A Look Behind 11-0, As The Kings Make NHL History

Good day to set an NHL record, Insiders.

Was actually pretty cool to hear Todd McLellan’s comments on the mark after the game. McLellan has generally downplayed the team’s pursuit of history on the road…..that is, until the 10 flipped to 11. Many of the players did too. And it makes sense. The Kings aren’t here to set records, they’re here to win hockey games and collect points. Winning 11 straight on the road is awesome, but it’s more a collection of 11, one-game victories when you factor in how things get approached.

After yesterday’s win in Montreal, though, McLellan took the opportunity to acknowledge what has been a really special start to the season for his group –

“Well, it sure sounds good. You know, normally we’re downplaying achievements, talking about getting to the next game, but I think that we have to acknowledge the group has played really well and how they did it on the road. Twice, we’ve had to come back from three-goal deficits, as early as last game in Columbus, and then to play the way we did tonight, I could tell right off the bat they came at us real hard early, but I thought we took their will away as the as the night went on. Good for us. I think that we had the shutout going because I thought we played a little bit playoff-type hockey. Down the stretch, we blocked shots, we managed the clock, we played pucks into areas when we had to, we made smart decisions. Really proud of the group. They’ve accomplished something, yet it’s only December 7th and there’s a lot of hockey left.”

Touched on so many key points there, right?

First off, it’s a recognition of something accomplished. A lot of good teams have come through the NHL over the years and while you don’t get awarded anything for winning your first 11 games of the season on the road, it’s something that only the 2023-24 LA Kings have achieved. There’s something to be said for that.

McLellan also spoke about the different ways in which the Kings have won those 11 games. The last 72 hours are a perfect example of the diversity in their game. On Tuesday in Columbus, the Kings trailed by three goals entering the third period. It was one of their worst 40-minute stretches of the season. Then, they scored three goals in less than seven minutes and went on to win that game in overtime. Last night in Montreal, it was a game the Kings never trailed in, overcoming an aggressive start from the Canadiens before settling in and winning by a commanding four goals, with a controlling effort.

On the season, the Kings have won 8 of their 11 games on the road by at least three goals. Of the other three, two were three-goal comebacks, with the win over Columbus joined by the late comeback in Arizona. The lone outlier was a 3-2 win over Ottawa, arguably the most uncomfortable win of the bunch, but a win that showed this team can be comfortable playing in uncomfortable situations too. A lot of really good things when you look at those 11 wins.

McLellan finished with the qualifier – the quote came on December 7.

11 road wins means that the Kings have played just over one quarter of their schedule of away games on the season. The Kings have 30 road games still to come, including their first back-to-back on the road this season here this weekend against the Islanders and Rangers. Of the 11 wins, just two have come against divisional opponents, meaning there’s a ton of games against the Pacific Division on tap over the next few months, especially towards the end of the season. The accomplishment is awesome. The accomplishment deserves to be celebrated. But let’s keep one thing in mind. This team has goals that expand well beyond that of a record in December. That’s what is the most exciting.

Notes –
– About the Columbus win – The Kings became the first team in NHL history to extend an overall, home or road winning streak of nine or more games by staging a three-goal, third-period comeback. It was the eighth such victory in franchise history and first on the road in more than three decades. The theme in comeback wins over Arizona and Columbus was the team’s willingness to changing the way they’re playing. In Arizona, it was a players-led meeting that spurred the comeback. In Columbus, it came from the coaches, with Drew Doughty bluntly saying the team “did what the coaches told them to” to successful results.
– One note that’s actually kind of crazy. Not a single win on this run has been by two goals. As noted above, the Kings have three, one-goal wins and eight wins of three-plus goals. The latter includes four three-goal victories, three, four-goal victories and one five-goal victory.
– Forwards Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore each collected a point in yesterday’s win over Montreal. Both forwards have collected a point in all 11 of the team’s wins on the road streak. Kopitar and Moore became the second pair of teammates in NHL history to each have an 11-game season-opening road point streak, behind only Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri (12 GP in 1984-85 w/ EDM), who were ironically also Kings teammates during their careers.
– Both players are in the NHL’s Top-20 in road scoring this season. Of Kopitar’s 15 points, 13 have come at even strength. Only Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby has more EVP on the road this season than Kopitar. Eight of Moore’s 16 point have been goals, which has him tied for the seventh most in the league away from home. Six of those eight goals have been even-strength tallies, tied for the fourth most in the NHL.
– Goaltender Cam Talbot posted two shutouts during the streak – yesterday in Montreal and November 7 against Philadelphia. Talbot’s shutout last night was the 30th of his NHL career. An ultimate team guy, Talbot was quick to call his shutouts a “team statistic”. In many ways he’s correct. But he also deserves some credit for the start he’s had to the season. Talbot won 9 of the 11 games on the streak to tie an NHL record of his own for the longest road winning streak to start a season. His nine road wins also lead the NHL. Among goaltenders with at least five appearances on the road, no goaltender has a better save percentage (.956) or goals-against average (1.24) than Talbot.
– Defenseman Drew Doughty, who ranks second in the NHL overall in goals from the blueline, is among the league leaders in several categories in terms of road scoring as well. With a +13 rating, Doughty ranks third in the league in +/- by a defenseman. Doughty’s four goals are tied for third in the league, while no defenseman has more even-strength goals than Doughty’s three. He is also one of eight blueliners averaging more than 25 minutes per game.
– Overall, Moore and Kopitar are two of six players scoring at a point-per-game pace or better on the road this season. Those six players presently make up two full forward lines, with the Quinton Byfield / Kopitar / Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala / Phillip Danault / Moore trios all posting 11 or more points from the 11 victories. Moore leads the Kings in goals (8) and points (16), while Kempe and Byfield lead the way with 10 assists apiece.
– As a team, the Kings rank in the NHL’s Top 5 in the usual puck possession metrics, looking at percentage controlled, in shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances and high-danger chances. With a +30 goal differential (48 For, 18 Against), no team is even remotely close to the Kings.

Now, with 11 in the rearview mirror, it’s onto the pursuit of number 12. The Kings have a challenging back-to-back awaiting them this weekend, with the stingy New York Islanders on the docket tomorrow and one of the NHL’s top teams by winning percentage coming up the following day in the New York Rangers. That’s the thing in this league. It’s a heck of a storyline today and then the storyline simply shifts to the pursuit of number 12 at UBS Arena tomorrow evening. That’s where the focus lies coming out of today.

No practice today for the Kings, as they look ahead to this weekend’s games. The Kings will complete a 4-in-6 over the next two days, returning to the ice for what should be a full-team morning skate tomorrow at UBS Arena on Long Island.