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With eight goals from 12 games, forward Alex Laferriere has taken an early step forward in his sophomore season

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Alex Laferriere scored twice in yesterday’s shootout loss against Chicago, making it three straight games with a goal for the young forward out of Harvard.

He’s scored in six of the team’s 12 games so far this season, with two of those being multi-goal efforts.

There was a lot of hope that Laferriere would take a step this season and that he would take it early. I’m not sure how many would have pegged him to be leading the team in goals through 12 games played, but that’s exactly where he ranks. I’m not sure how many would have had him in the NHL’s Top 10 in goals scored this season, but here he is, tied for sixth in the league, two shy of Florida’s Sam Reinhart for the top mark.

One of Laferriere’s goals last night came on the power play and that was the first time he’s scored on the man advantage this season. His seven even-strength goals are tied for second in the NHL, with only Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov netting more in the early goings.

Perhaps the best part of it all has been the variety in which he’s found the back of the net. His second goal against Chicago and his goal versus Vegas on Wednesday were very similar. He found a pocket of space in a dangerous area and trusted his shot to beat a goaltender. On both occasions, he was able to do so, showcasing a part of his game he worked on during the offseason.

“I definitely worked on my shot this summer, but I think [it’s also] just being more patient,” Laferriere said. “I think last year, I was kind of just rushing my shot and it got blocked a lot, so I think this year it’s just being patient and trying to find the open lane. They’re just going in right now.”

His second goal yesterday was really a play that he took from soup to nuts, if you will. Started with the backcheck through the neutral zone and ended with a well-taken shot from the slot.

“You could look at that 12-second sequence and call that a highlight-reel goal,” Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller said. “He’s the first guy back, takes the puck, gets it going the other way, and then is rewarded with a nice play from Turc and just to get a quick shot. So, the sequence of 12 seconds there, that’s impressive.”

The goals haven’t all been via the shot, either.

Against San Jose on Tuesday, Laferriere was the F3, the designated high forward but his instincts took over when he recognized the work his linemates were putting in on the forecheck. When Warren Foegele stripped the puck free below the goal line, Laferriere instinctively drove to the net, connecting first time on Foegele’s no-look pass for the goal.

Getting to the net has been another theme of Laferriere’s game. The goals he scored against Montreal and Ottawa were via a deflection from the high slot. Getting to the right area in front of a goaltender isn’t always the same spot. Sometimes, the place to be is the high slot rather than right on top of the goaltender, as evidenced by his to deflection goals. That’s not to say he hasn’t gotten to the net, though, but it’s actually been a couple of the goals he hasn’t scored that’s showcased his ability to get to the blue paint, providing screens on goals scored by defensemen.

It’s rare in today’s NHL that forwards score goals from the outside, without traffic to aid. Getting into the more dangerous areas has been a key for the young forward. It’s a part of his game he takes pride in and he’s done it effectively early this season.

“It’s very important, in the NHL, not a lot of goals are scored from the perimeter, so you’ve got to get to the hard areas in order to score,” Laferriere said. “I think my game, I love to get to the net, I want to tip pucks, get rebounds. Just getting to the net is where all the traffic happens and where all the chaos happens.”

The goal we haven’t talked about yet was the prettiest he’s scored this season, with a slick move in Ottawa that danced his way around a defenseman before using the shot to finish the play.

Laferriere said he might have had the confidence to try that move at the blueline last season but he wouldn’t have had the composure to execute it. He may have attempted the move but by his own admission, he probably wouldn’t have executed it. With a year of experience, it’s clear the game has slowed down for him a bit. Gone are some of the plays that felt rushed as a rookie and in their place have been moments where he can execute the way he wants to.

That’s an important step for a young player.

While it’s probably unlikely that Laferriere will finish the season scoring at this pace, which would be 55 goals, the Kings have liked his game beyond just the offense.

Laferriere is currently shooting at just shy of 28 percent clip in all situations and he’s at 33.3 percent 5-on-5. That is unlikely to be sustained throughout the course of a full season. As Hiller pointed out yesterday, Laferriere scored twice on two shots on goal, and those kinds of nights tend to even out throughout a long season.

However, it’s not like he’s scoring on every shot either. Laferriere ranks either first or second in just about every shooting category on the Kings at 5-on-5, whether that be his 44 shot attempts and 26 scoring chances, which both lead the team, or his 13 high-danger chances, which rank just one behind linemate Warren Foegele. As the Kings power play hopefully improves, it should lead to more looks there as well for the netfront guy, whether it be goals like yesterday, which he tapped it in, or on second and third opportunities.

“He’s been our most consistent player through 12 games, the puck’s going in for him,” Hiller said of Laferriere. “I think he only had two shots [on Saturday], found the net on both of them, so those things tend to even out over some time, but right now he’s hot and shooting well, finding good spots, but his game is an all-around game. So, it’s nice that he’s scoring, and we will always take goals, for sure, but I just like how he’s playing the game, he’s taken a step forward.”

With others around him not finding their stride early, the Kings certainly will take those goals, as Hiller mentioned. The Kings have five forwards with 4+ goals this season and nine with one or fewer. Quinton Byfield has yet to score, while Trevor Moore and Phillip Danault have each scored just once so far this season. Those numbers won’t persist, but the Kings have needed goals early, while those guys find their way from a goalscoring perspective. Laferriere has been the guy, thus far, to step up and fill that void offensively. With his all-around game matching the production, it’s been an even bigger step through 12 games than I think most could have forecasted. As the games continue to come, now’s the time to keep it rolling.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

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