LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Kings five-game win streak was snapped as Jarome Ignila scored his 600th career NHL goal in the Colorado Avalanche's 4-1 victory at the Pepsi Center on Monday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Los Angeles Kings have had three separate winning streaks of five games or more this season, but every so often they lay an egg.
Backup goalie Jhonas Enroth was in net the last time the Kings lost 5-0 in Toronto, and he was between the pipes again on Monday night as LA lost 4-1 to the Avalanche.
The Avalanche entered the game as the 7th best power play scoring team in the NHL. They may have improved that ranking after they scored three power play goals against the Kings.
Tyson Barrie had two goals and two assists and Matt Duchene had a goal and assist to lead the Avalanche.
The loss snapped the Kings current five-game win streak.
Barrie got the scoring started in the second period when his slapshot sailed over Enroth's right shoulder and into the net for Colorado's first power play goal of the night.
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The Kings would come right back as Tyler Toffoli scored his 19th goal of the season minutes later. Toffoli and Kopitar passed the puck back and forth like a ping-pong ball before Toffoli blasted a slapshot by Semyon Varlamov from the left side of the net.
But the Avalanche would make a swift response minutes later just as it appeared the Kings would take the lead. Jake Muzzin turned the puck over in the Colorado zone, and the Avalanche raced down the ice with a 3-on-1 fast break as Andreas Martinsen dropped the puck off to Barrie who blasted a wrist shot past Enroth for his second goal of the night.
The Kings tried to comeback in the third period, but once again shot themselves in the foot with penalties. Duchene scored the team's second power play goal of the night when he deflected Barrie's shot over Enroth's shoulder and Colorado took a commanding 3-1 lead.
Colorado made it 4-1 with a historic goal and their third of the game on the power play. Jarome Ignila became the 19th player in NHL history to score 600 points when his shot banked off the blade of Muzzin and into the net with 6:58 remaining in the game.
The historic goal had a lot of luck attached to it as Ignila was attempting a pass to Duchene across the ice when it hit off Muzzin's skate and into the net. It was Ignila's first goal in four games as he sought No. 600.
Muzzin struggled all-night as he committed multiple penalties, turned the puck over and essentially had an own-goal in the final period.
TURNING POINT
Tyson Barrie's second goal. The Kings had just tied the game at 1-1 and were searching for a second with the puck in the Avalanche zone. But, Jake Muzzin turned the puck over, leading to a 3-on-1 break for Colorado. Barrie's wrist shot got past Enroth and the Avalanche never looked back.
MVP OF THE GAME
Tyson Barrie. The Colorado defenseman has 6 goals and 21 assists on the season and is playing like a forward. He scored two goals and two assists on Monday night against one of the league's top teams.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Despite the loss, the Los Angeles Kings still lead the Pacific Division by 12 points. The last time the Kings won the Pacific Division was in the 1990-91 season. Since then, they have won two Stanley Cup Championships.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
The third period has begun! @LAKings pic.twitter.com/3BkRiFsZRd — Kaytlin (@LA_hockey_chick) January 5, 2016
It was this kind of night for Darryl Sutter as mindless penalties punished the Kings all night.
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
We're here in Colorado, where, every so often, siblings can be traded for used hockey sticks. pic.twitter.com/PeXpNwDBF1 — LA Kings (@LAKings) January 5, 2016
Seems like a fair deal.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"Obviously I got a very fortunate bounce. It felt good and it's pretty cool. You try not to think about it, you try to focus, but every scoring chance you get, you think 'maybe it will be this one' it was nice to get it and hopefully now it's past." – Jarome Ignila on scoring 600 career NHL goals.
NOTES
Jonathan Quick was named the NHL's First Star of the Week before the game. Anze Kopitar recorded his team-high 20th assist of the season and has gotten an assist in six straight games. The Kings five-game win streak was snapped.
RECORD
Los Angeles Kings (25-12-2, 52 points) 1st in the Pacific Division.
Colorado Avalanche (19-18-3, 41 points) 6th in the Central Division
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Kings return to Los Angeles for some home cooking as they begin a four-game homestand on Thursday at 7:30PM PST against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Avalanche will host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday in Denver.
