LOS ANGELES - The Kings’ preseason ended the way they wanted it to: with a win, some offense and a few signs that the new pieces are starting to fit.
Los Angeles beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena, and the timing mattered. The next game that counts comes Wednesday night in Colorado, where the Kings open the regular season against the Avalanche.
That opener will carry a different feel for Los Angeles. For the first time in 20 years, franchise icon Anze Kopitar will not be in the lineup. Kopitar finished his Kings career with 452 goals and 864 assists in 1,521 regular-season games, and Alex Turcotte put the challenge of replacing that presence plainly: “He’s a Hall of Famer, obviously, so it’s tough shoes to fill," Alex Turcotte said.
Turcotte was part of the reason the preseason finale felt so encouraging. Los Angeles used a balanced attack to put away Anaheim, and Turcotte delivered a big third period with two goals. He tipped a Drew Doughty shot past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal, then later beat him again with a shot to the top shelf to stretch the lead.
“He’s worked really hard to show what he can do," head coach Peter Laviolette said. "He’s always been a highly skilled player.”
The Kings had to work through an even first period, with both teams scoring twice. Anaheim grabbed a 2-1 lead on Beckett Sennecke’s power-play goal, but Adrian Kempe answered before the horn, redirecting a pass from Brian Dumoulin under Dostal’s pad with less than a minute left in the period.
Kempe, who led the Kings with 73 points last season, liked the overall shape of the performance. “Offensively, defensively, everything was pretty solid tonight," Kempe said. "I think that’s as good as you can get in the preseason.”
Los Angeles then took over in the second period, and the power play was a big part of it. Mats Zuccarello, the newest King, scored early in the period on the man advantage off an assist from Artemi Panarin to put Los Angeles ahead 3-2.
Zuccarello, 39, signed a one-year deal in July after spending the previous seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild, and Kempe said, “He’s (Zuccarello) so smart,” Kempe said. "[It’s] been impressive to watch him.”
That kind of production is exactly what the Kings need. Last season, their power play finished in the bottom five in the NHL at 17.0%, and the team averaged just 2.68 goals per game, fourth-fewest in the league. On Saturday, Los Angeles converted twice with the extra skater, with Zuccarello and Erik Haula each cashing in.
“I think we moved the puck really well tonight on the power play,” Kempe said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
The final frame belonged to Turcotte and the Kings. His two-goal burst helped turn a one-goal game into a comfortable finish, and it came at the end of a preseason in which Los Angeles got one last tune-up before the games start to matter.
That new season begins under Peter Laviolette, who is set to make his debut behind the Kings bench Wednesday. The 61-year-old is the 32nd head coach in franchise history and the seventh NHL team he has led in his 24th year in the league. His résumé is deep: 1,594 regular-season games coached, 846 wins, and a Stanley Cup title with Carolina in 2006.
Los Angeles is also moving into a different era in the locker room. Kopitar’s departure leaves a major leadership gap, and the Kings turned to Drew Doughty to fill it.
The veteran defenseman, entering his 19th season with the club, was named the 15th captain in franchise history on Sept. 16.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Doughty now takes the captain’s role as Los Angeles chases a sixth straight playoff berth. The Kings have not gotten past the first round since their 2014 Stanley Cup run, and Wednesday’s opener against Colorado brings an immediate test. It is the second straight year the Kings and Avalanche will meet in the season opener, and this time it comes with Los Angeles starting over in a post-Kopitar world.
Next stop: Ball Arena.
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