If there is one thing that’s clear about the Los Angeles Kings, it’s that they love playing their in-state rival Anaheim Ducks. The Kings have dominated the Freeway Faceoff for a while now and with their 2-1 win today, they improved to 11-1-0 in their last 12 games against the Ducks.
It wasn’t as solid or as complete of a performance as their win against the Winnipeg Jets a couple of days ago but they did just enough to hold on and pick up two points against a Ducks team that gave them a good push in the third period.
The Kings have had trouble stringing wins together, having alternated wins and losses over their last 10 games. That pattern ended on Friday (Nov. 29) as they picked up their second consecutive win for the first time since Nov. 5.
After one of their best forechecking games and the relentlessness they showed on the puck against Winnipeg, the Kings looked very passive against the Ducks. Their lack of pressure throughout the neutral zone as well as at their blue line made it relatively easy for the Ducks to gain the offensive zone and generate shots. This was the first game since Oct. 22 that the Kings gave up 30-plus shots.
They only allowed the best team in the league to take 14 shots on goal, which was the lowest amount the Jets had all season, but gave up 31 to the Ducks. It was more of that play-up to the good teams and play-down to the bad teams mentality we have been seeing a lot of lately.
Head coach Jim Hiller said post-game against the Jets that the way his team played was the “standard”. Well, that standard doesn’t seem to be upheld game in and game out, which is why building off of wins has been a problem for this group.
“We’ve kind of been treading water a little bit, you know? Good game, not so good, and so we really want to start stretching some wins together. I wish we would have played better, I thought they (Ducks) played better […] in the end we had to just fight for our points in the third period. I thought we did that,” said Hiller.
Related Link: Re-signing of Erik Portillo Is Huge for Kings’ Future
Lack of consistency has been the big phrase surrounding the Kings this season and even though they managed to squeeze out a win on the road, there were other factors besides a strong team performance that allowed for it.
Portillo Gets His First NHL Start
Erik Portillo, who had just been re-signed by the Kings before the season started, made his NHL debut. Not only did the 24-year-old third-round draft pick just make his debut but he shined, stopping 28 of the 29 shots he faced for a .966 save percentage.
Portillo, who is looked at as the goalie of the future for the Kings, showed exactly why that’s the case. The 6-foot-6 netminder looked calm and collected, coming up big multiple times throughout the game. This game doesn’t end 2-1 for the Kings if it wasn’t for the way Portillo performed in the crease. He had a busy first period and without those key saves early, the Ducks could have taken a multi-goal lead heading into the second period. Things didn’t get any easier in the third, as the Ducks had their largest amount of shots with 12.
Score could be looking a lot different if it weren’t for Portillo. #GoKingsGo
— Raz Devraj (@razdevraj) November 29, 2024
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little higher tempo (from the American Hockey League) and everything, so it feels good to get those saves, of course, for your confidence, and that’s something you can build on,” said Portillo.
It’s not only his size but his mobility that makes him such a tough goalie to play against. Not to mention his ability to read the play and allow himself the chance to get set for shots. He stopped eight of the nine high-danger shots he faced and his expected goals against was 3.26 even though he only allowed one. If it wasn’t for a Ryan Strome rebound in front of the net in the second period, he could have had a shutout in his debut.
You couldn’t have asked for a better performance from Portillo who didn’t look like this was the first game he’s ever played in the NHL. “He was fantastic, he was big […] he couldn’t have had a better debut,” said Hiller.
Laferriere Continues to Impress
In just his second season in the NHL, Alex Laferriere has been a pleasant surprise. With another goal and assist against Anaheim, Laferriere has the second most goals on the team with 10 and the third most points with 19. After a scorching hot start to the season, scoring nine goals in the first 16 games, it was the first time in eight games that he found the back of the net.
It’s the way Laferriere has stepped up in terms of point production for a team that isn’t getting a lot from players like Phillip Danault, Trevor Moore (who was out of the lineup), and Quinton Byfield. His contributions have been a big part of the success the Kings have had.
He can facilitate, finish, forecheck hard, and play with a bit of an edge. It’s not only his production but the little things he does that make him so successful. He knows where to be on the ice, he’s not afraid to go get the puck when he doesn’t have it, and he can create once he has possession. All of that was on display against the Ducks.
Laferriere picked off a pass in the neutral zone before dishing one over to Alex Turcotte who picked his spot, opening the scoring for the Kings and tying the game at one. He started the play on the second Kings goal of the game, getting the puck into the offensive zone before trailing the play to the front of the net. He fought off Ducks captain Radko Gudas in front of the net and put the puck past John Gibson to give the Kings what ended up being the game-winning goal.
Big day for people named Alex pic.twitter.com/eVgLBryTvX
— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 29, 2024
He led the entire team in Fenwick percentage (percentage of total unblocked shot attempts; goals, shots on net, and misses while that player is on the ice that is for that player’s team) with 73.33%. He was also tied with Kevin Fiala with the most scoring chances for. When Laferriere was on the ice, good things were happening for the Kings, especially in the offensive zone. His presence on the ice has largely been a positive one for the Kings most of the time.
The Kings now have the sole position of second place in the Pacific Division with 29 points. They have a chance to win their third game in a row for the first time this season at home against the Ottawa Senators today (Nov. 30).
