David Rittich shuts down Sharks in Kings debut

David Rittich made his season debut for the visiting Los Angeles Kings and recorded 14 saves in a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.

Rittich, a 2020 NHL All-Star with the Calgary Flames, was recalled from Ontario of the AHL on Friday after Pheonix Copley left practice the same day with an undisclosed injury.

Rittich last played in the NHL on April 13, stopping 21 shots for the Winnipeg Jets in a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles on July 1.

Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist, Trevor Moore, Alex Laferriere and Trevor Lewis also scored and Kevin Fiala had two assists for the Kings, who improved to 13-1-1 on the road this season. Los Angeles is 10-3-1 in the past 14 games.

Jacob MacDonald scored to spoil the shutout with 1:19 left and Kaapo Kahkonen made 34 saves for the Sharks, who have lost three in a row.

The Kings went on the game's first power play when Kyle Burroughs was whistled for high-sticking Fiala at 16:33 of the first period.

Kopitar then scored for the third straight game, converting from a sharp angle off a pass from behind the net from Arthur Kaliyev, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at 17:48 of the first period.

The Kings provided themselves some breathing room with two goals 1:10 apart early in the second period.

The Sharks turned the puck over coming through the neutral zone and Fiala fired a pass to Moore heading the other way. Moore scored with a wrist shot off the rush for his 15th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead at 4:07.

Laferriere tipped in a point shot from Jordan Spence to extend the lead to 3-0 at 5:17.

Lewis scored a short-handed, empty-net goal with Kahkonen pulled for a two-man advantage to extend the lead to 4-0 with 1:48 left.

MacDonald scored on the same power play to make it 4-1 just 29 seconds later.

—Field Level Media