Petersen makes 21 saves, Kings shut out Red Wings

LOS ANGELES --Cal Petersen made 21 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 4-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

It was the second NHL shutout for Petersen, who was making his first start since allowing four goals on 30 shots in a 4-0 loss at the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 6. He was in NHL COVID-19 protocol from Dec. 18-28.
"It's been the longest I've gone in a season between games, and so that was a new challenge for me, something I had to work through and find ways to get my mind right," Petersen said. "Every day, it's just been preparing for the next opportunity and trying to take advantage of that, so I'm glad it worked out. And the guys played a great game in front of me, too, which really helped me out. So great night all around."
Phillip Danault, Drew Doughty, Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings (17-13-5), who have won three of their past four games. Dustin Brown had two assists.
"So we're building a good thing right now, which is the culture, and we just got to bring it every game," Danault said.

Alex Nedeljkovic made 38 saves for the Red Wings (16-16-3), who have lost four straight on the road and seven of their past 10 overall.
"I think one thing that jumps out is we haven't put 60 minutes of good hockey together on the road, and we have to find a way to do that, start to finish," Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said.
Danault gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at 6:27 of the first period, putting in Arthur Kaliyev's rebound in the crease four seconds after a power play expired.
Doughty made it 2-0 at 9:06 with a one-timer off a pass from Rasmus Kupari. Doughty has four points (one goal, three assists) during a three-game point streak.
"I guess, typical coach, you want our team to play that way throughout the whole night, and we fell off a little bit after that, but a tremendous start," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "On our toes, getting to a lot of loose pucks, winning face-offs, playing the way we wanted to play."
The Kings outshot the Red Wings 27-2 in the first, tying their record for shots in a period. Los Angeles also had 27 shots in the second period against Detroit on Jan. 7, 2010.
"We weren't ready to go," Larkin said. "We come in here and dip our toe in the water. Can't play like that on the road. … We just weren't ready to bring the battle to them."
Kempe extended the lead to 3-0 with a shorthanded goal at 16:23 of the second period. It was his third goal in five games since the Kings returned from the holiday break.
"We talked to ourselves after the first, and we knew they were going to push and do something better for sure," Danault said. "Then we just stick to our game."

Moore shot into an empty net at 17:29 of the third period for the 4-0 final.
"They played like a team that was urgent, that understood these two points were critical, and we did not," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.
NOTES:The plus-25 shot differential in the first period tied the largest disparity in any period in the NHL this season. The Florida Panthers outshot the Washington Capitals 27-2 in the third period of a 5-4 win on Nov. 30. … Kings defenseman Olli Maatta was plus-2 in 18:51 of ice time in his first game since Dec. 19 because of COVID-19 protocol.