What a difference a couple of weeks and some solid victories can make right?
Seemed like just yesterday that all the talk surrounding the Kings was very "woe is me". They were not going to make the playoffs, they were a bad hockey team, and everyone was scrambling for exits and excuses.
Shame on all of us who did, because this is the LA Kings. If it isn't struggle, it isn't a regular season.
The team is definitely not out of the woods yet though, as they are tied for the final wild card spot out West. Nevertheless, they are actually in a playoff spot, which is something they haven't been in since December.
There are also a number of positive things happening with this team that may not have been happening before.
Balanced Scoring!
We discussed this in greater detail a few days ago with this blog, but the Kings are getting better scoring contributions across the board in the last six games.
Although they have primarily been riding the coattails of an unbelievably hot King-Carter-Toffoli line (I refuse to call them...well, you know what they are being called), scoring has come from various areas.
You can't talk about scoring without at first mentioning the extreme contributions of Toffoli and Carter. Toffoli has points in five of the last six games, which totals six goals and three assists. Carter also has points in five of the last six, which totals four goals and five assists. Oh, and how could you forget the proverbial wrecking ball on the line, Dwight King. He has also put together a nice run for himself, accumulating eight points over the last six games. (If you need a LW in fantasy I would suggest going with it while he is hot)
More importantly though, unlike other times of the year, other people are scoring also.
Justin Williams, Dustin Brown, and Jordan Nolan all have scored two goals over the last six. They've also received goals from Stoll, Kopitar, Doughty, and Trevor Lewis.
Look carefully, those are goals from all four lines on any given night. As long as the Carter-Toffoli-King trio continues to strike at will and defenses start to cue on them, the supporting cast will also have to find the net with regularity. So far on the streak they have done that.
The Penalty Kill hasn't been terrible!
As TFP's Dennis Bernstein pointed out on twitter, the LA Kings penalty kill has been much better as of late.
Remember that crappy Kings PK? Killed 13 of 14 over last 6+ games.
— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) February 19, 2015Overall the PK is still 24th in the league due to its immense struggles through the first two-thirds of the season, but they are getting it done now. Everything pertaining to the Kings PK is trending in the right direction.
Scoring chances against:
Shots against:
Goals against:
Special teams are incredibly volatile, and this could change drastically over the next five games. However, the important thing here is that they have gotten away from the excessive amount of penalties and goals against that plagued them in January.
Jonathan Quick
Let's talk about Jonathan Quick's save percentage!
*Groan from the crowd*
It has been good!
*Cheers*
Aside from all the ridiculous and rehashed "elite" and "not elite" debating that has gone on over social media in the last 48 hours about Jonathan Quick, he has been what they need him to be lately.
If you look at his save percentage over the last six games, only twice has he fallen into what you could consider a substandard percentage. The three-goal games against Columbus and Calgary were not his fault though. A quick glance at the highlights reveals that.
Really nothing you are going to do about some of these goals.
But let's focus on the other games.
Saving 27 of 28 against Washington, 26 of 28 against Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay, and last night's heroic 41-save effort against Colorado.
The Kings need this on a regular basis from their No. 1 down the stretch. This season it has been nothing short of touch and go. Say what you will about the defensive breakdowns, which have been pretty hefty this year compared to the past, but 32 has failed to come up with big saves at times. That has not been the case recently. He has been locked in and facing a ton of shots, which is a theory we have been following on the blog this year. When you allow Quick to see a lot of shots and get a feel for the game he gets much much tougher to beat. It is a theory that was briefly touched on in our interview with Andy Tonge of Mayor's Manor back in November.
Funnily enough, the three worst games he has had in the last six in terms of save percentage have been on the fewest shots faced. The best three in save percentage descend by shots faced. Keep an eye on that.
With those three major things coming around down the stretch, goaltending, PK, and balanced scoring, it is hard to imagine the Kings missing the playoffs. However, they still have a ton of divisional match ups on the docket to finish the season. Things may be going well now, but they need to continue to go well if they want to get in the dance come April.
Gear up for the Stadium Series game on Saturday, it should be a doozie with some pretty good standings implications.
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