Kings shut out Red Wings for their third win in four games
Cal Petersen stopped all 21 shots he faced in his first start in more than a month, Phillip Danault and Drew Doughty scored in the first period, and the Kings rolled to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Adrian Kempe scored short-handed, Trevor Moore added an empty-net goal and the Kings won for the third time in four games.
Alex Nedeljkovic allowed three goals on 40 shots for the Red Wings, who have lost four in a row on the road.
The Los Angeles Kings outshoot the Nashville Predators 48-20, but struggle to put the puck past goaltender Juuse Saros in a 4-2 loss.
Petersen was solid despite rarely being challenged in his first game since allowing four goals in a Dec. 6 loss at Vancouver. Jonathan Quick had reasserted claim to the starting job, and a stint in COVID-19 protocol last month kept Petersen off the ice. But he again looked like the future in net for Los Angeles, posting his second career shutout.
Los Angeles dominated the first period, taking a 2-0 lead while outshooting Detroit 27-2. The shot total matched the franchise record for any period, which was set on Jan. 7, 2010, also against the Red Wings.
Danault put the Kings ahead 6:27 into the game, chipping in a rebound by Arthur Kaliyev for his sixth goal just after a power play expired.
Doughty extended the advantage at 9:06, burying a slap shot through traffic for his fourth goal. He has one goal and three assists during a three-game point streak.
Kempe scored his team-leading 15th short-handed late in the second period, putting the Kings up 3-0.
There was a considerably stronger showing on special teams after coach Todd McLellan called out that part of Los Angeles’ game following a frustrating 4-2 loss to Nashville in which the Kings controlled the even-strength play. They killed off both penalties after conceding a power-play goal in four straight games coming out of the Christmas break.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
