NHL: Denis Gurianov breaks the ice, but CH is faltering

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The Canadian lost 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings as the team continued its journey on the US West Coast on Thursday night.

The Canadian Kings have been particularly upset in the past two periods. They were dangerous to attack as well as blocking most of the Hab’s attacks thanks to their decoy in the no-man’s-land.

Jake Allen was solid, making 30 saves, but the CH goalkeeper was nothing short of miraculous.

Josh Anderson took advantage of a defensive scramble by the Kings during a strong play by the Canadian to score the first goal of the game.

Striker Force CH was in the right place at the right time to recover a CD and beat guard Pheonix Copley between the pillows.

Minutes before the goal, defender Justin Barron was hit behind his own net by Karl Grundström. The Habs fullback appeared to hit his shoulder on the line and ran back to the locker room. The team later announced that it would not return to the game.

The first 20s were not filled with scoring opportunities. Montreal had seven shots on goal, while Los Angeles had ten.

Despite the lack of shots in the first period, CH didn’t appear to be intimidated by one of the best formations in the Western Conference.

After the break, Martin St. Louis’ Troopers continued their good work in the opposition area, getting their best scoring chances, all of which were blocked by Copley.

Later in the second half, when the Kings took advantage of the encounter in the offensive zone, forward Gabriel Velarde grabbed a loose puck and went there with a sweet tackle before handing the puck to Alex Ivalo who knew how to complete it. The Kings’ ninth goal of the season tied the score at 1-1.

With just over five minutes left in the second half, Anzi Kopitar made a perfect pass to Quinton Byfield in a two-on-one attack, only for Allen to save the day with the help of his right leg.

After a convincing first period, the Canadian was able to see which wood the Kings were heating in the second period. CH dominated 13-3 in terms of shots on goal during the middle period.

Velarde continued his good night’s work in game three by scoring the tie-breaking goal. The Kings’ senior forward scored his 20th of the season to make it 2-1.

After only 63 seconds, Kopitar, in turn, fooled Allen’s alertness with a fine wrist shot. The 13th goal in his last 14 games as captain of the Kings.

While everything seemed to be going well for the home team, newcomer Denis Guryanov made sure to give the signal. The Russian striker fired a real missile and scored his first goal in his new uniform, closing the gap by one goal.

The Canadian then attempted a third goal to push the game into overtime, but the team became frustrated with Copley. The Kings goalkeeper remained solid until the end and allowed his team to maintain their lead.