Detroit, MI
Detroit Red Wings avoid shutout but still royally trounced by LA Kings, 4-1
LOS ANGELES — Predictably, the Detroit Red Wings lost the second of their back-to-back outing, outplayed by a well-rested and skilled opponent.
The Los Angeles Kings dispatched the Wings, 4-1, Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, taking advantage and control early. The Wings were never in it, outshot every period to the tune of 41-18 in the end. Dylan Larkin scored with 1:27 to play, his 10th goal of the season.
The loss leaves the Wings (7-9-1) with one last hope left for salvaging some pride on this trip when they wrap things up Monday at the San Jose Sharks. The trip began on a positive note when the Wings quashed the Penguins’ momentum and won in overtime, but took a dive when they failed to do so against the Ducks, blowing a two-goal lead to lose Friday in Anaheim.
Tough 22 seconds
The Wings, having played 22 hours earlier, spent most of the first stretch of the game in their own zone, with Talbot having his hands full. The former Kings goalie was welcomed back with a Jumbotron message during the first timeout. Then the Kings went back to shelling him. They scored at 18:05 when Lucas Raymond’s attempt at a chip pass was picked off and ended with Mikey Anderson’s goal. Just 22 seconds later, they doubled up off an odd-man rush, with Tanner Jeannot scoring at 18:27.
Tilted ice
The Kings, who had been off since Wednesday, showed what good teams do when they have a two-goal lead: Keep up the pressure. They racked up a 15-5 edge in shots in the first period and sustained the attack in the second, keeping Talbot busy by buzzing around his net. The Wings had a harder time making things tough on David Rittich. Alex DeBrincat had one of the better chances when he unleashed a quick shot from the left circle, and Marco Kasper was in on a chance, too, but Rittich saw everything the Wings sent at him. The Kings went ahead, 3-0, when Adrian Kempe converted on a breakaway 15 seconds into the third period, and scored again into an empty net with 49 seconds to play.
Edvinsson unavailable
Simon Edvinsson took warmups but ended up missing the game because he got dinged up Friday blocking a shot. He’s considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, nothing the team expects to take long to heal. His absence left the Wings with a hole to plug on the top defense pairing. Ben Chiarot slid into the spot, a natural choice given he has played with Seider a great deal in the past. The other lineup change was up front, where an upper-body injury prevented Michael Rasmussen from playing, and Tyler Motte instead made his first appearance in a week.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.