Waking up with the Kings: March 24

The Los Angeles Kings allow the fewest shots per game and are the top possession team in the league, so when things are going well over a 60-minute span, you’ll see results like last night’s game, a 3-1 defeat of the New Jersey Devils that could have been secured by a wider margin if not for a typically strong performance in net by noted nemesis Cory Schneider. While the Devils have been a good second half team, they’re not the Rangers, Islanders, Wild or Blackhawks, so at the outset of this challenging five-game trip, a win on the Prudential Center ice was absolutely imperative given the club’s standing. They helped secure that win with one of their most impressive first periods of the season, scoring once at even strength and once on a five-on-three power play, drawing two penalties and suffocating the Devils in their own zone during long stretches of extended possession. Andrej Sekera got on the scoreboard for the first time as a King with his first period hammer, and Marian Gaborik had a patient, pinpoint assist on Toffoli’s goal as part of a strong 200-foot performance, but what stood out most in last night’s game was the continued upward trend in Anze Kopitar’s game. Furthering his strong-on-the-puck tendencies exhibited over the last two weeks, Kopitar’s one-goal, three-point, plus-two performance over 20:24 of ice time was among his finest performances of the season and will need to be replicated over the coming games as Los Angeles will look to rely heavily on its top players during this stretch against heightened competition. The goal he scored off the rebound of a hard, low Jake Muzzin point shot showed impressive force on a bouncing puck that could have easily handcuffed him.

I was following the play more often than I was following the individual efforts of Mike Richards and Alec Martinez, but both were fine in the win. Richards wasn’t used as widely, as his 11:41 of ice time was fully logged at even strength, though he was quick to the puck and checked well. From upstairs, Martinez appeared to have not missed a beat after a head injury caused him to miss the last 19 games. He checked well, joined the rush and combined with Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Drew Doughty on a four-on-four first period sequence that resembled a power play and most likely was the best four-on-four shift of the season. It’s a difficult decision to remove Brayden McNabb from the lineup given the progression shown by the young defenseman this season – not to mention 23 points in 65 games from the blue line – but I completely understand Darryl Sutter’s reliance on experience during such a critical juncture. With 59 playoff games played and two Stanley Cups, Martinez clearly has that.