The LA Kings improved to 4-1-0 in the preseason as they skated to a 3-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday evening at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, ID.
The Kings opened the scoring just past the midway point of the first period as forward Andrei Kuzmenko scored his first goal of the preseason to get his team on the board in Boise. Forward Jeff Malott perfectly weighted a pass into the slot to a wide-open Kuzmenko, who made no mistake with the finish past Utah goaltender Karol Vejmelka for his first of the preseason and a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Just 60 seconds into the middle stanza, the Kings doubled their advantage through the persistence of forward Andre Lee. After Malott and Lee tried to connect entering the offensive zone, the play appeared to be broken up but Lee stuck with it, collected a bouncing puck in the slot, spun and fired inside the far post and into the back of the net to make it 2-0 Los Angeles.
The Mammoth scored twice in relatively short succession in the second period to turn 2-0 into 2-2.
First, forward Cameron Hebig drove the net and cashed in off a Nick DeSimone rebound, burying from close range to get the Mammoth on the board. Later in the middle stanza, Utah tied the game through forward Daniil But, who also had the secondary assist on Hebig’s goal. But, working off the left-wing boards, shot top shelf from the left-hand circle, beating Kings netminder Pheonix Copley on the glove side for a 2-2 scoreline.
As the third period rolled on, Kings forward Taylor Ward scored a goal against the run of play to give his team a 3-2 victory. Ward beat Vejmelka clean from the right-hand circle with a well-placed shot for his third goal of the preseason, the game-winning goal in the win.
For post-game quotes from defenseman Jacob Moverare and Head Coach Jim Hiller, visit LAKingsInsider.com.
