What we learned from the Kings’ 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens

A few more takeaways from the Kings’ 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens before moving on to Saturday’s big game, the Kings versus their Southern California rival, the Ducks.

Suffocating Kings

Montreal couldn’t generate much against the Kings, putting forth a season-low 15 shots on goal.

Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty explained why.

“Tonight, there was no space out there,” he said. “You know why that team has had so much success, both this year and in the past? They just take away your time and space.

“Going up against [Anze] Kopitar and [Drew] Doughty, I felt like there was no room out there.”

Dwight King, the finisher

Dwight King’s breakaway in the third period gave the Kings some significant breathing room, and he looked like a poised and gifted goal-scorer. Naturally, he was self-deprecating and said that may have been the first time his move, against Montreal goalie Ben Scrivens, worked. At least from that spot on the ice.

Perhaps a future shootout move?

“I don’t know,” King said. “I think I’m around 10th on the list for that [shootouts]. We’ll see if there’s any marathons left this year.”

New kid in town

Yes, another one. Kris Versteeg, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, made his Kings’ debut on Thursday. The verdict? Hard to make an instant assessment on limited ice time — 10 minutes, in all.

Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said in his post-game news conference that it would be a “big adjustment” for Versteeg, coming over from the Eastern Conference. Versteeg, though, was in the Western Conference for the two seasons before this one, with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I felt pretty good. The guys were talking to me a lot and letting me know,” Versteeg said. “It’s already 60 games into the season, so these guys are a pretty well-oiled machine, and I’m just trying to fit in with whatever way I can. Sometimes it can be tough. These guys have been great.”