The Los Angeles Kings made easy work of their trip down the freeway to face the Anaheim Ducks on Friday afternoon, earning a 5-2 victory in a feisty affair befitting regional rivals.
Kevin Fiala scored two goals and Cam Talbot made 29 saves for the Kings, who won their ninth consecutive road game to start the season, one off the Buffalo Sabres' NHL record to open the 2006-07 season.
Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist, Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield also scored and Adrian Kempe, Trevor Moore and Drew Doughty had two assists each as Los Angeles won its fourth consecutive game overall. Kopitar recorded his 757th assist to tie the Kings' franchise record established by Marcel Dionne.
Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn each scored goals for the Ducks, who lost their fifth consecutive game and have dropped seven of nine overall following a six-game winning streak. John Gibson stopped 26 shots for Anaheim.
Fiala opened the scoring on the power play 10:25 into the game, finishing a shot from a tight angle. Kaliyev scored two minutes later for a 2-0 lead on a snapshot over Gibson shoulder.
The Kings scored twice in the first three minutes of the second period for a 4-0 lead. Byfield redirected a high shot from Pierre-Luc Dubois just before Fiala scored again, his sixth on the season.
Tensions boiled over five minutes into the second frame, with both teams earning a slew of penalties from post-whistle scrums, leaving the Kings with just three defensemen in their rotation for a few shifts.
Both penalty boxes were at near full capacity, with four Kings and three Ducks in the box.
Gudas ended Talbot's shutout bid with a goal for the Ducks at 12:42 of the second period.
Kopitar extended the Kings' lead early in the third period with his team-leading 10th goal of the season. Anaheim answered with a power-play goal from Killorn at 11:24 of the third period.
The teams combined for 36 penalty minutes.
--Field Level Media
Los Angeles | Anaheim | |
Kevin Fiala 2 | Points | Radko Gudas 1 |
Kevin Fiala 2 | Goals | Radko Gudas 1 |
Drew Doughty 2 | Assists | Mason McTavish 1 |
Kevin Fiala 1 | Power Play Goals | Alex Killorn 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Cam Talbot .935 | Save Percentage | John Gibson .839 |
Cam Talbot 29 | Saves | John Gibson 26 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Los Angeles | 31 | 5 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 17 | 27 |
Anaheim | 31 | 2 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 19 | 28 |