Los Angeles hasn't exactly been clutch in extra hockey this season. But a key victory on Thursday night puts the Kings within range in the Pacific Division.
Overtime #1
9. Los Angeles Kings , Phillip Danault 15 (Matt Duchene 22) at 0:26
That, “Kings fans”, is a breath of Fresh Air....F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!
Alex Wennberg wins face-off versus Phillip Danault in neutral zone. Pass to Valeri Nichushkin. Valeri Nichushkin moves puck in Los Angeles Kings zone. Pass to Alex Wennberg. Pass to Valeri Nichushkin. Pass to Alex Wennberg. Snap shot by Alex Wennberg. Stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy without a rebound. Phillip Danault wins face-off versus Alex Wennberg in Los Angeles Kings zone. Pass to Matt Duchene. Pass to Phillip Danault in neutral zone. Phillip Danault moves puck in Toronto Maple Leafs zone. Pass to Matt Duchene. Wrist shot by Matt Duchene. Deflect By Phillip Danault.
Goal by Phillip Danault - Los Angeles Kings : 5 - Toronto Maple Leafs : 4.
One of the new additions to the Kings roster has been playing almost like superman...Matt Duchene has played 6 games and is 1-11-12. He is centering the top Kings line with Jordan Staal and Claude Giroux.
Erik Haula finally got it going with his point tonight (assist) and Jordan Staal is 2-3-5. Vasilevsky is slowly climbing up the goalie stats - he leads the league with 3 shutouts.
He has a save% of .917 (10th) and a GAA of 2.69 (9th). His Minutes Played of 921 is also 1st in the league.
Since the trade that brought over Duchene and the gang, the Kings have gone 5-1. After last night's hard fought victory, the Kings find themselves thick in the hunt for a playoff spot with 27 points - just 3 back of the 2nd Wild Card spot held by Arizona.
The Kings continue their road trip (previous wins over Ottawa and Toronto) vs Montreal, Columbus, Buffalo, and Boston. Then they head home for 3 games against teams in their division (Sharks/Ducks/Flames).
These 7 games might be their most important of the season up until this point in time.