Slava Voynov turned in a plus-8 performance in the Kings’ five-game road swing that began two Saturdays ago in Anaheim and ended Monday night in St. Louis, where he turned in a plus-three effort.
Having chatted with both Voynov and Darryl Sutter over the past week, I’m getting the sense that there’s really nothing “new” that he’s “developed” in his game. He’s simply showing off the skill set that previously placed him so high on Los Angeles’ prospect list, and maintaining the confidence that he can consistently put it to use at the NHL level.
“He’s not doing anything ‘different’ or any ‘better’. He’s ‘doing it’,” Sutter said at practice the day prior to the Nashville game last week.
Voynov was not credited with one giveaway on the roadtrip, and the stick work he used to disrupt a two-on-one in the third period in St. Louis was representative of the all around skill he possesses. Though his average ice time this season ranks third on the team at 21:32 per game, his 26:06 logged in Monday’s win was a career high, and between the four most recent games against Central Division competition, he averaged just under 24:58 of ice time. With Alec Martinez’s status uncertain due to an “upper-body injury” suffered in the first period on Monday, Voynov will continue to serve as an anchor on the team’s blue line.
Slava Voynov, on his comfort level:
“Every game its better and better, I feel.”
Voynov, on Carter’s first period goal against St. Louis:
“We played four on four, and [Richards] skated on the right boards. Mike passed to me, something like that. The two on one freed Carts. Carts [was] open for me on the back door, and I just gave it back to him.”
Voynov, on Jarret Stoll’s third period goal against St. Louis:
“It’s a nice play by Penner. He gave it back to me on the half wall in the offensive zone, and it was a great play from Stoli. [Similar to] Carts – he was open for me, and I just gave it back to him.”
Voynov, on disrupting the two-on-one late in the game:
“I think I should play better on the blue line, so I just tried the safe [play].”
Voynov, on whether he noticed any development in his game on the roadtrip:
“No change.”
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