The defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings have won five games in a row and are playing their best hockey of the season at a time where there is no margin for error. The King are just two points out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference behind the San Jose Sharks and just three points behind the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames who are tied for the sixth/seventh spots.
Los Angeles has returned to playing their patented heavy style of play and is getting great production from That Seventies Line, which has totaled 21 points during the five game winning streak. The Kings are starting to look like a powerful freight train as they roll into Colorado to face the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday night with coverage on NBCSN starting at 10 p.m. ET.
Kings Shut Down Bolts
Los Angeles is coming off a 3-2 home win over the Tampa Bay Lightning that was reminiscent of their heavy shutdown style of play that has earned them two Stanley Cups and a Conference Final appearance in the last three seasons. LA held the NHL’s top goal scoring team to just 23 shots on goal.
Tampa Bay got on the board first but from there the Kings scored the next three goals to have a firm grip on the game. A late Tyler Johnson goal brought Tampa Bay to within 3-2 with 37 seconds to go but Kings netminder Jonathan Quick would not be denied as he slammed the door shut with a spectacular save on Lightning star Steven Stamkos’ shot from the left wing to preserve the much needed win.
Quick has been inconsistent this season but he has once again proven to be at his best under pressure. Quick is, in fact, the best high pressure money goaltender in the game. Quick has a .911 save percentage as the goaltender in all five of the Kings wins during their current streak. While that percentage is below his normal .920 range it has been his best numbers of the season.
That Seventies Line
Kings center Jeff Carter has a nose for the net like few other forwards in the game and has taken over the lead for team scoring with 16 goals and 27 assists. Carter has three game-winning goals and has seven points in his last four games. Carter is arguably the most important offensive force on LA. Dwight King had two assists in the win over Tampa Bay. Tyler Toffoli has been hot since his return from a six game absence with mono as he has six goals and three assists in his last nine games. Jordan Nolan, a fourth line player for the Kings, added a goal and now has three goals in his last eight games.
Heavy Hammer Brings Luck
The Kings have taken over the league lead in team hits and bombarded the Lightning with a 38-25 hit advantage. Kyle Clifford and Rockin’ Robyn Regehr had six hits head in the win over the Bolts. The heavy handed ways of the Kings have also caused more puck luck to go their way during the streak, after a long stretch in which nothing seemed to go right for them.
Pronouncement of Kings Demise greatly Exaggerated
Few teams in professional sports have an organizational pride and culture that can rival the Kings. Yes, it was looking like a lost season two weeks ago but Los Angeles has again proven to be a champion of the heart as well as the league and it should serve as no surprise that they have finally gotten off the couch and applied themselves with passion. No team is more dangerous when written off for dead than the Kings. Just ask the San Jose Sharks about that after they lost a 3-0 series lead to the Kings in the playoffs last year.
Streaky Avs
Colorado has won two in a row following a four-game losing streak. The Kings have won four out of their last five meetings with Colorado although the Avs have won three out of their last four home games against the Kings. Nathan MacKinnon has suffered from a sophomore slump with just nine goals for Colorado after winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2014.
