In Los Angeles, the Kings struck for four goals in the first period and cruised to a 5-3 win over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on New Year’s Eve.
Jonathan Quick made 32 saves to get the win.
“I think if you can create some type of internal competition between the two, then you’ve really got something going,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said of each power-play unit scoring. “We haven’t been able to get one unit going, never mind the second, and tonight they both contributed.”
LA was perfect in three chances on the power play.
“A staple of our team so far this year has been our penalty kill, and tonight it wasn’t very good,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. “That combined with them scoring on our power play took us out of the game early. Tried to battle back, but we have a couple of guys right now who don’t seem to have a lot of energy on the ice.”
Justin Braun scored for the Flyers.
Kyle Clifford, Alex Iafallo, Tyler Toffoli, and Adrian Kempe (shorthanded) scored for the Kings in the opening frame.
“They were aggressive,” the Flyers Ivan Provorov said. “They were putting pucks at the net, and we just couldn’t get to the loose pucks and couldn’t get the rebounds. Their first goal on the power play was just a nice play, kind of nobody’s fault. They skated right into an area and they hit him right away, so I don’t think it was anybody’s fault.”
Martin Frk had a power play goal for the Kings in the third period.
“We’ve been talking about improving our special teams, so to get that boost today was obviously great. And, at the end of the day, it won us the game,” Anze Kopitar said.
Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton scored lipstick goals for the 5-3 final.
[WATCH: All Flyers vs. Kings highlights]
Brian Elliott made 11 saves in the first period.
“We did our best trying to climb out of it but just couldn’t tie the game and force the OT,” Provorov said. “For now, just learn from the mistakes and move on.”
Carter Hart got the mop to start the second period and made 13 saves.
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