"On the Orders of the King(s)" 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 69: Hurricanes at Los Angeles Kings

The Canes start their weekend back-to-back with their toughest game on their California trip against the Kings on Saturday afternoon. Riding a season-long eight-game win streak after their victory over San Jose, the Canes hoped to be one of the few teams in the league to beat the Kings in their barn this season. With Seth Jarvis and Taylor Hall looking to extend point streaks, the visitors tried to ensure a winning trip in a battle between playoff-bound teams.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

LAK (3:03)- Adrian Kempe (29) (Samuel Helenius (3) & Tanner Jeannot (5))

LAK (14:39)- Anze Kopitar (17) PP (Andrei Kuzmenko (15) & Drew Doughty (8))

LAK (19:56)- Andrei Kuzmenko (7) (Anze Kopitar (38))

2nd Period

LAK (5:58)- Trevor Moore (15) (Philip Danault (29) & Warren Foegele (19))

LAK (6:49)- Tanner Jeannot (6) (Alex Turcotte (15) & Drew Doughty (9)

LAK (8:41)- Quinton Byfield (18) (Kevin Fiala (21))

CAR (14:17)- Dmitry Orlov (5) (Jalen Chatfield (11) & Logan Stankoven (22))

3rd Period

LAK (18:03)- Kevin Fiala (26) (Alex Laferriere (18) & Quinton Byfield (24))

CAR (18:11)- Mark Jankowski (9) (Eric Robinson (17) & Scott Morrow (3))

My Thoughts

I actually feel the need to thank the Carolina Hurricanes for what they did on Saturday afternoon. They let us all know at the end of the first period that the winning streak was going to die in Los Angeles, which made the next 40 minutes a little easier to stomach. The action on the ice certainly didn't make it more enjoyable, but it was nice not to have to worry about a comeback making it close. Obviously, I'm only half kidding because I wanted them to hit nine games and a comeback would've been sweet, but it was clear after 20 minutes that the run was over and it was only drilled home when the Kings blitzed the Canes early in the second period. The Kings were far and away the better team and gave the Canes the beating that had long been coming to them.

This felt like a case of the Canes playing horribly defensively and their goalie paying for it. Pyotr Kochetkov didn't play as poorly as the numbers indicate. I can only point to two goals, at most, that I would've liked for him to stop. Kempe's goal was a wicked shot that was perfectly placed. Kopitar's goal was a bad bounce off a skate. Kuzmenko's goal should've been stopped. Moore's goal probably could've been stopped, too. Jeannot and Byfield benefitted from bouncing pucks and terrible defensive coverage to score two incredibly easy goals. Fiala's goal was torched. For a minute, I was worried we were getting into Antti Raanta vs. Tampa territory, but we, thankfully, avoided that. He played his best period in the third to keep the bleeding from getting worse. 

There aren't a lot of positives to take away from this game, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few. The top line, once again, looked dangerous through two periods. Jackson Blake was particularly good. The Canes managed to not be shut out, getting goals from Dmitry Orlov and Mark Jankowski. Logan Stankoven was a pest on Orlov's goal, providing a great presence in front of David Rittich and getting the secondary assist. Jankowski's goal was his fifth in six games as a Hurricane. He had solid chemistry with Eric Robinson, giving the Canes another interesting duo to pair together. Scott Morrow added an assist on the goal to extend his point streak to three games.

Of course, the big news from this game was Seth Jarvis' injury early in the third period. Of all the things that could've happened today, another injury wasn't what the fans wanted to see, especially since this game had already gotten out of hand. Jarvis lost his edge trying to work around Warren Foegele short-handed before crashing into the boards. It looked like he hit the back of his head against the boards, but I'm not entirely sure what he hurt. Regardless, it didn't look good. It was only compounded by Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere both missing the game. Hopefully, it's not that serious and he doesn't miss much time, if any at all.

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

New Jersey (8 Points Behind for 2nd)- The Devils dropped another game at home today, falling 3-2 to the Ottawa Senators. They've now lost two straight games and six of their last ten as their hold on 3rd place continues to slip away.

New York (R) (6 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- The Rangers celebrated the career of Sam Rosen today and repaid him by beating the Canucks, 5-3, in a back-and-forth contest. They still sit a point outside of the playoffs with Montreal owning two games in hand over them.

New York (I) (7 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- The Islanders blew a 3-2 third-period lead this afternoon and lost in overtime to the Flames at home. This might've been a critical point lost for the Islanders, who are starting to make a serious surge for the second Wild Card spot.

Columbus (9 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- Despite putting up 47 shots, the Blue Jackets fell 6-3 to the Penguins on Friday night, bringing their losing streak to seven games. They'll be on Long Island Monday night to face the Islanders in a massive game for both teams.

The Road Ahead- The Hurricanes conclude their trip and the back-to-back tomorrow night in Anaheim. Once they finish, there will only be 12 games remaining in the campaign, with a four-game homestand looming. They'll start by hosting the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.