On Saturday night the Los Angeles Kings got one of those results that kind of feels like a microcosm of your entire season.
Wearing their futuristic chrome buckets, the Kings came out like fighter jets, staking themselves to a 5-1 first-period lead over the visiting Arizona Coyotes. The fifth one came from Kevin Fiala, who was acquired in the off-season by a goal-hungry team to make plays precisely like this:
It was Fiala’s third point of the period and sixth in his past four frames after a big night in Anaheim on Friday. Captain Anze Kopitar had another strong performance going; precious prospect Quinton Byfield picked himself up an apple.
All good, right?
Well, in Hollywood parlance, cut to Coyotes scoring with less than five minutes remaining in the middle frame, then again 37 seconds into the final period, and suddenly this script was getting a serious re-write. The next two Arizona goals were downright predictable at that point, as the visitors squared the affair before the Kings were able to extract the extra point with a shootout win.
If confident and queasy can co-exist on the same club, this is what it looks like.
The Kings’ crease has been a subplot all year and it was certainly a lead storyline on the weekend after Pheonix Copley got himself ejected in the 6-3 win over the Ducks on Friday and Jonathan Quick allowed five versus Arizona 24 hours later.
Blowing a four-goal lead is a collective effort, but obviously the goalie’s name tends to come up in games like this and Quick is having an utterly miserable season for L.A., sporting an .878 save percentage. Only seven goalies in the past 20 years have had an .880 or worse save percentage while appearing in 25 games.
Copley, of course, has been a good news story for L.A., having already earned himself a one-year contract extension after coming in around Christmas (the perfect time for the North Pole, Alaska native) and providing some stability in net.
Still, this is a 31-year-old who played just two NHL games in the three seasons preceding this one. How many eggs are we comfortable putting in that basket?
Realistically, with Cal Peterson having already been dispatched to the AHL, the Kings have what they have in the crease. Squeezing another puckstopper into the mix is likely just not doable. Too bad, because there’s probably a decent one to be had in the form of Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo. Not only would acquiring the Finn give L.A. a boost, it would tap into the team’s rich history of acquiring players from the Jackets who put them over the top.
In 2012, a smothering L.A. squad that had problems scoring goals got disgruntled Jeff Carter out of Columbus before the deadline and stormed their way to the first Cup in franchise history. The second championship was claimed in 2014, after GM Dean Lombardi went back to the Ohio-based well and acquired Marian Gaborik from the Kings, then watched him lead the 2014 playoffs in goals with 14.
Could the Jackets be a fit again? It’s fun to dream, if nothing else.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact Saturday’s wild victory over the Coyotes was representative of the Kings’ season because it was, after all, just that — a victory. There’s been so much to like about this on-the-rise squad that, through it all, still stands a great shot at winning the Pacific Division.
The Kings are clearly travelling in the right direction overall, there’s been a few dizzying detours along the way.
Other Takeaways
• Let’s keep it in the Pacific and acknowledge Los Angeles is by no means the only team experiencing some wild ups and downs in that group, especially with respect to goaltending.
The Vegas Golden Knights have now won five straight contests after their 5-4 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. That comes on the heels of, basically, nothing but bad news for nearly 40 games as the Knights went 16-16-4 after a white-hot start. Adin Hill, acquired in a pinch just a few weeks before training camp to address a rapidly declining crease situation, is now the replacement to the replacement in goal because Logan Thompson has joined an injured list that includes captain Mark Stone.
The Seattle Kraken, meanwhile, also won on Saturday, snapping Detroit’s five-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory at Climate Pledge Arena. Two points separate these three teams, with first-place Vegas at 72, followed by L.A. (71) and the Kraken (70). Now consider Seattle and L.A. both have a real shot at winning this division despite the fact the Kraken have the sixth-worst save percentage in the league (.890) and the Kings have the third-worst at .883.
• Is there any chance a five-goal weekend heats up the Patrick Kane trade market? No. 88 had a pair in Ottawa on Friday and netted the hat trick versus the Leafs on Sunday night in Chicago. This has clearly been an agonizing time for Kane as he wrestles with whether to stay or go while potential preferred destinations like the Rangers come off the board. There’s obviously been some questions about his health this year, too, but seeing turn-back-the-clock performances like the ones he produced this weekend has to catch the attention of teams who wonder if they might yet be a landing spot for the three-time Cup champ.
Weekend Warrior
Elias Pettersson passed his previous career high for points (68) in style, entering Saturday night’s tilt against the Flyers with 66 points and finishing with 71 after registering his league-best third five-point game of the season.
Red and White Rankings
1. Toronto Maple Leafs (34-15-8) Noel Acciari is already on the board, scoring his first as a Leaf on Sunday night in Chicago. Ryan O’Reilly, meanwhile, will see one of his old teams when Toronto makes its lone trip of the season to Buffalo on Tuesday. With the Sabres in the playoff chase and the Leafs invigorated by their big trade, this feels like it could be the best QEW battle in a minute.
2. Winnipeg Jets (34-21-1) Currently 0-2-0 on their four-game roadie, the Jets turn right around and play the Rangers at MSG Monday night after a tough third period resulted in a 4-2 loss in New Jersey Sunday.
3. Edmonton Oilers (30-19-8) Make it three straight extra-time losses and four straight L’s overall for the Oilers, who blew a 3-0 lead in Colorado on Sunday.
4. Calgary Flames (26-19-11) It felt like Calgary’s 3-2 win over the Rangers on Saturday was basically a must-have after blowing the 2-0 lead they earned just 46 seconds into the game.
5. Ottawa Senators (27-24-4) Ridly Greig bagged his first career NHL goal in the 7-2 whipping of listless St. Louis on Sunday. Greig, who won a gold medal with Canada at the summertime WJC last year, looks like a keeper.
6. Montreal Canadiens (23-29-4) It was interesting to hear Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek report on Hockey Night in Canada that the Habs just might have a quiet trade deadline after all. Their obvious sells are hurt, their healthy guys have a lot of term on their contracts and, ultimately, GM Kent Hughes might want to keep a few veterans around who can help shepherd this young squad through the next tough season or two.
7. Vancouver Canucks (22-30-4) After giving up at least five goals in their previous four outings, the Canucks were able to flip the script for a night and hang six on the Flyers in a 6-2 romp.
The Week Ahead
• With holidays in both Canada and the U.S. on Monday, we’ve got afternoon hockey games in Florida, Boston, San Jose and Calgary.
• Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby battle for the second and final time this season when Edmonton visits Pittsburgh on Thursday with very important points up for grabs for two teams in playoff battles.
• The NHL’s all-time games played leader, Patrick Marleau, will have his No. 12 raised to the roof in San Jose Saturday before a game against Chicago. Speaking of banners, Nazem Kadri — a key figure in Colorado’s 2022 Cup win — makes his return to Ball Arena as a member of the Flames that same night.
