Marcel Dionne, master motivator?

You might recall that I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Marcel Dionne when the Kings played in Ottawa in late November. As part of his thoughts about the Kings, Dionne said, “When I look at the top 10 (in scoring), I wish I could see Kopitar there, because then you get a little more print.” At the time, Anze Kopitar had six goals and 13 assists in 18 games. Kopitar scored a goal that night in Ottawa, and has had nine goals and 17 assists in his last 22 games. Coincidence? Well, yes, almost certainly… But it’s worth noting that Kopitar has indeed climbed into the top 10 in NHL scoring. He’s now tied for ninth in points, with 45, and is tied for sixth in assists, with 30. Previously, Kopitar’s generally-excepted best stretch of play, in his NHL career, came in the first month of last season, when he totaled 14 goals and 16 assists in his first 19 games. I asked Terry Murray if Kopitar’s recent play has been in the same neighborhood as his play early last season…

MURRAY: “After last night’s game, I would say yes, because he was a real force in the game. I thought it was one of his better games of the year, actually. He really wanted to take control and, with authority, handle the puck every time he was on the ice. He was attacking and wanting to make a play. He wanted to score, and that’s a wonderful attitude to see from your top player. If he follows that kind of a game up, as an example — that’s the one in most recent memory — he is clearly up there in the elite group of guys in the league, down the middle. His size, his strength, his power and his attitude about playing in the heavy going — he has no issue with the physical play, he welcomes it — and with the power he has, most of the time he’s able to make something good happen. That game was the type of game that we saw in the early part of the season last year, on a consistent basis.”