CALGARY, Alberta — The Calgary Flames secured a hard-fought 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night, with Captain Mikael Backlund playing a pivotal role by contributing a goal and an assist.
Jonathan Huberdeau marked his presence by scoring his sixth goal of the season, and Kevin Rooney added another goal into an empty net, solidifying the Flames’ victory.
Trevor Moore managed to net the only goal for the Kings, who saw their regulation losses rise to just two in the last seven games.
Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf performed admirably, facing 28 shots and coming within 2:31 of achieving his first NHL shutout before Moore found the net with the goalie pulled for an extra skater.
Darcy Kuemper, who took on 27 shots in the opposing goal, took the loss for the Kings.
In terms of takeaways from the match, Los Angeles’ forward line, consisting of Phillip Danault, Trevor Moore, and Kevin Fiala, began the game with impressive form, particularly Danault and Moore who both had five-game point streaks. However, they were unable to contribute until late in the third period when Moore’s shot was confirmed to cross the line after a video review.
For Calgary, before this game, the team had one of the worst first-period goal differentials in the league, trailing only the San Jose Sharks. However, they turned this trend around with a stronger performance in the first 20 minutes of the match, outshooting Los Angeles 10-7 while generating numerous scoring opportunities.
A crucial moment in the game occurred when Backlund broke the scoreless tie at 10:42 of the second period. After a misplayed pass from the Kings behind their net, the puck bounced into the slot where Backlund was quick to capitalize.
A noteworthy statistic from the game was Calgary’s 27th ranking on the penalty kill heading into the night. They faced only one power play opportunity, which came just over two minutes before the end of the game. Despite being down a skater, the Flames successfully thwarted the Kings’ efforts to equalize, even as Los Angeles pulled their goalie for an additional attacker.
Looking ahead, the Kings conclude a two-game road excursion against Colorado on Wednesday while the Flames will head to Vancouver for their next match on Tuesday.