For the past three weeks or so, the Los Angeles Kings didn’t have to leave the state of California. Besides taking trips to San Jose and Anaheim, the Kings played seven home games during that time. They played their best hockey of the season and developed some long-awaiting consistency going 7-2-0.
The Kings have been terrific at home, but could that same effort be delivered on the road? That question was answered last night as the Kings kicked off their seven-game road trip with a 3-1 win against the New York Islanders to extend their winning streak to six games.
For the most part, it’s been very easy to tell which Kings team has shown up after the first several minutes of the opening period. Lately, their starts have been high-paced, and the engagement levels from the entire lineup are at all-time highs. It wasn’t any different in Elmont, New York, as the Kings came out with one of the most dominating periods of hockey we have seen from them all season. Over seven minutes and a power play opportunity against went by before the Islanders registered their first shot on goal. They stuck to that same defensive game they love to play, stepping up at the blue line, getting into shooting lanes, having the forwards back check with a purpose, and causing disruption in the neutral zone. Defense has been a combined effort from all five players on the ice for the Kings, and it’s played a huge part in the success they have found.
This was a game where the Islanders gradually got better as the game progressed and although the Kings were the stronger team, the Islanders put together a decent push in the third where things could have looked a little different.
Fiala Had His Most Complete Game
We all know Kevin Fiala as the flashy, insanely skilled forward, but what doesn’t come to mind when watching Fiala is his game away from the puck. Last night that same flashy offensive-minded forward showed up and landed on the scoresheet, picking up his third goal and fifth point in six games. It was exactly the type of goal you would expect from Fiala, making a move up high at the point before wiring one past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin at the top of the left circle, a place he has gotten comfortable scoring goals from this season. Five of his 10 goals have come from around that same area.
The Kings had 13 shots when Fiala was on the ice, the most out of any other forward. At 5-on-5, he led the Kings in scoring chances for, high danger scoring chances for, and led all forwards in time on ice with 11:37 and expected goals for with 1.7.
Related: Kings Shouldn’t Be Too Concerned With Byfield’s Lack of Production
It wasn’t just his contribution to the offense that stood out in last night’s contest. Fiala wanted that puck back as soon as the Kings gave up possession. He back-checked with a purpose, breaking up numerous plays in both the neutral and defensive zones and he was in the right places to intercept passes. Defensively, it was the best game of the season for Fiala. His offensive contributions along with his defensive game delivered his most complete performance of the season.
“I can’t remember him playing better than that, so that was really good to see,” said head coach Jim Hiller.
Penalty Kill Succeeded at Crucial Times
The Kings’ penalty kill ranks in the top half of the league operating at 80.4 percent. It’s generally been something that has been pretty good and in their last 10 games, they have killed 21 of the 26 power plays they have given up.
Last night, it went 3/3, and it should have, against a struggling Islanders power play that ranks second last in the NHL. Being perfect on the penalty kill is huge in any game, but what makes the Kings’ penalty kill worthy of being discussed is because of when they killed those penalties.
As mentioned before, the Kings completely dominated the first period. Although they controlled the play as well as the scoring chances, they had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard halfway through. They were all over the puck and the Islanders clearly hadn’t found their legs or settled into the game.
Defenseman Kyle Burroughs took the Kings’ first penalty, landing in the box for unsportsmanlike conduct. They not only killed it off but didn’t allow the Islanders a shot on net on the man advantage. With just over 10 minutes left in the first, forward Quinton Byfield went off for high-sticking giving the Islanders their second power play of the period.
The Kings had no difficulty killing off both those penalties. For a team that was playing as good as they were, the last thing that they would have wanted to happen was to allow a team who had been on their heels the entire time to ease their way into the game, build momentum off of a power-play goal, and change the trajectory of the game. Those two strong kills allowed for the dynamic duo of Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe to open the scoring just minutes after Byfield’s penalty ended.
Just over halfway through the third period with the Kings only up by one goal, defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov sat for delay of game. That’s one of the worst times to take a penalty, hanging on to a one-goal lead, but once again, the Kings’ penalty kill got the job done. Three important kills at crucial times for the Kings.
“I thought we were really good (on the PK), we have been, though, for a long time, put a lot of pressure,” said Hiller.
The wins continue to pile up for the Kings as this group has every individual buying into the way they know how to win hockey games. A complete team effort night in and night out has not only allowed them to be 8-2-0 in their last 10 games but also sit comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division with 37 points.
The Kings will remain in the state of New York for another two games as they continue their road trip against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (Dec. 12) and the New York Rangers on Saturday (Dec. 14).
