Intent on closing out a monster six-game road trip with a flourish, the Los Angeles Kings will at least be back in their home state when they face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
The Kings started their journey on Nov. 9 with a victory at Pittsburgh then stormed through Canada with victories over the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators.
With goals harder to come by as the trip has progressed, Los Angeles fell 2-1 to the Washington Capitals on Monday. It was the second consecutive one-goal game for Los Angeles, which pulled off a shutout at Ottawa on Saturday.
Anze Kopitar scored on the power play just past the midway point against the Capitals to cut the deficit in half, but neither team scored the rest of the way. The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-best 903rd career goal, while Kopitar scored his 443rd as he sits at third most all-time for the Kings.
If it appears that Los Angeles is running out of gas as the trip progresses, head coach Jim Hiller sees it otherwise.
“We had lots of energy in the second and the third, so there’s no reason why we didn’t start with the same energy,” Hiller said. “We made some mistakes (early), and I guess we got what we deserved.”
Darcy Kuemper had 23 saves, and the Kings’ defense played well in defeat despite being without veteran Drew Doughty, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury that occurred against the Senators.
Los Angeles now heads to the Bay Area after seeing its 10-game road points streak (8-0-2) come to an end.
Much improved this season with 21 points through 20 games, San Jose continues to be led by dynamic teenager Macklin Celebrini, who was tied for second in the NHL with 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists), heading into Wednesday’s games.
The 19-year-old willed the Sharks past the Utah Mammoth 3-2 in overtime Tuesday by scoring all three goals for his second hat trick of the season and third of his young career. The game-winner came on a vicious shot through a screen at 2:52 of the extra period while on the power play.
No other teenager had ever delivered a hat trick, an overtime winner and all of his team’s goals in the same game, according to OptaSTATS.
“I feel a little bit better,” Celebrini said in something of a warning to the rest of the NHL about settling in during his second season. “The more time, the more chemistry (you have) with your teammates and we’re looking to build something.”
The level of Celebrini’s early greatness and bright future was revealed in one milestone after Monday’s game. He is just the fourth teenager with 30 points through 20 games in a season, joining three legends in Sidney Crosby (2006-07), Mario Lemieux (1984-85) and Wayne Gretzky twice (1980-81, 1979-80).
“I mean it’s cool, but that’s the first time I’m hearing about that,’ Celebrini said of his name on a list with some of the NHL’s top all-time performers. “I don’t really want to hear about that. It’s not what’s important.”
–Field Level Media
