Hurricanes shut out Kings 2-0 behind Reimer's 41 saves
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —
The only thing better than having a hot goalie is having two of them.
James Reimer made 41 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes posted a shutout for the second consecutive game with a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. One night earlier, Petr Mrazek stopped 32 shots as the Hurricanes won 3-0 over Arizona.
It was the first time in franchise history that different goalies posted shutouts on back-to-back nights.
“It’s nice to have a couple games like that where our goalies have been solid,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Especially tonight. Tonight (Reimer) is the reason we got the win.”
Ultimately, Reimer was just a bit better for a team that has been fortunate to have strong goaltending for most of the season. For the first time in franchise history, two goaltenders have recorded at least three shutouts this season for the Hurricanes.
“You don’t have the goaltending, you’re not going to go very far,” Brind’Amour said. “When you look at a team and they’re having success, the goaltending is obviously right up there, and tonight, Captain Obvious, that was the difference.”
Nino Niederreiter scored the opening goal 4:52 into the first period and Reimer took care of the rest to help Carolina earn its third consecutive win and finish a seven game homestand with a 5-2-0 record. Teuvo Teravainen added an empty-net goal with four seconds remaining.
Los Angeles goalie Jack Campbell was nearly as brilliant as Reimer as he stopped 28 of 29 shots. The Kings lost for the fourth time in five games, but the team wasn’t entirely frustrated after outplaying Carolina for most of the game’s final 40 minutes.
“A lot of years in the league right now, that’s probably one of the better-played losses that I’ve experienced,” said Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan. “The team really played well.”
Reimer's performance provided a bit of redemption after he struggled in Tuesday night’s 5-4 overtime win over Philadelphia. Brind’Amour said after that game Reimer, who has had a solid season as the team's No. 2 goalie, would have liked to have a couple of the Philadelphia goals back. There were no such concerns after his latest game.
In the first period, Reimer used his left pad to stop an Adrian Kempe backhander on a 2-on-1 rush and used his right arm to stop Austin Wagner 15 seconds before the first intermission. In the second period, Reimer made a pad save on Kempe again directly in front of the net. In the third period, he stopped an Alex Iafallo shot from the slot with his body on a Los Angeles power play.
And with 15 seconds remaining in a 1-all game, Drew Doughty fired a shot past Reimer that caromed off the post to the goalie’s left to preserve Reimer’s third shutout of the season.
“I was just seeing the puck and battling to find it when I couldn’t,” Reimer said. “They did a good job. They’ve got big bodies and were trying to get a guy in front, and I just tried to get eyes on the puck and be big, and I got lucky a few times.”
Campbell also was outstanding for the Kings for a second straight outing. On Thursday, he made a season-high 44 saves to help Los Angeles win 5-2 at Las Vegas. In the third period at Carolina, he kept the Kings within a goal by stopping Jordan Staal when he broke in alone on net at the conclusion of a Los Angeles power play.
“Both teams played with a lot of detail, a lot of pace," McLellan said. “There were plays being made offensively and defensively and some good goaltending of course on both ends."
NOTES
Carolina also shut out the Kings 2-0 on Oct. 15 at Staples Center. Mrazek was in goal for that game. ... The Hurricanes celebrated their heritage by wearing throwback Hartford Whalers jerseys. The franchise played 18 seasons in Hartford before relocating to North Carolina in 1997. ... Niederreiter’s goal was just his second score in 22 games. He totaled 23 goals last season playing for Carolina and Minnesota, but has just six goals this season.
UP NEXT
Kings: Play at Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.
Hurricanes: Play at Washington on Monday night.
