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The LA Kings came out of the NHL All-Star break with a 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
After neither team found the back of the net in the first period, the Kings scored twice in less than a minute to open a two-goal lead early in the second period.
First, with the hosts skating on the power play, defenseman Jordan Spence held the zone at the center point and fed forward Pierre-Luc Dubois in the right circle, with the latter shooting inside the Edmonton netminder’s blocking arm Stuart Skinner to open. the score. Just 49 seconds later, the Kings doubled their lead thanks to forward Trevor Lewis. Forward Quinton Byfield stole the puck in the defensive zone, led a 2-on-1 run the other way and fed Lewis through the slot, with the senior buried for the second straight game and a 2-0 lead.
Early in the third period, the Kings extended their lead to three goals when Byfield scored his first goal and second point of the night. After a shift deep in the offensive zone, the puck headed toward defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov at the point. Gavrikov’s shot was deflected by Skinner, but Byfield scooped up and buried the rebound for his 15th goal of the season and a 3-0 lead.
With the goalie pulled late in the third period, Byfield scored his second goal of the night to seal the deal with a 4-0 victory. The goal completed a three-point night for Byfield.
Hear from Byfield, Dubois, Kings goalie David Rittich and head coach Jim Hiller after the win over Edmonton.
Quinton Byfield
On the importance of coming out of the break with a victory
It was a great victory for our team. In the last few years, we’ve been knocked out of the playoffs twice, so it’s a big win for us after the coaching change. I think we all played for each other tonight, I think we all had a lot of fun and it was a big win for us.
On making a strong defensive play to set up his assist on the team’s second goal.
Yes, I think playing defense is very important, I think it’s also integrated into our identity. We have a lot of two-way guys that really care about the defensive end, so I was just trying to do my part to contribute on that end. I think the puck came loose, I lost it and then I saw it, I think it was Connor who had it there and I just tried to do a quick check before he got around me, it ended up working out. . I got the puck, I saw Lewie flying on the other side and I wanted to reward him for his good effort there and I just tried to pass him, it was an incredible finish from him. Even the last game in Nashville ended in an incredible way.
On any kind of different message from Jim Hiller since taking over as head coach
Todd was really good, just for me, he has a great hockey mind and I’m sure he’ll get another chance to coach, but we needed a little spark here, something new, a different voice. Todd, he was incredible with me and with my career, he built it, there is a lot of respect in that sense. Jimmy came here, he took over for us, he only had two practices with us, but he showed great leadership as a coach. As you saw, we played for each other, we blocked shots, Ritter played amazing. So we’re all rooting for him right now and that’s the vibe we need.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
On tonight’s performance and how to come out of the break with a big win
Since we returned it’s not going to be easy, we’ve been through ups and downs, but it’s time to have fun again, it’s fun to come to the court with a smile on your face. Excited to get back on the ice for practice, excited to get back on the ice for games. We are together, there is no doubt here. The last 20 games haven’t gone the way we wanted, but there’s no doubt here. We know what kind of team we have and when we play together and when we do what we can do, we are a great team and we showed it tonight, but that’s just the beginning for us. There’s a lot of hockey left.
About his performance tonight and his challenge to come back from the break
Coming back from a break, I think I probably lost 12 pounds tonight. Yes, it is never easy. We went on the ice two or three times to come back, but the coaching staff here, the first day I came back, they challenged me, they challenged me to be a better player and make a difference. That can come with goals, assists, but it can also come with hits, penalties, all those things that maybe not everyone notices. Since they arrived, their message is that I can do much better and I knew it, but having it laid out like that is a fun challenge.
Not only about maintaining the lead tonight, but also extending it with the third goal.
Yes, it was huge. I’ve heard that a three-goal lead is the worst lead in hockey, but a two-goal or one-goal lead is much worse than that. To get that third goal, Ritter played very well for us and kept the game at two goals. That third goal, I think, changes everything. Then they bring out the goalie with five or six minutes left and their best players are out there for the last four minutes of the game. They are great players, but anyone who plays a four-minute shift ends up tired. Then that changed everything. I’m not going to lie, everyone on the bench was a little scared at the end of the quarter, but they pulled it off and it was pretty much game over.
David Rittich
On the team’s confidence shown in tonight’s victory
I know the guys were excited and we know we’re a good hockey team, we know that. We just went through a difficult stretch and sometimes it is difficult. It’s like we finally come back and, again, you’re working and you can find a way to win. We never lost faith or confidence in ourselves, we know that we are good players, a good hockey club and that we can win.
About the team recharging their batteries during the All-Star break after an exhausting January
I mean, January was a packed month, we played every other day, it was nice to have a couple of days off and just refresh, recharge and get back to work. I think we have taken a step in the right direction and we have to continue building on it.
On the execution of the penalty in tonight’s victory, against a strong PP team
Yeah, since I’ve been here the penalty kill has been incredible, so it’s never changed and I don’t think it’s going to change. The guys do an amazing job blocking shots, guarding the backdoors and making it easier for me.
Jim Hiller
I’ll upload Hiller’s full video once it’s posted! But all of his media availability, following his first win as head coach of the LA Kings, is embedded above.
Grades –
– Pierre-Luc Dubois (1-0=1) scored his 11th goal of the season for his fourth power play goal (PPG) of the campaign.
– Trevor Lewis (1-0=1) recorded his seventh goal of the season, the 77th of his career as a member of the Kings. Lewis is one goal behind Brian Smolinski (78) for the sixth-most goals scored by an American-born skater in franchise history.
– Quinton Byfield (2-1=3) scored a pair of goals and an assist, extending his point streak to a fifth game (4-4=8). This is Byfield’s second point streak of five or more games this season (6GP, 0-9=9), tying Adrian Kempe (x2) for the most such streaks by a Kings skater in the campaign. Byfield’s three points marked his ninth multi-point effort of the season, tied for second in the league this season by a skater 21 or younger and behind only Lucas Raymond (11). By recording his 69th, 70th and 71st career points tonight (24-47 = 71), Byfield becomes the 14th skater in Kings history to record at least 70 career points before turn 22 years old.
– Jordan Spence (0-1=1) recorded his 16th assist of the season, tying Drew Doughty for the most by a Kings defenseman this season.
– Trevor Moore (0-1=1) scored his 15th helper of the season, extending his points and assist streak to three games (0-3=3).
– Matt Roy (0-1 = 1) recorded his 13th assist of the season and first point of his career against Edmonton. Roy’s 15th point of the season marks his fourth year with at least 15 points.
– Adrian Kempe (0-1=1) recorded his 27th assist of the season. Kempe has six points (3-3=6) in his last five games against the Oilers, dating back to January 9, 2023.
– Vladislav Gavrikov (0-1=1) and Anze Kopitar (0-1=1) each scored assists. Gavrikov’s assistant scored the first point of his career against the Edmonton Oilers.
– David Rittich stopped all 26 shots faced to record the fifth shutout of his career and first as a member of the Kings. Rittich joins Roman Cechmanek (5) as the only Czech goaltenders in Kings history to record a shutout.
– Interim head coach Jim Hiller became just the 18th different head coach in league history to make his coaching debut with the team that originally drafted him, and the first to do so since Phil Housley (6th overall, 1982) with Buffalo on October 5. , 2017. With tonight’s win, Hiller is now just the sixth Kings head coach to record a win in his NHL head coaching debut and joins Andy Murray (2-0 in NSH on 2 October 1999) as the second to do so. through a whitewash.
– The Kings scored twice in a 49-second span in the second half. It was the sixth time Los Angeles scored twice within a one-minute span this season (best: 0:12 on Oct. 19, 2023 in MIN).
The Kings are not scheduled to practice tomorrow, with a day trip to Buffalo before an upcoming four-game road trip. The Kings will return to the ice for practice on Monday, February 12 at 12:15 local time, 9:15 a.m. Pacific time.