It doesn’t happen very often, but over the past eight days, the Los Angeles Kings have essentially played a mini playoff series with the St. Louis Blues, facing them three times. The Blues, who have been red-hot as of late, took the first game in regulation and the second game in a shootout. The third and final meeting between the two teams was another tight, hard-fought battle, but the Kings were able to pull out the win, turning the page and snapping their five-game losing streak.
The five games the Kings dropped in a row made the playoff race in the Western Conference way more interesting. With the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames trying their best to close the gap with the Kings, picking up those two points were well-needed.
The Kings were at home against a team that played the night before and didn’t have their starting goaltender and two of their top defensemen playing. With the way the game started, you wouldn’t have been able to guess, but as the game went on, the Kings were able to grind the Blues down. Los Angeles eventually took over in the second half of the third period and beyond. It was another one of those low-scoring games where neither team was given the space to generate a whole lot, but that’s where the Kings are comfortable. They don’t mind grinding a game like that out and trying to capitalize on the minimal chances they do get.
Kuzmenko Makes His Kings Debut
It’s been a whirlwind for Andrei Kuzmenko over the past day, getting traded from the Philadelphia Flyers and then making his debut with his new team the next night. For someone who was thrown into a game right away without any practice, Kuzmenko was solid. He skated on the Kings’ top line alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe as well as the first power-play unit.
Although he didn’t score or pick up any points, he was definitely noticeable in the offensive zone and with the puck on his stick. In that short span, his high-end skill, talent, and creativity were already on display both at 5-on-5 and on the power play. Playing the net front on the power play as a right-handed shot gave the Kings a dynamic on the power play they have been missing since Gabe Vilardi and Viktor Arvidsson.
Kuzmenko is known for his goal-scoring, but it was his creative playmaking and connecting on passes that really stood out. On the power play, he made a little spin-o-rama backhand pass to a wide-open Kempe in the slot, and down low behind the goal line, he was able to work the puck, which didn’t happen a ton before he got to Los Angeles.
In his first game, Kuzmenko showed positive signs that he’s going to be able to add another layer to the Kings’ offense, and with a couple of practices and more time spent with the team learning everything there is to know and building some chemistry, it should only get easier for him.
“I thought he played really well,” head coach Jim Hiller said. “Good on the power play, kept some pucks alive under the hashmarks […] I thought it was a really good start from him.”
Kopitar and Byfield Make It Count on the Scoresheet
For the first few months of the season, Kopitar looked as if his age did not affect him, and he was leading the Kings in points for a while. That consistent production early tapered off, as he went 16 games without a goal at one point. After he snapped that long drought, he went another six games before finding the back of the net. Now, in the past three games, Kopitar has scored twice. With 15 goals and 49 points on the season, Kopitar is tied for the second-most points on the team.
Given Kopitar’s age, the inconsistencies are going to be present and continue to be more present as time goes by. Still, at 37 years old, the role Kopitar plays for the Kings is massive, and he’s still capable of playing it. Last night against the Blues, it was his deflection in front on Drew Doughty’s bomb from the point that was the only goal scored in regulation for the Kings.
Related: Grading the Kings’ Trade for Andrei Kuzmenko
Quinton Byfield, on the other hand, struggled offensively to start the season. He struggled to capitalize on his chances and hit the net, and that confidence to make a game-changing play just wasn’t there. Byfield was also experiencing a new role and new teammates and trying to adjust to that. But as the season has progressed, so has he.
Byfield’s comfortable at center, and the chemistry he has built with Kevin Fiala since they were put together has done wonders for the Kings’ offensive production, not to mention how well Alex Laferriere complements the line as well. In the past 12 games, Byfield has scored two goals and collected 13 points. His playmaking and putting pucks in good areas for his teammates have really stuck out for the past month and a bit, and he just looks a lot more confident and comfortable with the puck on his stick.
The other thing about Byfield that has been noticeable is his shot and his ability to just absolutely rip one past the goaltender into pockets of the net that don’t even seem possible from where he’s shooting. Byfield has scored two goals in the past two games, both of which have been missiles right into the top corner. He beat Jordan Binnington in the second game between the Blues on March. 5 and played hero in overtime last night, beating Joel Hofer on the short side. The Kings need all the goals they can get, and right now, Byfield is feeling it. Everything about his game is on right now, and that patience I said to have with him during his struggles earlier on in the season is paying off.
Kings Put Forward Their Strongest Lineup
Last night’s lineup was the first time you could say the Kings were truly at their strongest, at least on paper. Throughout the season, there always seemed to be some hole in the lineup, either due to an injury or a player being scratched. First, it was missing Doughty for a majority of the season, and then his return created a bunch of different lines for the defensive corps. Mikey Anderson got hurt for a bit, and either Brandt Clarke or Jordan Spence was sitting in the press box. The Kings ran with six defensemen against the Blues, and Clarke, Doughty, Anderson, and Spence were all in.
The Kuzmenko addition meant there was one less spot on the roster. Shockingly, it took this long, but Trevor Lewis was scratched, with Samuel Helenius taking his spot at center on the fourth line. It was one of the more noticeable and effective games from the fourth line as well. Turcotte playing the wing on the fourth line was more noticeable than he has been for a while, and both Helenius and Tanner Jeannot did their jobs by getting pucks in, forechecking hard, and finishing their checks. This was the best lineup the Kings have had all season, and the lineup they should continue to be icing as games get tighter and more important.
Snapping the five-game losing streak was huge, but the Kings are going to need to play a stronger 60-minute game if they want to string some wins together, starting with a crucial divisional game in Las Vegas tonight against the Golden Knights. The Kings and Knights will meet for the fourth and final time this season, with nine points separating the two in the standings.
