The NHL’s best road team this season was back in their element as they headed to Montreal to take on the Canadiens. Things immediately got off to a good start, as first-period goals from Drew Doughty (7) and Quinton Byfield (7) got the Kings off to a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Byfield would once again find the net for his second score of the game and his 8th on the season. In the third and final period, Trevor Moore would score the fourth goal on the night for Los Angeles to ice the game. It was a clean 4-0 sweep behind some great team hockey and a great effort from Cam Talbot defending the net all night long.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Quinton Byfield does the heavy lifting on the attack
In what was the second 4-0 shoutout this season for the Kings over the Canadiens, Quinton Byfield made sure that his impact was felt. The 21-year-old continued what has been a breakout season for him thus far, as he scored two of the four Los Angeles goals on the night.
So far this season through 23 games, he has scored 8 times. This is already good enough to match the total amount of goals he had scored in his previous 99 career games before the 2023 campaign. As Byfield continues to develop and make his mark as one of the offensive threats on the ice for the Kings, opposing lineups will have yet another problem to try and deal with.
Cam Talbot delivers the shutout performance
While the Kings made sure to handle business on the offensive side of the game, Cam Talbot was doing a fantastic job of holding it down on the other end. The 36-year-old has been extremely reliable this year, with Thursday night’s win bringing his record in the net to 12-4-1 on the season. He was able to stop all 24 shots that the Canadiens fired his way, earning him his second shutout of 2023.
So far this year, Talbot is rocking a 1.84 GAA and a save percentage of .933. He also made some history of his own in the victory, bringing his road record to a spotless 9-0-0 to begin the year. He’s now tied with Glenn Hall in the record books for the longest season-opening road win streak by a goalie in NHL history. Talbot will have a shot to break the record and stand alone at the top in the King’s next road game against the Islanders.
2023 Kings make history on the road
With their 4-0 shutout over the Canadiens, the Kings were able to cement themselves in the history books as the only team in NHL history to ever start a season 11-0-0 on the road. They eclipsed the mark that was previously set in the 2006-2007 season by the Buffalo Sabres, who started 10-0-0.
The record goes as a testament to the level of focus and success that the Kings have come out with so far this season. After the game, head coach Todd McLellan had some high praise for his group. “Normally we’re downplaying achievements, talking about getting to the next game, but I think we have to acknowledge that the group has played really well.” They certainly have, as their total record to begin the year now stands at 16-4-3, which is good for 2nd in the Pacific Division behind just the Golden Knights.
The Kings will have a chance to further extend their record as the road trip continues in New York on Saturday night against the Islanders, who currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. PT.
