A stinging setback for CH against the Kings

LOS ANGELES – The Montreal Canadiens conceded five straight goals to fall 5-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at Staples Center.

It was a first win for Los Angeles in seven games.

Alex Iafallo scored twice in addition to amassing an assist, as Arthur Kaliyev and Rasmus Kupari both found the back of the net on the power play for the Kings (2-5-1), who were on a bad track. streak of seven straight losses (0-5-1), them who had not won since October 14. Calvin Petersen made 26 saves.

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The locals ended the night with a 3-for-5 power play record, scoring just two goals on their last 21 opportunities.

“We couldn’t wait for that to happen,” said Kings head coach Todd McLellan. When you score on the power play, there are other facets of your game that will fall into place. You gain confidence. I think that’s what made the difference tonight. « 

Josh Anderson found the net for a second straight game, while Jake Allen made 33 saves for the Canadiens (2-7-0).

“You have to reach a certain level of effort to compete, a certain level of effort to win in this league every night. At this time, we are not prepared to make this effort consistently. And it shows with this result, ”said Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot.

The Canadiens players were slow to meet the media after the game as a twenty-minute meeting was held in the locker room.

« We are accountable, » said Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli, for whom it was a first game against the Kings, with whom he played for eight years. “We have to look at each other in the mirror and in the eyes of all the players, and show maturity in this locker room. We have to understand that if we don’t play well, we have to find a solution. « 

Video: Canadians beaten easily in Los Angeles

Kaliyev gave the Kings a 2-1 lead at 12:19 of the second period using a left circle wrist shot through traffic.

Kupari made it 3-1 at 1:53 of the third period using a shot from the right circle as Dustin Brown acted as a shield in front of Allen on a power-play streak.

The indiscipline and management of the game cost the Canadians dearly, and head coach Dominique Ducharme did not like his family’s exit.

“I can’t pick them up every other day, it has to come from them,” said Ducharme. It was 2-1 at the start of the third, and that’s where you have to come out, but in 10 seconds, we had taken a penalty. It’s one of the worst ways to start a period, especially when you want to get back into the game. « 

Iafallo jumped on a return throw from Matt Roy and he rounded Allen before dropping the puck into a gaping cage, giving Los Angeles a 4-1 lead at 5:37.

Iafallo added with the Kings’ third power play goal at 14:16 to make it 5-1. Los Angeles maintained a 3-for-5 performance on the power play after scoring twice on 21 occasions with a man advantage in the previous six games.

Chiarot hit the target at 5:40 PM to close the lead to 5-2. The defenseman said the Canadians had responded poorly in the face of adversity, including when Viktor Arvidsson tied 1-1 at 4:31 of the second period with an accurate shot from the right circle. Anderson had given the Habs a 1-0 lead at 18:22 of the first period.

“We don’t seem to have a solution right now,” Chiarot said. We’re not fighting, and that’s the biggest problem right now. We had the momentum, we were in control of the game, and suddenly it all turned against us. We took several penalties, yes, but we have to be able to bounce back. « 

After spending the past six seasons with the Canadiens, Phillip Danault faced his former team for the first time. He amassed an assist on Iafallo’s second goal.