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The Canucks had two power plays after the Kings opened the scoring, but had zero shots on goal. They ended the period up 7-6 on the shot clock, but another slow start like they had in their 6-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday had them trailing again 3-0 heading into the second.
Quinn Hughes gave the Rogers Arena faithful some hope towards the end of the middle frame by hitting the back of the net with a hard wrist shot through traffic at 4-on-4, but Fiala quickly destroyed it 1:06 later when the Canucks got confused after the aforementioned 4-on-4 concluded. J.T. Miller inexplicably dumped the puck into the corner and went in on the forecheck, forgetting that his team was on the penalty kill, not at even strength. That turned into another odd-man rush the other way where Fiala scored his 15th to keep the Kings’ lead at three going into the third.
The Canucks could not mount a comeback in the third period against the stingy Kings, despite being gifted their fifth power play early on. Warren Foegele added insult to injury with his 12th later in the period, and the Kings walked away with a 5-1 win to even the season series at one after the Canucks beat them 4-2 in November at Arena.
Darcy Kuemper allowed one goal or fewer in his fifth straight start, making 20 saves on 21 shots, and increased his record to 13-3-5. Demko, meanwhile, just like Kevin Lankinen against the Jets, had a night to forget with only 16 saves on 21 shots and fell to 2-3-2.
What’s Next for the Canucks & Kings?
The Canucks continue their short homestand with a matchup against another division rival in the Oilers as part of Hockey Day in Canada on Saturday. The Kings also play on Saturday, closing their five-game road trip in Seattle against the Kraken.
