Three takeaways from the LA Kings’ 3-1 win over the Kraken

The LA Kings defeat the Seattle Kraken in the first-ever meeting between the two franchises. Here are three things recapping the win for LA.

The LA Kings extend their winning streak to four games after a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Led by  Cal Petersen and strong defensive performance, the Kings move into the second spot in the Pacific Division.

LA now heads off to San Jose with 20 wins under their belt.

Goal Breakdown

LAK: Adrian Kempe (17), Assists: Alex Iafallo (13), Anze Kopitar (23)

LAK: Phillip Danault (8), Assists: Mikey Anderson (2), Trevor Moore (12)

SEA: Marcus Johansson (PPG, 4) Assists: Calle Jarnkrok (7), Mark Giordano (8)

LAK: Phillip Danault (9), Assists: Trevor Moore (13), Viktor Arvidsson (13)

Stats

Goals:
LAK: 3
SEA: 1

Shots on goal:
LAK: 22
SEA: 18

Hits:
LAK: 23
SEA: 30

Faceoff percentage:
LAK: 45%
SEA: 55%

Here are three things that stood out in Saturday’s game:

1. Cal Petersen quietly saves the Kings

Despite the shot volume being unusually low for both the Kings and the Kraken, Petersen came up big for LA in Seattle on Saturday night. The 27-year-old goalie suited up for his 15th game of the season and recorded his eighth win with a .944 save percentage.

Petersen may not have had too many shots taken on him, but he stood tall and managed to get his team the win. It was plays like this that made him such a factor in the win:

Those types of interceptions don’t count as shots for the opposition, but it does help break up plays and help the defense break the puck out of the zone. That’s an example of how goalies can be the third defenseman in hockey.

Petersen finished with 1.41 GSAx (goals saved above expected) and was easily one of the Kings’ best players in the game. With Petersen’s win, he continues to stay undefeated in the new year and moves up to a .967 save percentage in 2022. He’s also only allowed two goals in 180 minutes of hockey since the start of January.

Could we finally see Petersen re-shape back into his 2020-21 self after a disappointing start to the season? Let’s hope so. These types of wins can help a goaltender regain confidence, so hopefully, this is the Cal Petersen we can get used to… again.

2. It was an off-game for the Kings

There is definitely an argument to be made when someone says that both teams looked a little slow and a bit sloppy in Saturday’s game. But the LA Kings looked more out-of-order than they have recently.

For starters, LA only had 22 shots on net. Before the game against the Kraken, the Kings had four straight games where they had 35 plus shots on goal, and 30 or more shots the two games before that.

It wasn’t the prettiest win of the season for LA, but the two points are all that matters.

There were a couple of players who had disappointing games, like Rasmus Kupari, Sean Durzi, and basically the entire fourth line, but this shouldn’t be an issue. On the other hand, Danault had one of his best offensive games in a Kings jersey, as he finished the night first in xG on the team, third in Corsi, and fourth in Fenwick (number of unblocked shot attempts for) per MoneyPuck: