Having avenged a playoff loss to split the first two of four road games, the Kings now embark on a journey to the Pacific Northwest for a back-to-back set.
They’ll visit Vancouver and the struggling Canucks on Friday and then meet the Seattle Kraken for the second time this season Saturday.
The Kings rebounded from a loss in Calgary with a victory in Edmonton over the Oilers, who eliminated them from last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“We went from shoddy, I think was the word I used in Calgary, to committed,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “It looked different, it felt different, we played way closer to our identity.”
The Kings got all their offense from one line and all their goals from one player’s first career hat trick, that of Thousand Oaks native Trevor Moore. But their defensive game was a collaborative effort as they bottled up the NHL’s top two scorers and blocked 29 shots. That figure tied for the second most in a game by the Kings since blocks have been tabulated as a stat.
“We should just show that game every single training camp, because that’s basically Kings hockey in a nutshell,” said the beneficiary of such sacrifice, goalie Cal Petersen.
The Kings have also recaptured their identity as a magnet for tight games. Thirteen of their 19 matches have been decided by one goal or by two with a late empty-net marker (eight wins). Their past seven games, including five victories, have gone the same way.
The Kings have an even-goal differential yet they are in hot pursuit of the Vegas Golden Knights (+19) for first place in the Pacific Division while holding off a suddenly competitive Seattle club (+7) that sits third.
Vancouver, however, is dangling just above the last-place Ducks, who have yet to win a game in regulation this season. The Canucks have been a sieve thus far, trailing only the Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets in goals against per game.
Offensively, they’ve been led by centers Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat, and also aided by international free agent Andrei Kuzmenko on the wing. Horvat and Kuzmenko are unrestricted free agents to be, and Horvat could become a particularly coveted piece on the trade market if no agreement is reached before this year’s deadline.
Former Kings winger Tanner Pearson (hand) will not play until some point in December.
Last season, Seattle appeared to hurl expectations for an expansion team back to earth. Whereas Vegas soared to the Stanley Cup Final upon takeoff, the Kraken mostly nose-dived through a forgettable campaign. But Coach Dave Hakstol has elicited much better results this year.
Free-agent signing Andre Burakovsky, a recuperated Brandon Tanev and rookie Matty Beniers have provided reinforcements up front.
Much like Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, Seattle center Shane Wright is in the big show but only intermittently. Clarke has played nine of 19 games for the Kings and Wright has played 7 of 16 for the Kraken.
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Former Kings goalie Martin Jones, who continued to torment his former team with a 4-1 win on Oct. 13, has stolen the gig in goal from Philipp Grubauer, whose performance has been lackluster since leaving the Colorado Avalanche.
Kings at Vancouver
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/IHeartRadio
Kings at Seattle
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/IHeartRadio