Los Angeles Kings Need To Pick Up Scoring In 2016
By Jeff Henning
Dec 19, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) jumps over the boards and onto the ice to begin his shift as does right wing Marian Gaborik (12) against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Kings 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Kings have been a strong offensive and defensive force at the tail end of 2015. Because of this, they find themselves atop the Pacific Division and in look to be fine shape for collecting a playoff spot. After starting the season 0-3, the Kings have certainly rounded into form as they’ve posted a 20-8-2 record since that start way back in October. Strong defensive play with a combination of strong individual offensive efforts have brought the Kings to this position. Not to mention the Vezina candidate-worthy Jonathan Quick in between the pipes.
As is the way in tinsel town, not everything is always as it seems. Sure, the Kings hold a healthy 6 point lead over the second place San Jose Sharks, who couldn’t be more excited that the month of December is finally coming to end. 5 points separate the third place Canucks from the surprising basement dwelling Anaheim Ducks so it would seem that the Kings are in prime form to just waltz their way to the playoffs in April.
Although the Kings have a respectable 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games, their offense has started to show signs of regression. A perfect example of this has been Tyler Toffoli. Toffoli exploded out of the gate in October but has really come back down to earth. In his last 20 games, Toffoli has only been able to manage 5 goals, and compare that to the 9 goals Toffoli scored in his first 14 games.
Dec 14, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Kings left wing Milan Lucic (17) skates with the puck in the third period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Kings 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Offseason acquisition Milan Lucic has also been very hit or miss in December. Lucic has scored 3 goals to go along with 4 assists in 11 December games. In fact,most of the team has been very sluggish aside from top centers Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Kopitar got off to an early season slug-fest but has really turned on the jets and reminded fans why he’s an elite center in the NHL. Through his 11 December games, Kopitar has registered 9 points, including 3 goals. The most consistent King forward though has got to be Jeff Carter. Carter has been on a near point-per-game pace since the start of the season. With 11 goals and 17 assists through 34 games, Carter’s production has been crucial to the Kings success.
Having said how important Jeff Carter is to the team, it will be interesting to see how significant the injury is that Carter sustained in the win against Arizona on December 26th. It has been reported that Carter has gone back to the LA but all that’s been released is that it’s an upper-body injury. He’s officially listed as day-to-day but the Kings can ill-afford to lose a player the caliber of Carter if their offense is going to continue to be sluggish. Players like Tanner Pearson (5 goals in 34 games) may be called upon to shoulder some of the offensive load. Perhaps, the trade market may even open up a little more as the calendar turns to 2016 and the Kings can boast their offense with a rental commodity.