LOS ANGELES – The Kings were just one win away from matching the all-time franchise record for consecutive games won heading into their match with Ottawa on Thursday. But alas, all good things must come to an end and Los Angeles’ league-leading eight-game win streak was snapped thanks to 27-year-old rookie goalie, Andrew Hammond.
Hammond made 35 saves and was spectacular in net as the Ottawa Senators upset the defending Stanley Cup Champions 1-0 at Staples Center. It was the first time the Senators had won at Staples Center since January of 2000.
“It’s obviously pretty crazy what’s going on right now,” said Hammond after the game. “They’re one of the best teams in the league, and I thought they played well.”
Mike Hoffman opened up the scoring for Ottawa 1:40 into the third period. The Senators had a two-on-one-breakaway after an L.A. turnover and Mika Zibanejad found Hoffman streaking towards the left side of the net for the one-timer.
“The boys are feeling good as you can tell in our play,” said Hoffman. “We’re playing solid and we’re playing well in the D zone. Everyone is stepping up and playing hard.”
The Kings probably should have walked out of the game with a point after a second period goal by Justin Williams was disallowed after the referee mistakenly blew the whistle when he believed Hammond had covered the puck. Replay showed however, that Hammond did not have control of the puck and Williams goal should have stood.
“There’s not much to say, the Ref sees what he sees and blows the whistle when he thinks it’s covered,” said Kings’ forward Dwight King. “Everybody else saw it a little different.”
Hammond himself who saw the play on replay after it happened knew that his team got a lucky break as well.
“After seeing the replay, I didn’t really have it, but at the time I did think I had it covered,” said Hammond of the controversial play. “There was a few more plays later in the game where they didn’t give me the whistles as quickly as usual. As a referee, you don’t really want 19,000 people yelling at you ‘bad call.’ It was a great break for us.”
Hammond’s fairy tale run continued as the AHL veteran is now 3-0 as a starter for the Senators and has not allowed a goal in 171 minutes and 44 seconds. Also, he has shut out the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings on back-to-back nights, no small feat for an NHL rookie.
“Our goalie has been our best player the last couple of games, which definitely helps coming into the California trip because these teams are pretty good,” said Hoffman about Hammonds. “He made a lot of clutch saves when we needed him and he was definitely one of the biggest parts of why we won this game.”
Jonathan Quick was equally impressive making 27 saves in net and had a scoreless streak of his own coming into the game. Quick’s streak ended at 142 minutes, and 44 seconds when Hoffman got behind the Kings’ defense and easily found the back of the net.
The game was a far cry from the first time these two teams met on December 11th, 2014 in Ottawa. The Kings won that game 5-3 in what turned out to be Dave Cameron’s NHL debut as a head coach. The Senators were 10-11-5, when then head coach Paul MacLean was relieved of his duties.
Since that time, the Senators have rebounded under the tutelage of Cameron and are15-12-5 since he took over against the Kings. The Senators currently find themselves in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, but are just 5 points behind the Boston Bruins for the 8th and final playoff spot.
“Anytime you beat the Stanley Cup Champs it’s a huge win,” added Cameron.
Ottawa now travels to San Jose where Hammonds will look to continue his scoreless streak against the Sharks on Saturday. His parents, who hail from British Columbia, have been in attendance the last two games, but weren’t planning on making the trip to the Shark Tank.
“They might have to now,” said Hammond about his parents traveling to San Jose. “They seem to be pretty good luck charms.”
Game Notes:
New Kings defenseman Andrej Sekera who was acquired on Wednesday from the Carolina Hurricanes for Roland McKeown and a conditional first round pick was a healthy scratch for the game, but he was in attendance and met with the media during the 1st intermission.
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