Without Kempe & Arvidsson, other Kings have “raised their level” in convincing victories

There’s no blueprint on filling in for players like Adrian Kempe or Viktor Arvidsson.

It’s just got to come from within.

That’s what the Kings have gotten here over the last couple of games, and they’ve gotten it in two primary ways.

I think that the general consensus when a player goes down is that it’s up to someone playing lower in the lineup to step up and fill that spot. Next person up, as the saying goes. While there is an element of truth there, that’s not always where it starts. When you lose Kempe and Arvidsson, as the Kings did, it starts at the top of the lineup with getting more out of your top-end guys to replace the production. Those are the players with more minutes, those are the players in higher-danger situations.

“The challenge for Kopi, for Kevin, for Phil is that all those guys, we know how good they are, the challenge is to raise your level and the level of consistency while the injuries are there,” Head Coach Jim Hiller said. “They’re the guys who get on the first power play, they’re the guys who are on the penalty kill, they get the bulk of the of the minutes, the high-leverage minutes, they have to raise their level. It’s not just the young guys, it goes up and down the lineup.”

Since Kempe went down in Edmonton, those players, and more, have certainly answered the bell.

Forward Kevin Fiala leads the NHL with eight points (3-5-8) from three games played, scoring in all three games.

Fiala was the driving force behind a 2-2 scoreline after 40 minutes the following night in Calgary, with a goal and an assist. He followed that up with three points in Vancouver and another three last night against the Devils. Fiala’s level right now is arguably as high as we’ve seen it. He was perhaps snubbed as one of the NHL’s Three Stars of the week, as he was tied for the league lead in points during that time.

The thing is, though, Fiala isn’t cheating at all for those points. He’s been praised as much for his play away from the puck as he has for his play with it. He’s tracked back defensively with the best of them, using his skating and his length to impact games by backchecking, as pointed out last week. His focus has simply been to play his game and not chase the moment. The results have been apparent.

“It [feels] pretty good, to be honest,” Fiala said. “I just feel like I’m trying to play the right way, a 200-foot game, and I don’t try to chase the game, which maybe I did a little bit at the start of the year. I just tried to be calm, patient and it will come, that’s my mindset, to every day do the same things consistently and it will come.”

Hiller spoke about the balance when it comes to Fiala.

On one hand, you have to let a player like that be himself. He’s creative, innovative and he sees plays that most don’t. That’s not a player you want to smother or a player you want to contain. On the other hand, it’s about making those plays in the moments that they make sense, from a risk/reward perspective. Hiller put the praise onto Fiala for managing that himself and understanding when to make certain decisions. The results have been evident.

“He has to have the freedom because he has that individual skill, he has to have the freedom to make big time plays, because he has the ability, but that’s something that he has to manage within his own head,” Hiller said. “We give him guidelines for sure, he knows what we don’t like, that’s very clear to Kevin, what we don’t like not only him but from any player. We also see some of the plays he makes and we have to be able to say, in the right circumstances, go for it. You make your decisions and we’ll back you on it.”

PHILLY D ON A SUNDAY pic.twitter.com/guZOM2olJh

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 3, 2024

It hasn’t just been Fiala, though, it’s been a cast of high-end players stepping up when the Kings have needed them.

Yesterday afternoon against New Jersey, Phillip Danault was the hero, as he buried his second career NHL hat trick, pumping him up to four goals over the last three games. Trevor Moore and Anze Kopitar each have a goal and three assists for four points over that stretch, while Quinton Byfield has three assists of his own. Drew Doughty has led the charge from the backend, with five points from the blueline, including his 14th goal of the season in Vancouver.

“They’ve raised their level,” Hiller added. “It’s the only chance you have, when you’re banged up, is everybody. From the guys who get their first opportunity to the guys who get the majority of the ice time, is to raise their level. We’ve seen that.”

That does include the younger players as well and look no further than the top line for a player who has stepped up into that void.

What’s been one of the best things to watch with regards to Alex Turcotte’s game is that he hasn’t tried to be Adrian Kempe. He’s just tried to be the best version of Alex Turcotte and we’ve seen a lot of that from him of late. When he’s on his game, Turcotte brings a ton of energy, he forechecks and he can make plays offensively, without sacrificing much the other way. He’s proven to be a compliment to Kopitar and Byfield, who have both credited him with bringing a spark to the group.

Hiller added today that he’s a player making the most of his opportunity right now, which is helpful for a team missing a few forwards.

“It’s an opportunity for everybody, certainly the young players,” Hiller said. “Turc, he comes into the lineup, it’s his opportunity to show he can play in the NHL. Then, he gets elevated, it’s his opportunity to show not only can he play but he can actually play up the lineup and contribute. So that’s his challenge.”

So far he’s answered it.

But, perhaps the reason he’s been able to answer it so effectively has been the collective level up of the players around him. Far too often, as observers of the game, we look to the players at the bottom of the lineup, playing the fewest minutes, as the obvious areas of change. Swap out the 12th forward, the sixth defensemen and presto, there’s instant improvement. In reality, that’s not the case.

Credit here should start at the top of the lineup, because those players have stepped up in a big way. With that standard set for the heavy-minute players, players like Turcotte haven’t felt the overwhelming need to go out and replace Adrian Kempe. He has the chance to simply play his game and feel comfortable in doing so without massive expectations. Credit deserves to go a few different directions for that situation unfolding the way that it has, delivering a pair of dominant wins over the last few days.

Looking ahead, the Kings will continue to depend on those types of contributions throughout the lineup.

Kempe and Arvidsson both carry “week-to-week” designations at this time, with Arvidsson on LTIR, meaning he’s out at least through next week. Kempe does not carry any restrictions with regards to time out of action, but he also has yet to practice with the full group. So, at the very least, we’re not expecting those players back in tomorrow and the Kings will need to continue to get results without them.

“We’ve put ourselves back in a spot where if we can keep winning during the homestand, we can make up some ground on teams, but it changes quick, I’m on guard for that,” Hiller added. “We live day-to-day and it changes quickly. We just have to be focused on what we’re doing.”

Kings opted for an off-ice workout today, in lieu of an on-ice practice day. So, nothing to report from today. Back on the ice for morning skate tomorrow, as the Kings prepare for a rematch from Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Absolutely beautiful. pic.twitter.com/7EJb1b3X1v

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 1, 2024