Traded from the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, 35-year-old Vincent Lecavalier recorded his first point in his first game as a member of the L.A. Kings on Thursday.
After some good work protecting the puck along the boards, Lecavalier dished a pass to defenseman Jake Muzzin, who beat James Reimer over the left shoulder with the shot. That gave the Kings a 1-0 lead early in the third period against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mike Babcock used his coach’s challenge for potential goalie interference but after a review, the call on the ice stood.
At 2:53 of the third period in the Maple Leafs/Kings game, Toronto requested a Coach’s Challenge to review whether Michael Mersch interfered with Toronto goaltender James Reimer before the puck crossed the goal line.
After reviewing all available replays and consulting with NHL Hockey Operations staff, the Referee confirmed no goaltender interference infractions occurred before the puck crossed the goal line.
Update: The Kings held on for the 2-1 win over the Leafs.
Both Lecavalier and defenseman Luke Schenn were making their debuts for the Kings following Wednesday’s trade.
“They both gave us quality minutes,” said Kings head coach Darryl Sutter, as per LA Kings Insider.
“I’m sure there’s a whole pail of emotions starting yesterday, and then obviously not used to flying, and when they get their time change and do their medicals, it’s not easy, so give ‘em credit. It’s all we wanted, was some quality shifts out of ‘em, and they gave us that.”