Right now, there isn’t a team in the league that’s hotter than the Los Angeles Kings. They’re 8-2 over their last 10, and are currently on a six game win streak. Three of those wins came against the Winnipeg Jets, the Dallas Stars, and the Minnesota Wild, the three top teams in the Central Division.
The Kings are doing all of this with below-average special teams. They have the 28th ranked power play in the league, firing at 16.7%, and their penalty kill isn’t much better– 14th in the league with a 80.4% success rate.
So, what’s the secret behind LA’s success? Here are the four biggest reasons:
Anže Kopitar
First and foremost: 37 year old Anže Kopitar is well over a point-per-game player. This is Kopitar’s 19th season in the league, and he’s currently on pace for a career high in points. He has 32 points in 28 games, which has him on pace for 93 points. His current career high is 92 points in the 2017-18 season. Over this six game win streak, he has seven points– two goals and five assists.
Kopitar should be receiving some serious Lady Byng hype, as he has yet to take a penalty through 28 games.
The return of Darcy Kuemper
Kings starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper started the season strong, but was injured on November 13th in a game against the Colorado Avalanche, and missed eight games. He returned to action on December 7th against the Minnesota Wild. Since returning from injury, Kuemper has allowed just one goal in each of the games he’s played. Kuemper posted a .957 SV% against the Minnesota Wild, and a .950 SV% against the New York Islanders.
Strong defensive structure
The Los Angeles Kings lost Drew Doughty, their top defenseman, to a fractured ankle before the conclusion of the preseason. Doughty has not played a game this regular season, and yet, the Kings are second in the Pacific Division with a record of 17-8-3.
There’s a reason the Kings have allowed just 71 goals through 28 games– top three in the league– and a league-best 68.84 expected goals against. The Kings don’t have an elite goaltender. It’s not just the defenseman. The whole team is committed to playing defense, and that can only be attributed to LA’s sound defensive system.
The emergence of young players
Young defenseman Brandt Clarke has stepped up and played admirably in Drew Doughty’s absence. Clarke is 21, and was the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft. He quarterbacks the top powerplay unit, and has 16 points through 28 games.
Alex Turcotte has been plagued by injuries and bad luck throughout his short NHL career. He’s just 23, and was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft. He’s finally healthy enough for consistent NHL playing time, and his presence is being felt. He’s excellent at creating offense, and doesn’t cheat defensively to do so. Turcotte has nine points in 23 games, and is a +9 on the season.
Dallas, Texas native Samuel Helenius is 22, and getting his first shot in the NHL. Helenius was a second-round pick in 2021. While he has just two assists this season, the big fourth-line center is still making his presence felt. He has 42 hits through 12 games played.
