The Kings picked up two points on Saturday night, snapping their mini two-game skid from earlier in the week. Back home after a pair of road games against two Western Conference opponents, the Kings defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 in their first of two matchups against the original six club. The Red Wings entered the night on the second half of a back-to-back and with a Kings win, failed to pick up any points in the last 48 hours.
The Kings were by far the more aggressive team on Saturday, playing the majority of the game in the offensive zone. Doing so, the Kings handily outshot the Red Wings 41-18. It took almost a full period for the game’s first goal as Mikey Anderson broke the ice with just 1:55 remaining in the first. Following a successful zone entry after turning the Red Wings over, Anderson received the puck on his way to a 2-on-1. There, the defenseman surprised the former King Cam Talbot with a sharp angle shot five hole to put the Kings up 1-0. Quickly doubling the score, Trevor Lewis fed Tanner Jeannot with a backdoor pass on a 2-on-1 and gave the Kings a 2-0 lead just 22 seconds later. The Kings also led 15-5 in shots after 20.
A scoreless second period followed despite another strong performance from the Kings and they took their two-goal lead into the third.
Takings just 15 seconds after puck drop, Warren Foegele fed Adrian Kempe for a breakaway and the Swede buried make it back-to-back canes with a goal. Then, late in the third period with an extra attacker and pulled goalie, the Redondo Wings got on scoreboard with a Dylan Larkin backhand goal with 1:27 remaining in regulation. Closing the night out, Anze Kopitar fed an open Kempe and he fired the puck into an empty net for his second goal of the game and eighth of the season.
David Rittich was stellar when tested and stopped 17 of 18 shots on the night, earning his sixth win in 10 tries.
