Just over 24 hours before the Montreal Canadiens visit, the Los Angeles Kings celebrated their fourth straight victory by defeating the Ducks 5-2 in Anaheim on Friday.
Kevin Fiala was the leader in today’s win. The striker scored twice, bringing his total to six goals this season. This is his first game with at least two goals in 2023–2024 and his 21st career.
Arthur Kaliyev, Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar were the other scorers for the winners, while Drew Doughty, Trevor Moore and Andrian Kempe each had two assists.
The Ducks’ answer came with the bats of Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn. In the second case, it was his first goal of the year and he scored it in the jersey of the team that offered him a four-year contract worth a total of 25 million last July.
Hellebuyck cleans up the Panthers
At Sunrise, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 33 Florida Panthers shots and his team won 3-0.
It’s the 30-year-old’s first shutout of the year and his 33rd in the National League.
On the other side of the ice, Sergei Bobrovski was thwarted by shots from Nino Niederreiter and Nikolaj Ehlers, while Adam Lowry converted the equalizer into an empty net.
MacDermid gives the Avalanche the win
In Saint Paul, Colorado, Avalanche defenseman Kurtis MacDermid scored his first goal to help his team win 3-2 against the Minnesota Wild.
Ross Colton and Valeri Nichushkin scored the other goals for the winning side, while Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek provided the answer for the losing side.
The Avs have won five of their last six games, while the Wild’s losing streak extends to six games in a row.
In summary
In New Jersey, Elvis Merzlikins made 38 saves to help the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Devils 2-1.
In Ottawa, defenseman Alexander Romanov collected his first two assists of the season in the New York Islanders’ 5-3 win over the Senators.
In Dallas, the Calgary Flames surprised the Stars with 7 to 4. Yegor Sharangovich stood out with a goal and two assists.