ANAHEIM, Calif. — Let’s get the puns out of the way, shall we?
Kings forward Matt Luff was talking about what was arguably the best fight in years in the Kings-Ducks rivalry — Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid vs. Ducks forward Nicolas Deslauriers. Two pals and one-time roommates in Kings development camp threw down in the second period in what was a lengthy bout.
Then there was mutual respect and a smile from MacDermid.
— Eric (@Kingsgifs) December 13, 2019
After all, Luff is a Battlefield.
In this case, the specific battlefield was Honda Center on Thursday night when the Kings defeated the Ducks 2-1. It was their first road victory since Oct. 22 at Winnipeg and ended an 11-game road winless streak (0-11-1).
“Those are two heavyweights. That’s an old-school fight,” Luff said. “He (MacDermid) is a hell of a fighter. He’s a scary man. It’s fun to see.”
#LAKvsANA #GoKingsGo #LAKings #LetsGoDucks pic.twitter.com/VvLcUm1Lh2
— Eric (@Kingsgifs) December 13, 2019
Scary, yes. Not fun if you are Deslauriers or the New York Rangers’ Brendan Smith, who found out about MacDermid’s toughness the hard way on Tuesday night. The Ducks game featured the third fighting major this season for MacDermid, who previously tangled with the Flames’ Milan Lucic.
Still, fights in back-to-back games might be slightly misleading when it comes to assessing the 6-foot-5, 233-pound MacDermid.
Advertisem*nt
He is not the one-dimensional player parked at the end of the bench and trotted out only when the team needs to send a message. That was a thing not so long ago in the NHL.
Under Kings coach Todd McLellan and assistant Trent Yawney (who is in charge of the defense), MacDermid has been given more responsibility, such as killing penalties, and his ice time has increased from 7:33 in his first game of the season to 13:39 against the Ducks.
Of late, McLellan has discussed the bits of progress the Kings have been making collectively, even during losing spells. But MacDermid has been an individual success story at the top of the list.
If the Kings had an award for “most improved” at this point of the season, McLellan said MacDermid would win it.
“In my opinion, he would get first, second and third place,” McLellan said. “He’s really come a long way. I know that Yawns (Yawney), as a back-end coach, has a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and I think he feels that.
“He works at his game and he deserves the ice time he’s getting. So if that progression continues, we’ve got a pretty darn good player.”
MacDermid was another unrestricted free agent find by Kings assistant general manager Michael Futa. He has been in the organization since 2015-16. Even though MacDermid played in just 45 NHL games before this season, McLellan certainly had some insight about him when he took over as Kings coach.
“Those type of players, you know a little bit about,” McLellan said. “They carry reputations. You know their past. I didn’t know he was as an effective player as he was. He just continues to show us, night after night, that he’s very capable of playing.”
Fight Club, Part 2
It was certainly a massive failure not to be shooting video when Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was raving about MacDermid’s fight.
Advertisem*nt
“Oh, I was really happy with that,” Doughty said. “I knew (Deslauriers) pretty good too when he was in the (Kings) organization. He was a great guy, a great fighter too. … Even after the fight, from both teams, there was mutual respect. Dermy is a great fighter. The boys love that stuff.”
Doughty had more to say along those lines.
“The guys on the bench were pumped up,” he said. “I’ll keep telling Dermy all night, ‘Great fight, and whatnot.’”
I asked Doughty how MacDermid responded.
(Sadly, there was no way to adequately capture the reply of Doughty, who then lowered his voice to channel MacDermid by saying, “Thaaanks.”)
It was one of those you-had-to-be-there moments.
Earlier, Doughty was in vintage Doughty form in his postgame interview with Fox Sports West’s Carrlyn Bathe.
“It (fighting) can’t make its way out of the league,” Doughty told Bathe. “We need fighting. I know people don’t like it, some of you. But then you’re just going to have all those meatheads running around.
“Little guys being rats out there. That’s just the way it’s going to go. So we need fighting. People need to be able to protect their teammates and themselves. When it’s safe like that and no one gets hurt, that’s just the best way.”
Here is the entire postgame interview.
“People need to be able to protect their teammates and themselves. When it’s safe like that and no one gets hurt – that’s the best way”@dewyy8 shares his thoughts on @MacDerm23’s scrap and tonight’s W@CarrlynBathe | @LAKings | #FreewayFaceoff | #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/mtOydCPfV7
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) December 13, 2019
Luff, actually
Luff’s reset to his season actually transpired with the Kings’ AHL team in Ontario in October. He had a “hiccup” against Colorado on Oct. 11, and coach Mike Stothers sat him down, making Luff a healthy scratch the next day against Tucson.
“I just kind of refocused myself,” Luff said. “I think moving forward from that game was really good. Going down there (to Ontario) early was a statement, so I don’t really want that. I want to be a full-time player here.”
Advertisem*nt
Luff’s first goal of the season, at 18:31 of the first period on Thursday, was a relief. He had three goals and seven assists in 15 games with the Reign but hadn’t scored since Oct. 26.
“It’s been a couple of games since I scored especially dating back to Ontario,” Luff said. “It’s a nice weight off my back. It doesn’t really matter. The big thing is getting a win on the road.”
Life on the edge of the NHL roster can seem like a moment-to-moment thing.
“If you get your foot back in the door, you better not relax or take any shifts off,” McLellan said. “That doesn’t mean you have to go out and play nervous or afraid. Make mistakes. That’s OK. But do everything in your power to keep your spot in the lineup. As I said before, guys don’t always come out because they’re playing poorly.
“We like to keep other players alive, for a lack of better term. Rotate players in and out so they get to experience it. But (Luff) held his own in practice. He worked hard and when his number was called he had a good night tonight.”
Top photo of Kurtis MacDermid: John Cordes / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
