In a coast-to-coast competitive battle, the Los Angeles Kings (18-9-3) battled the New York Rangers (15-13-1) on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The Kings ultimately defeated the Rangers 5-1 in the third game of a season-high seven-game road trip. Darcy Kuemper was in the net for the Kings, while Igor Shesterkin guarded the net for the Rangers. The Kings move to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on the evening of Dec. 17, while the Rangers face the St. Louis Blues tomorrow (Dec. 15) night.
Related: Projected Lineups for the Kings vs Rangers – 12/14/24
Kings Lead First Period 2-0
It was a classic slow-burn hockey game that ignited when Alex Turcotte put the Kings ahead 1-0 at the 12:55 mark. The goal sparked a scuffle, resulting in five-minute majors for Samuel Helenius and Connor Mackey. As the first period drew close, Warren Foegele added another for the Kings at 4:54, beating Shesterkin. Despite their efforts, the Rangers couldn’t find the back of the net, heading into the intermission trailing 2-0 and being outshot 16-8.
Rangers Trail 5-1
The Kings poured it on in the second, with Quinton Byfield extending their lead to 3-0. Shortly after, Adrian Kempe added another, followed by a goal from Phillip Danault, making it a 5-0 advantage. At that point, former Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick took over in net for Shesterkin. Filip Chytil finally managed to put the Rangers on the board, but they still trailed by four as the teams headed into the final period of the game.
The Final 20 Minutes
The final period witnessed little action, with both teams playing tight defense. The Kings ultimately outshot the Rangers 34-32, a stark contrast to the more exciting play of the earlier periods and resulting in a Kings’ victory of 5-1 as the Rangers look ahead to their next game hoping to rebound from the loss.
