Rittich, Kings defeat Canadiens to snap three-game losing streak
Makes 26 saves 1 day after being pulled in 2nd period for Los Angeles
Kings at Canadiens | Recap
MONTREAL — David Rittich made 26 saves for the Los Angeles Kings, who ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Thursday.
Rittich was making his second consecutive start for the Kings after he allowed four goals on 14 shots and was replaced by Pheonix Copley in the second period of a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Mikey Anderson, Alex Laferriere, Andreas Englund and Adrian Kempe scored for Los Angeles (2-1-2), which allowed 14 goals in its past two games and was 0-1-2 in its past three.
Sam Montembeault made 28 saves in his third straight start for Montreal (2-3-0), which lost 6-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
Justin Barron scored on a wraparound at 7:02 of the first to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead.
Anderson tied it at 1-1 at 18:20 on a slap shot from the left point after Adrian Kempe won an offensive-zone draw.
Laferriere gave the Kings a 2-1 lead at 1:37 of the second period, redirecting Jordan Spence’s wrist shot past Montembeault.
Englund made it 3-1 at 17:02 of the third on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line. Kempe scored an empty-net goal with 48 seconds remaining for the 4-1 final.
Lane Hutson played 30:05, a season high, for the Canadiens, who were down to five defensemen for the second and third periods. Mike Matheson sustained an upper-body injury and did not return after the first.