Los Angeles Kings right wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) scores on Ottawa Senators goaltender Cam Talbot (33) during first period NHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Viktor Arvidsson scored twice and the L.A. Kings took a decisive 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Matt Roy, Mikey Anderson and Kevin Fiala also had goals, and Anze Kopitar registered three assists for the Kings (14-10-4), who kicked off a six-game road trip.
Pheonix Copley made 31 saves in his first appearance for L.A.
The Senators (10-14-1) saw their two-game win streak come to an end.
Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot each scored power-play goals for Ottawa, but the home side looked uninspired for long periods of play.
Cam Talbot got chased midway through the second period after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Anton Forsberg stopped all 13 shots he faced in relief.
Down 5-1, midway through the third period, Ottawa’s lone bright spot was Chabot picking up his second power play goal in as many games.
The Senators failed to show any real urgency to get back into the game, despite trailing 4-1 in the second.
The Kings padded their lead midway through the period with a power-play goal when Fiala picked up his ninth of the season.
L.A. jumped out to an early 2-0 lead scoring a pair of goals in the first two minutes of the game.
Roy scored off a rebound, while Anderson scored from a sharp angle.
The Senators called a timeout and were able to cut the lead in half by the five-minute mark when Batherson roofed a Tim Stutzle rebound on the power play.
The Kings came right back and scored twice more before the end of the period to take a 4-1 lead.
Arvidsson scored his first of the night off a cross-crease pass from Trevor Moore on the power play and picked up his second just past the halfway mark of the period, beating Talbot with a wrister from the circle.
NOTES: The Senators will be without defenceman Artem Zub for at least 3-4 weeks as he recovers from a fractured jaw. “¦ Josh Norris, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, skated with a few Ottawa teammates in a no-contact jersey ahead of practice Tuesday. “¦ Ottawa was awarded an NHL franchise 32 years ago Tuesday.
UP NEXT
The Senators head to Dallas where they’ll face the Stars Thursday, while the Los Angeles Kings are off to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2022.
