some big saves when they had to. Fortunate to get the penalty kill at the end. I think scoring first helped us, gave us a little confidence. It was a well-earned win, a win they made us earn.

On if he got the game he expected from Seattle
Absolutely, and maybe more. They came through the neutral zone pretty good, had a heavy forecheck. We were in position, sometimes we didn’t execute as well as we wanted. I think it was Kopi that said they’re not all pretty, but they count [the same]. Wins are hard to come by and we’ll take them any way we can get them.

On Philip Danault’s ability to score from in and around the net
Yeah, I think that we probably don’t appreciate that part of his game enough. The guys around him are also doing a good job of getting the puck into that area, so that he can go and take advantage of it, I think that was the case again tonight. Solid at both ends of the rink, a very trusting player, the type of player we thought we were getting and a little more offense now as the year goes on. Good to see.

On Cal Petersen and the bigger saves he made tonight
He had some tough ones. There was a lot of traffic in and around the area, some rebounds, specifically on the penalty kill at the end. They had 14 even-strength shots, or whatever it was, which isn’t a lot, but there were some tough ones. He handled it well.

On Alex Iafallo’s key shot block and how he’s feeling
He’s fine, he’ll be a little bit sore. When your skill, top-six [players] are willing to do that, you’re usually winning games. You’re going to lose your share too, but you have a better chance of winning when guys sell out and sacrifice. During our little run, we’ve seen a lot of that. Good for us and hopefully it rubs off on everybody else.

Notes –
– With his game-opening goal, forward Adrian Kempe set a new single-season high for goals in a season (17), surpassing his totals from the 2017-18 season.
– Forward Phillip Danault tallied his second multi-goal game as a member of the Kings organization (11/8 @ TOR). Danault has five goals (and seven points) from his last six games and nine goals this season, tied for fourth-most on the team.
– Forward Trevor Moore collected two assists tonight, giving him three straight multi-assist games. Moore is tied for sixth in the NHL with 11 points during the month of January.
– Mikey Anderson collected the primary assist on Danault’s game-winning goal, giving the defenseman points in consecutive games.
– Cal Petersen earned his third consecutive victory, as he made 17 saves on 18 shots. Petersen has allowed just two goals from three games since returning to the lineup from COVID Protocol, posting a .977 save percentage in the process.

The Kings are scheduled to skate tomorrow at 1 PM in Seattle, before traveling to San Jose later in the day. The team will not hold a morning skate on Monday, considering the afternoon puck drop.