Sizzling Kings use another big 2nd period to top Blue Jackets
LOS ANGELES — For the second straight game the Kings rode a four-goal second period to a comfortable victory, thrashing the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-1, on Thursday night at Crypto.Com Arena.
The Kings improved to 7-0-1 in their past eight games and moved within a point of the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division after former Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and his new team, Vegas, were walloped, 7-2, by the Calgary Flames. Third-place Edmonton won Thursday to remain five points behind the Kings.
Winger Viktor Arvidsson, defenseman Drew Doughty, winger Carl Grundstrom and center Anze Kopitar all scored for the Kings, with Grundstrom adding an assist. All four goals came at even strength. Pheonix Copley made 30 saves, including a beauty on winger Patrik Laine during a power play.
Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo both played their entire careers in Columbus prior to the Feb. 28 trade that made them Kings and sent Quick, ultimately, to Vegas. Korpisalo backed up Thursday while Gavrikov logged more than 21 minutes.
Winger Kirill Marchenko scored the lone goal for Columbus. Daniil Tarasov and Michael Hutchinson shared the burden in net; Tarasov stopped 23 of 27 shots before Hutchinson was flawless in relief, turning away all nine shots he faced.
Much of the final period could have been played with a running clock, though the Blue Jackets saved some face early. Columbus ruined Copley’s shutout 4:31 into the third period when the rookie Marchenko’s shot from the slot resulted in his 17th goal of the season.
The Kings cemented their victory with two goals that came with 7:24 and 6:12 left in the second period, respectively, and chased Tarasov from the game.
During an evening when the Kings played a methodical team game, two of their goals came from remarkable individual efforts, including Grundstrom’s unassisted effort, his eighth of 2022-23.
Grundstrom was barely supported by one teammate while being defended by five opponents as he danced, dangled and bounced off checks below the goal line before rifling the puck home.
Just 72 seconds earlier, Moore’s pass from one faceoff dot to the other set up an Arvidsson one-timer that left him a goal shy of 20 for the season.
Breathing room had already been created by a goal off the rush, 7:42 into the period. Defenseman Mikey Anderson settled the puck near the right faceoff dot before sending a pass to the near post for forward Quinton Byfield, whose no-look touch pass to Kopitar at the opposite pipe produced a fluttering tap-in goal. The captain’s 26th goal represented his best total since 2017-18 and put him on pace for his fourth 30-goal campaign.
The second period brought more close calls, including forward Trevor Moore jabbing at a rebound. On the ensuing shift, the Kings broke the tie, 4:44 into the frame with one of Doughty’s most creative plays in recent memory.
He undressed center Lane Pederson at the blue line with a show-and-go move, then beat defenseman Adam Boqvist with an inside move near the net. Doughty banked the puck off Tarasov’s pad, sending it over the goalie’s shoulder before Doughty guided it into the net for good measure. It was his fifth goal of the season and his second in two games.
The Kings took a penalty 15 seconds into the match and found their legs quickly after killing it. Seven minutes in, Moore hit the post with a shot and on the same shift his linemate Phillip Danault was narrowly denied by Tarasov. Later, winger Arthur Kaliyev put a one-timer through Tarasov that fell mere centimeters short of being a goal, the sort of near-miss that sent the game to its first intermission scoreless.
Since returning from the All-Star break, the Kings are 12-2-2. They have not lost in regulation in nine home games during that stretch, with their lone defeat coming in a shootout against Nashville on Saturday.
More to come on this story.