Playoff-level physicality took center stage Thursday night as the Los Angeles Kings lost 4-2 to the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately for the Kings, they not only lost the game, but probably some short-term manpower as well.
With LA leading 1-0 in the second period, Tanner Jeannot was assessed a match penalty after hitting Canucks forward Brock Boeser with a headshot. Vancouver converted once on the ensuing five-minute power play to tie the game, and never really looked back. For Jeannot, a suspension is almost a certainty.
Later in the second, a Filip Hronek shot hit Mickey Anderson around the ear, ending the LA defenseman’s night prematurely. Kings coach Jim Hiller had no update on Anderson after the game. His availability for Saturday’s game against Columbus is uncertain.
Already in the dubious position of playing their third game in four nights, the Kings were forced to field eleven forwards and five defensemen, with Jeannot and Anderson both done for the evening. Fatigue seemingly started to set in in the third as they struggled to connect in the Vancouver zone. Vladislav Gavrikov pulled the Kings to within one later in the frame, but Canucks forward JT Miller cooled the game with an empty-net goal at 18:46.
Quinn Hughes scored the winning goal and added an assist in a dominant individual performance, finishing with a 73.91 CF% and a whopping 87.63 xGF%. With Hughes on the ice, the Canucks had an 18-2 edge in scoring chances and a 9-0 advantage on high-danger chances.
The Kings dropped to 8-4-3 and snapped a 4-game point streak. They host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at the Crypto.com Arena.
