Crown Jewels

By Peyton Schultze

A surging Kings’ defense, led by their franchise cornerstone in Drew Doughty, has returned to the level that was previously seen in their winning days of the mid-2010s (via Los Angeles Kings).

Through 18 games on the season against a very complicated Pacific Division featuring several Stanley Cup contenders in the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, the Los Angeles Kings sit at a very surprising 9-6-3 clip with 21 total points on the season. Those honors hold 3rd place in the division right now and would get the Kings into the playoffs if the season ended today, which is shocking considering the level of talent fighting for playoff spots around them. Second-year head coach Todd McLellan has the once-great Kings fighting hard every night, and there’s a real chance that LA could go on a nice regular season run that could propel them into a very surprising playoff spot.

Entering the year with expectations of rebuilding, the Kings appear to be dialed right now in the midst of a six-game winning streak. The Kings have been able to shut down their recent opponents on the defensive ends in not allowing more than two goals in each of their past six, which includes two vintage shutout performances from the great Kings’ goalie, Jonathan Quick. Rotational counterpart goalie Cal Petersen has also been dominant as of late in getting his record on the season to 4-4-1, and his magic in defending the net were as clear as ever in the Kings’ latest win on the road against the Blues.

So where did this resurgence all of a sudden come from? Many expected the Kings to at least hang around in the division this season after several years of poor play and a rested offseason, but it is hard to say many expected them to be above teams like Arizona and Colorado at this point in the season. Before the shutdown that cut the 2019-2020 NHL season short before the Canadian playoff bubble, Los Angeles was rolling to end the season with a 10-2-1 record in their last 13 games of play, therefore looking like a team that had a bright future ahead. Has that momentum carried over into the new season?

Longtime Kings’ All-Star Anze Kopitar has jumped out to an awesome start this season, and could certainly receive some consideration for the Hart Trophy by the end of the year (via The Athletic).

Even when the Kings were winning championships in the early to mid 2010’s, the organization was never really known as an offensive powerhouse. Los Angeles had plenty of clutch goal-scoring during those times in the form of players like Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll, and Tyler Toffoli, but the backbone of those teams was always a swarming defense led by the talents of the versatile Quick at the net. Fast forward almost a decade later and the Kings’ identity remains similar: cut down the opposition’s shots on goal with a physical style of play, and quickly transition the puck with speed on the wings to set up easy shots.

This is exactly what the Kings have been doing so well this season through their first 18 outings. Quick isn’t the same goalie he once was, although he is still polished and tends to play well with extra rest, but the rotation between him and Petersen has led to some real success for Los Angeles this season. In addition, captain Anze Kopitar remains one of the best overall players in all of hockey and is putting up some numbers that could land him in MVP consideration this season.

The only King to ever win the Hart Trophy was “The Great One” back in the 1988-1989 season, but Kopitar’s play for the upstart Kings appears to at least given him a shot through the first stretch of the season. With 21 points on the year, including 17 assists (a clip of 0.94 assists per game) and 4 goals, as well as 14 defensive blocks, Kopitar has re-established himself as a legitimate force on both ends of the ice for the Kings. Yet the veteran center has definitely had some help along the way this season, including from Kings’ legend Dustin Brown. “Brownie” not only leads the Kings in goals so far this season with ten total and an insane 27% shooting percentage, but already ranks tied for fifth in the NHL right behind talents like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. If Los Angeles keeps getting this type of production from their longtime stars that have produced on a yearly basis, the sky is the limit for this team over the course of the regular season.

Dustin Brown has found the back of the net at a high clip once again this year, which Los Angeles will need all year long in order to stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff picture (via The Athletic).

Elsewhere, the Kings have found some remarkable success in some unlikely spots. While foundational wings Alex Iafallo, Jeff Carter, and Adrian Kempe have continued to produce on offense for the Kings, unlikely names like Andreas “Double A” Athanasiou and Gabriel Vilardi have also stepped up into prominent roles for this unit on offense. The Kings have had to shuffle their lines several times this year due to COVID-19 protocols in place, but a deep roster full of young talent in other players like left wing Carl Grundstrom, center Trevor Moore, and defenseman Mikey Anderson has also given the Kings some vital depth on a team full of veterans around the board.

Nevertheless, the deadly Drew Doughty still remains a key piece as a sensational defender on the ice for the Kings. The energetic and brash leader of the backend once again leads the Kings’ starters in average ice time on the season, while also somehow finding a way to impact the game with 15 points on the season. Doughty is always a brute on defense with a physical mentality that tends to upset opponents, as evident in his insane 29 blocks on the season, and there is no debate that they are a different team without him on the ice. As a vocal leader with a knack for making big plays at the right time, Doughty is an essential presence in the organization and a player that must stay healthy over the course of the season for this team to have playoff hopes in the deep Western Conference.

The Kings have jumped out to a very nice start, but the Pacific Division will certainly have its fair share of obstacles to overcome if they want to be a playoff team in 2021 (via Bleacher Report).

So can the Kings continue this recent run of excellence? The Pacific Division is certainly a strange obstacle this year with some teams dealing with some serious injuries and some teams failing to meet previous expectations, so Los Angeles can only hope for some nice breaks along the way. It will be very difficult for the Kings to keep up with the Golden Knights for first place in the division after struggling with their speed earlier in the season, but Los Angeles has shown up in a big way this season versus teams like the Wild and Blues, two squads that many thought could be looking to be Stanley Cup contenders. If this trend continue, Los Angeles fans can only hope for the best when it comes to the standings by the end of this shortened regular season.

If Los Angeles really wants to get inside of the Western Conference playoff picture, they have two goals that they must reach: beating their bitter rivals early in games and often on the schedule, as well as continued production from Quick and Petersen. The trio of Anaheim-Arizona-San Jose is what could make-or-break the Kings win-loss record on the season after their early success versus other teams in the conference, and the rotational play of their goalies is a factor that could bode well for the team down the stretch in the season as the playoffs get closer and closer and their players are fully rested. Look for this to be key over the next month or so with an increased emphasis on those teams on their schedule, which could be a huge aspect of the Kings’ 2020-2021 regular season.

There is no doubt that a defensive-minded team like the Kings certainly benefits from the scheduling break this season, as playing the same opponents over and over again seems to be a major boost to their own internal confidence. With a very impressive +7 goal differential on the season and some very surprising road success for LA, the Kings look like a surprise squad that could put together a strong season to get back into the playoffs. There is a long way to go from now until the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it has been an excellent start to the season for the youthful Kings and their raucous fanbase that is searching for their third Cup in franchise history.