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The Montreal Canadiens lost a tough game 4-1 against the LA Kings on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. For the Kings, it was their second game in back-to-back nights, losing the night before to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto.
The Kings got goals from Mikey Anderson, Alex Laferriere, Andreas Englund, and Adrian Kempe. Justin Barron replied for the Montreal Canadiens, opening the scoring at 7:02 of the first period. With the loss, the Canadiens dropped to 2-3 on the season. Meanwhile, the Kings improved to 2-1-2.
Here’s a look at the three reasons why the Montreal Canadiens fell to the LA Kings on Thursday night.
3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost to LA Kings
#3. The Montreal Canadiens started strong but could not sustain the movement
A common theme thus far has been the Habs’ inability to sustain early momentum. Against the Kings, the Montreal Canadiens controlled much of the early first period. That pressure led to Justin Barron’s goal, giving the Habs a 1-0 lead.
However, the Kings pushed back, eventually tying the game late in the first. The Kings took the lead in the second before icing the game in the third. In the end, the Habs fell flat, becoming unable to mount a comeback.
#2. The Habs failed to capitalize on the power play
The Habs went 0-for-5 with the man advantage. Those missed opportunities could have made a significant difference in turning the game around. Specifically, the Habs had three power play opportunities in the second period but failed to convert.
Adrian Kempe’s empty-netter was technically a shorthanded goal as the Canadiens pulled the goalie and had a 6-on-4 power play. However, the Kings managed to get the empty-net goal to put the game away for good.
#1. The Habs’ defensive lapses proved costly
The Habs seemed to tune out at times, giving the Kings plenty of time and space to make things happen. A good example came on Laferriere’s goal. The play began with the Kings cycling around the Montreal zone.
The puck eventually came back to the point where the shot got through traffic, tipped by Laferriere and past Sam Montembeault.
The play seemed particularly disorganized as the Canadiens players were caught puck-watching. No one reacted to the point shot, giving the Kings plenty of time to set up the play and get the shot on net. Then no one cleared the front of the net, allowing a relatively easy tip-in. Had the Habs’ players anticipated the play, the point shot might not have gotten through, avoiding the goal.
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday night when they take on the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
