LOS ANGELES –– The Kings seized an opportunity to solidify their playoff position on Saturday, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 at Crypto.com Arena behind a selfless team effort and a game-winning goal from center Phillip Danault.
The Kings out-shot Columbus handily, but attempts were actually even as the Kings turned in a season-high 26 blocks. After a 9-3 blowout at the hands of Colorado Wednesday, they were able to revert to the low-scoring, tight-checking, close game that they have grown accustomed to playing this season.
“It’s that time of year. If you’re not getting in the lane right now, there’s something wrong with you. It’s desperate hockey,” said Coach Todd McLellan, who credited the strong start, meticulous checking and timely goaltending that coalesced to allow his club to recuperate from the “beatdown” in Colorado.
McLellan said the team was comfortably uncomfortable as it defended a one-goal lead for most of the match.
“It felt a lot more like it should for our group,” McLellan said. “It felt like we were playing the type of game we needed to play.”
While the Kings failed to gain ground on second-place Edmonton, they extended their edge over fourth-place Vegas to three points after Vegas fell 4-0 to Edmonton Saturday. That kept the Kings out of the wild-card race, where both Dallas and Nashville won to remain a point ahead of the Kings and climb four up on Vegas.
Winger Dustin Brown and Danault scored goals for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick cast aside 21 shots.
Center Sean Kuraly tallied for Columbus. Elvis Merzlikins made 36 saves.
Andreas Athanasiou returned from injury, playing his first game since March 10. He, fellow winger Brendan Lemieux and defenseman Jacob Moverare drew in for center Quinton Byfield, forward Gabriel Vilardi and defenseman Troy Stecher, who were healthy scratches Saturday.
The Kings also got a shot in the arm from a relatively robust, animated crowd that seemed to be ramping up for the postseason.
“It was awesome. Any time you see the building packed like that and the fans into it, it’s a lot of fun. Those fans are going to be huge for us in these last few games,” Athanasiou said.
The Kings scored twice in the first period and rode those goals to victory thanks to a strong possession game and superb defense in the final 2:45 of the game when they were shorthanded for two minutes and then played the remainder of the contest five-on-six.
“Shot-blocking, again. Clears. Some of the things that maybe have hampered us on the penalty kill this year didn’t,” McLellan said. “We made them come 200 feet, and that was six-on-four for a lot of it, so a real good job by our group.”
About four minutes into the third period, Quick made a sparkling, acrobatic pad stop early on winger Patrik Laine’s backhand. Later in the stanza, Columbus defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov sent a sharp-angle shot wide of an open net.
A four-on-three power play late in the second period afforded the Kings momentum but did not cushion their lead. Merzlikins snared two pucks with his glove and made a third save on Adrian Kempe’s slap shot during the opportunity.
Strength on the puck and smarts near the net allowed Columbus to halve the Kings’ lead 53 seconds into the middle frame.
Winger Gustav Nyqvist drove down the left wing, challenged defenseman Matt Roy and then spun off his check to center the puck for winger Carson Meyer. Meyer could not control the puck at the back post but recovered to flip a pass from below the goalline to Kuraly, who beat the backcheckers to the goalmouth for a tap-in tally.
The Kings out-shot Columbus 12-3 in the first period, carrying play and a 2-0 lead into the second intermission. They scored at the 1:41 mark and again 7:02 into the game.
Brown put the first goal on the board off a counterattack. After two Columbus players collided near the left-wing wall, center Blake Lizotte stole the puck and sent a pass up the boards to spring Brown ahead for a two-on-one rush. He elected to shoot the puck far side for his ninth goal of the year and his first since March 6.
Their second goal was a two-way masterpiece from Danault and his flankers. Winger Viktor Arvidsson lifted the stick of center Jack Roslovic in the slot, then defenseman Alex Edler blocked a shot, creating a loose puck that Danault moved up ice to Trevor Moore. Moore found Arvidsson ahead of the play, but rather than shooting he skated to the right post. That pulled Merzlikins out of position before Arvidsson left a drop pass for Danault, who scored all but uncontested.
“Definitely (it was one of the nicest passes I’ve scored off). I was not even ready for it, I was just going to the net and he put it on my tape,” Danault said.
Saturday marked Danault’s third straight game with a goal. His 24 goals this season represent a career-high at any level from major junior onward, and 11 more than he has put up in any NHL campaign since his 2014 debut.
“Since Day 1, the Kings believed in me and I told myself that if the team believed in me like that, I’m going to give everything I’ve got,” Danault said. “They’ve just believed in me and I can spread my wings.”
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