On Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Kings travelled to Montreal for a clash with the Canadiens in a rematch of the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. A very interesting matchup considering the play style of both teams.
The Kings may have just given the rest of the National Hockey League the blueprint for beating the high flying Canadiens. For 60 minutes, the Kings stayed structured and composed, not allowing Montreal to get any type of offense going. They were stronger on the puck and used their bodies, something Montreal is not a fan of. Los Angeles improves to 7-1-2 on the road in 2025-26.
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KINGS HOCKEY BABY!
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First Period: Not A Lot of 5-on-5 Time
The opening frame of the game was headlined by a plethora of penalties. The Kings received the first two penalties which ultimately gave the Canadiens a long 5-on-3 opportunity.
Just over seven minutes into the period, Brandt Clarke was called for hooking. It was one of those penalties that you are okay with a player taking as it likely saved a goal. Clarke hooked Montreal’s sniper Cole Caufield who was in a prime scoring position as the puck came his way. Shortly after, Cody Ceci was called for hooking as well, which gave the Habs a two man advantage for over a minute.
Darcy Kuemper and the Kings penalty kill stood tall as Montreal was able to generate a number of solid scoring chances but were ultimately unable to capitalize due to the play of Kuemper and positioning of the LA defenders, as well as some fortunate bounces.
After the Ceci penalty expired, the Kings were given a power play of their own as Kirby Dach was called for tripping. LA failed to take advantage, but they were give another chance thanks to Dach who took a high-sticking penalty right after he finished serving his initial penalty. Once again. the Kings were unable to score on the power play and the game remained 0-0 until very late in the period.
Josh Anderson gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead with just over 40 seconds remaining in the first. Anderson rifled a shot past the far right side of Kuemper who likely didn’t see the shot due to the power behind it. The Habs entered the intermission with a one goal lead.
It’s also worth noting that Kings forward Joel Armia received a touching tribute as he returned to the Bell Centre for the first time after playing seven seasons in the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge.
Second Period: The Floodgates Were Opened
Although the Kings outshot the Canadiens 12-9 after 20 minutes of play, they found themselves trailing by a goal. The entered the middle frame desperately needing to get one by Sam Montembeault. They didn’t get one by the Montreal goaltender, they got three, and they happened quick.
Just over one minute into the second period Joel Edmundson scored his first goal of the season. Edmundson blasted a one-timer past Montembeault off a feed from Brandt Clarke who took possession after a clean face-off win by Anze Kopitar in the offensive zone. The former Montreal Canadien evened the game at 1-1, but it wouldn’t stay tied for very long.
Exactly three minutes later, Quinton Byfield found himself in the right place at the right time as he buried his third goal of the season. Byfield found the puck on his stick after an Adrian Kempe shot from the point deflected off of Edmundson’s skate in front of the net. All Byfield had to do was put the puck into the open cage as Montembault was not set after the deflection. The scoring didn’t stop there either.
Kevin Fiala doubled the Kings lead just over a minute after Byfield made it 2-1. Fiala scored his eighth goal of the season from virtually the same spot as ‘Q’ did just a minute prior. Byfield and Alex Laferriere pick up the assists on the goal.
The Kings were given their third power play of the game after Alex Newhook was called for tripping. Yet again, the power play did not look pretty as they failed to get any traction and didn’t show much urgency. The penalty kill however remained perfect as they killed off a too many men on the ice penalty and brought a 3-1 lead with them to the final frame.
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Q MADE IT ✌️
Third Period: Shutdown Effort Leads to Some Insurance
Los Angeles entered the third period needing a strong 20 minute effort to hold their lead and leave Quebec with a victory and they did just that.
The Kings stayed out of the box in the final frame which allowed them to have a consistent style of play with no interruptions. Due to the Kings structure and positioning, the Canadiens were unable to get anything going. Montreal was struggling to make passes and enter LA’s zone.
After shutting down the Habs for the first half of the period, the Kings decided to add some insurance. Joel Armia scored his third of the season after he stripped the puck form Lane Hutson before beating Montembeault to grow the LA lead to 4-1. A very cool moment for the former Canadien.
Warren Foegele later put the final nail in the coffin making it 5-1 as he buried his second of the year on the empty Montreal net. The Kings fifth goal is now their highest goal total in a victory this season and ties the most they’ve scored in a game this year. They last scored five goal in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knight on October 8th.
A complete 60 effort and strong style of play improves the Kinsg record to 8-5-4 and gives them back-to-back victories for the third time this season. They look to make it three in a row as they continue their road trip in Canada with a date with the Toronto Maple Leafs (8-8-1) on Thursday, November 13th at 4:00PM PT/7:00 PM ET.
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