Through 13 games this season, the Los Angeles Kings had yet to collect two points at home. Despite a 5-4-4 record, it didn’t feel as if the Kings were a team that was playing winning hockey consistently. A lack of 60-minute performances, multiple overtime appearances, turnovers, shaky special teams, goal-scoring struggles, and constant trips to the penalty box played a significant role in the Kings’ underwhelming start.
While most of those traits are still present in the Kings’ game, Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets was the closest they looked to themselves; a team that doesn’t score much, but also doesn’t give up much. On a night that saw a plethora of milestones, the Kings shut down one of the best teams in the NHL and finally gave their fans a home win to celebrate.
“We played to our identity,” head coach Jim Hiller said postgame. “You have to start there; you can’t come off that, because then you get in all kinds of trouble.”
4 Kings Hit Different Milestones
Multiple Kings had something extra to cheer about last night, on top of a shutout win over the third-best team in the NHL. With milestones come the realization of veteran presence, and for the Kings, this is a group that has a heavy one.
The biggest accomplishment goes to Drew Doughty, who surpassed Rob Blake as the Kings’ all-time leading scorer by a defenseman. Doughty put the game away with an empty-netter late in the third period to score his 162nd-career goal.
“It feels special for sure, it’s a huge honour,” Doughty said. “When you come into the league, it’s never something you even think of, honest to god. It’s kind of shocking that this all happened, but obviously, very proud and so thankful for the organization and my teammates, especially.”
While we’re already discussing goals, Adrian Kempe hit a big milestone as well, scoring his 200th-career goal, opening the scoring from the slot off a nice feed from Joel Armia, who also had a couple of things to be happy about.
Armia skated in his 600th NHL game and did it on a night in which he was promoted to the top line alongside Kempe and Anze Kopitar. Armia has continuously proved to be a great offseason addition, bringing more than what was expected from him. From killing penalties, to being on the power play, and now receiving first-line minutes, Armia’s start in Los Angeles has been nothing short of amazing.
Related Link: Kings Collect First Win At Home With 3-0 Shutout Over Jets
“The big play of the night is the assist he makes, but he’s that type of player, maybe not as much off the rush, but under the goalline, on the forecheck,” Hiller said. “We have all talked about Joel; he’s got the ability to make some plays, and that was a beauty.”
Speaking of offseason additions, probably the most controversial one for the Kings, Corey Perry, played in his 1400th NHL game and also contributed with an assist on a power play that he drew after taking a high-stick to the eye.
“He’s always in the thick of things and even tonight, gets one in the face, is crying trying to back out there on the five-on-three,” Doughty said. “Just shows you the type of heart, how much he loves the game of hockey, and how much he’ll do for his teammates […] no surprise to me that he’s played 1400.”
Every single Kings player who hit a milestone contributed on the scoresheet against the Jets, which is a testament to the impact the veteran presence throughout the forward group is making while other, more bona fide offensive producers are having a quiet start to the season.
“It’s a tough night for anybody but Drew; it should be everybody’s night, but it probably gets overshadowed by Drew,” Hiller said. “First of all, that’s a lot of veterans, you talk about games played, and then Juice getting 200 goals, you have to play a lot of games to score 200 goals. Just happened to be one of those nights where we hit a lot of milestones, but again I think the team feels good.”
