Quinton Byfield had two goals and an assist and Cam Talbot made 24 saves to fuel the Los Angeles Kings to their NHL-record 11th straight road win to start the season, courtesy of a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Captain Anze Kopitar notched three assists and Trevor Moore converted a breakaway in the third period to extend their respective season-opening road point streaks to 11 games. They are the second pair of teammates in NHL history to achieve that feat, joining Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri (12 games in 1984-85 with the Edmonton Oilers).
Drew Doughty scored a goal in his third straight game and added an assist for the Kings, who broke a tie with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres for the most consecutive road wins to start a season.
Talbot made four saves in the third period to preserve his second shutout of the season and 30th career.
Los Angeles has won eight of its last nine games overall and shut out Montreal for the second time this season. The Kings coasted to a 4-0 win over the Canadiens on Nov. 25 in Los Angeles.
Sam Montembeault turned aside 38 shots for Montreal, which has lost 12 of its last 18 games (6-10-2).
Doughty collected a loose puck in the offensive zone and patiently skated in before beating Montembeault from in close to open the scoring at 8:13 of the first period. Doughty’s goal was his seventh of the season.
Byfield gained a step on Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle and drove hard to the net before using a nifty move to beat Montembeault from the doorstep. His seventh goal of the season staked Los Angeles to a 2-0 lead with 2:14 remaining in the period.
Byfield second goal pushed Los Angeles’ lead to 3-0 with 1:45 remaining in the second period. Kevin Fiala broke his stick while wristing a shot-pass in front to Kopitar, who tapped the puck over to Byfield for a sharp-angle conversion.
–Field Level Media
