In an attempt to end a seven-game losing streak, the Kings resumed their six-game road trip on Saturday, making their fourth stop in Detroit. Sadly, the losing trend continues as the Red Wings’ 5-3 defeat extending their winless run to eight games (0-4-4).
The Red Wings scored first on Saturday, as Dylan Larkin beat Cam Talbot with a close shot to score his 15th goal of the year at 2:44 into the contest. The Kings answered quickly, as in less than five minutes, Quinton Byfield tied the score on a power play. Kevin Fiala set up Byfield by dribbling past a Red Wings defender and starting a lovely game of tic-tac-toe with Byfield, Anze Kopitar, and himself. The teams went into the first half tied at one point apiece, with the Kings ahead 9 to 8 in terms of shots made.
The Red Wings dominated the second period, outshooting the Kings 19–10 and outscoring them 4-0. Talbot’s night came to an end at the end of the four-goal quarter. After two periods, Talbot was replaced after blocking 22 of 27 shots. In a relief role, David Rittich netted for the Kings, marking his fourth appearance of the year.
The Red Wings dominated the second period, outshooting the Kings 19–10 and outscoring them 4-0. Talbot’s night came to an end at the end of the four-goal quarter. After two periods, Talbot was replaced after blocking 22 of 27 shots. In a relief role, David Rittich netted for the Kings, marking his fourth appearance of the year.
The Kings were behind 5-1 going into the third, but they swiftly turned the score interesting with two goals in the opening 5:38 of the frame. During the power play, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his first goal in eight games. Dubois scored his eighth goal of the year with a one-time snap shot after Alex Laferriere set him up in the slot. After grabbing a wayward rebound from a Kopitar shot, Byfield scored his second power-play goal of the game a few minutes later. Byfield had his fourth multi-goal game of the season, his 12th goal overall. With his performance tonight, Byfield became the 39th different skater in the Kings’ history who is 21 years of age or younger to score 30 points in the team’s first 39 games of the season (12-18=30). This is also the first time that this has happened since Anze Kopitar (10-20=30) in 2008–09.