It was both the Los Angeles Kings’ biggest margin of victory and the Montreal Canadiens’ biggest margin of defeat this season, as the road-warrior Kings beat the host Habs 5-1 on Tuesday. Oddly enough, this contest seemed over at 2-1 in the second period, though.
Game Recap
On the 2-1 marker, the Kings enjoyed an extended 6-5 man advantage following a delayed penalty on Zachary Bolduc. Tiring out the home side, the Kings finally struck when Quinton Byfield pounced on a rebound to beat goalie Sam Montembeault. Of note, Byfield by all appearances waved goodbye to the home crowd as a celly. While it may have pissed off Canadiens fans, the gesture undeniably fit based on the Habs’ response or lack thereof.
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It was the second of three Kings goals scored within just over four minutes early in the second period, Kevin Fiala notching the go-ahead goal when Montembeault inadvertently deflected the puck straight to him following a tip on net by Alex Laferriere. Byfield earned the second assist on the goal and eventual first-star honours.
Ex-Canadiens forward Joel Armia effectively put this one away midway through the third, when he stole the puck from off the stick of defenseman Lane Hutson deep in the Canadiens’ zone and then beat Montembeault for the 4-1 goal. Both were retrieving the puck after a Kirby Dach shot went wide and travelled the length of the ice. While Hutson got there first, Armia successfully pickpocketed last year’s Calder Memorial Trophy winner and put it past Montembeault, who made 21 saves, in almost one fluid motion.
Kings forward Warren Foegele scored an empty-net goal with just under five minutes left, which kind of told the story of the game: The Canadiens had high aspirations entering the game as one of the biggest pleasant surprises in the NHL this season so far, but the visiting Kings, who own a 7-1-2 road record, crushed them at almost every turn.
For his part, Hutson giveth, Hutson taketh away. He helped get the Canadiens on the board when he fed Josh Anderson for the score on an odd-man rush with less than one minute left in the first. However, the Kings didn’t wait long to disprove any suggestion they’d be subject to a loss of momentum, as the point shot of another Ex-Hab, Joel Edmundson, beat Montembeault just over a minute into the middle frame, for the first of the three quick aforementioned goals. From there, goalie Darcy Kuemper held the fort, although, in having to make just 21 saves, it’s safe to say the Kings as a whole held the host Habs in check.
The now-10-4-2 Canadiens host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The 8-5-4 Kings continue their tour of the Habs’ Atlantic Division with a visit to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs, also on Thursday.