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Alright, let’s be honest; who out there had the Kings not only in 1st place in the Pacific Division but 1st place in the Western Conference this late in the season? Probably no one did; unless your name is Nostradamus. Yes, we are less than halfway into the 2009/2010 season and it is still possible that the Kings could slump enough to even miss the playoffs. But still, 34 games into the schedule and the Kings have 45 points which is tied with San Jose presently for the most in the West. LA is ahead of San Jose in the standings by virtue of having 2 more wins (21 – 19).
It’s also true that two of the teams chasing the Kings and Sharks, the Blackhawks (4 points) and Flames (3 points) have 4 and 3 games-in-hand respectively thus being in good position to ultimately catch and pass the Kings in the Western Conference standings. Regardless it is an impressive accomplishment for this young team that hasn’t qualified for the playoffs in 8 seasons to be where they are at this date.
The Kings have been on a roll since their last regulation loss on Thanksgiving against the Canucks. LA has won 7 of 8; gaining 15 points out of a possible 16. Their only loss during this stretch was a 4 – 3 shootout defeat at the hands of the Blues. The Kings have risen to 1st in the Pacific with wins against division rivals San Jose, Phoenix and Dallas over the last 4 days.
More importantly perhaps is the Kings key offensive players are starting to heat up again after struggling of late. Anze Kopitar now has 2 goals in his last 3 after going goalless in 13. Dustin Brown had gone 14 games without a goal until scoring in OT to win in San Jose on Wednesday. He now has 4 points in his last 4 games.
Jarrett Stoll just saw his 6 game point scoring streak snapped but still has recorded 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in his last 7. Stoll also has the second 60 point season of his career in his sights and he is on pace for 24 goals and 60 points.
Jack Johnson might also be starting to heat up offensively as he had 1 goal and 1 assist against Phoenix and had 2 helpers in the win over San Jose. He did follow that up with a 0 point, -2 performance against the Stars last night though.
Perhaps the most important player to the team during this recent stretch, like he has been throughout the season, has been goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick has quietly recorded 19 wins on the year which is second in the NHL behind only the Devils’ Martin Brodeur. Over his last 7 starts (6 wins), Quick has posted a 2.20 GAA and a .923 S% while stopping 193 of 209 shots against.
Perhaps more impressive has been his play in the shootout wins against Phoenix and Dallas. Against the Coyotes, Quick stopped 5 of 8 shootout attempts and while facing the Stars he stoned Dallas on all 4 tries. Maybe Quick isn’t the flashiest or most talented net minder in the NHL but he is doing enough to help the Kings to one of the leagues better records in the league and that counts for something.
Before the season started, I picked the Kings to qualify for the postseason: however I slotted them 8th in the west. I am honestly surprised the Kings have played as well as they have and that they currently reside in the top spot in the West. Of the many preseason prognostications made, few had the Kings in the playoffs so I feel vindicated by the strong play of the Kings to date. Even of the predictions that had the Kings in the postseason, most had them either 7th or 8th. I am currently reviewing the thousands of quatrains published by the world’s most renowned prognosticator, Nostradamus, to see if he mentions anything about this year’s edition of the LA Kings and whether they make the playoffs. I’ll really be feeling good about myself if I can’t find anything by him predicting the Kings success. In your face Nostradamus!!
Notes:
*Thursday’s shootout win over Phoenix represented the longest shootout the Kings have participated in since the advent of the format following the lockout. Justin Williams won the game with a goal in the 8th round of the shootout.
*Speaking of Williams, he is continuing with his solid bounce-back season after 2, injury plagued campaigns. Williams has 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 29 GP so far this season and is on pace for 55 points in 70 games. He has done a great job creating offensively and always skates and works hard in the offensive zone.
*With an assist in the win over the Stars, veteran Center Brad Richardson now has a very unimpressive 5 points in 33 games this season. However, it must be remembered that Richardson started the season pointless in his first 26 and now has 5 points in his last 7 games. What took so long, Brad??
*Kings goalie Erik Ersberg appeared in a game for the first time in nearly a month when he started in net against the Sharks on Wednesday. He got the win in OT and stopped 30 of the 34 shots against. It was just Ersberg’s third start (4th appearance overall) of the season. He currently stands at 2 – 1 with a .837 S% and his GAA is 4.10. Ersberg is either going to have to step up his game and provide a decent option in goal for King’s coach Terry Murray or he may be replaced.
*Despite falling off considerably after a torrid start offensively, Anze Kopitar is still tied for 5th in scoring in the league. After recording 33 points in his first 23 contests, Kopitar’s production has hit the skids to a tune of 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in his last 10 games. With 2 goals in his last 3 though, the Kings are hopeful that Kopitar is cranking it up again.
*Kings forward Ryan Smyth, who has missed the last 12 games with an upper body injury, is making progress in his recovery but isn’t slated to return to action until after Christmas. After a 3 game road trip through Canada, the Kings will get 8 days off before returning to action on the 26th against the Coyotes. That will give Smyth another couple of weeks to rehabilitate his injury.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings Announce 2009 Hockey Fest
Believe It or Not, The Kings Are Best In The West
Los Angeles Kings: Contenders or Pretenders in 2009-2010
Kings Need to Win…and Do!!
After an eight year drought the Los Angeles Kings are back in the playoff picture.
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