The Los Angeles Kings look to extend their road point streak to eight games on Tuesday when they continue their six-game trek against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Kings won their third straight road game and improved to 5-0-2 in their last seven away from home with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
“Last year, we couldn’t lose at home, didn’t win a lot on the road,” Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller said. “This year, it’s just different. It’s just hockey. Sometimes, it’s hard to explain.
“We wanted that one (at Pittsburgh). We were in and out for the first 40 minutes. I didn’t think we gave them a lot.”
Kevin Fiala set up a goal and scored the go-ahead tally with 8:08 remaining on Sunday to increase his career point total to 500.
“It was an important win,” Fiala said. “Great character. We started a little bit slow, got better and better, and in the third period, we took over. … I felt really good, to be honest. Honestly, I came into the game and I just, like, had fun, you know? I tried to feel the puck again, make plays, don’t overthink. Sometimes, slow the game down. It worked so it was great.”
Fiala is tied with 40-year-old Corey Perry for the team lead in goals at seven.
Perry, who also collected a goal and an assist on Sunday, is tied with Hall of Famer Gordie Howe (1969-70) for the most goals through 10 games in a season by an NHL player age 40 or older.
Fiala, Perry and the rest of the Kings have a tall order when they face off against Montreal, which is riding a six-game point streak (4-0-2).
Cole Caufield scored two goals on Saturday as the Canadiens opened their four-game homestand with a 6-2 romp over the Utah Mammoth.
Montreal rookie Oliver Kapanen and Alex Newhook each collected a goal and an assist and Kirby Dach added his fourth goal in his last three games for the Canadiens, who improved to 5-1-1 at home.
“Up and down the lineup (Saturday), everybody did their job,” said Caufield, who leads the team with 12 goals.
“Whether it was scoring goals or keeping the puck out of the net, I think there was a lot of compete.”
Captain Nick Suzuki rebounded after seeing his career-high 12-game point streak halted on Thursday by scoring a goal two nights later. He leads the team with 20 points.
The Canadiens boast a scintillating 10-3-2 record after 15 games this season. By comparison, they were 4-9-2 at this point in 2024-25.
“I feel being process-driven, the winning becomes a side effect, and I feel that’s where we are,” head coach Martin St. Louis said, per the Montreal Gazette. “Am I happy? Of course, I’m happy. The guys are working really hard to get where we are today. But that’s today. We got to earn it every day. That’s what we plan on doing.”
–Field Level Media
