#LAKings Resilient Kings welcome rebuilding Blackhawks (Daily News)
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Coming off a rare blowout win, the Kings turned their attention to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, whom they will host Thursday in a matchup that conjures a bit of nostalgia from the last decade.
The Kings most recently defeated the Nashville Predators 6-1 on Tuesday. Their past eight games consisted of matchups with five likely playoff-bound teams and three against staunch divisional foe San Jose. Now they face a non-contender in Chicago ahead of a pair of matches with the Seattle Kraken, an expansion team occupying the Pacific Divisions basement.
Kings coach Todd McLellan said there wouldn’t be any talk of letdowns or trap games for a club that has overachieved vis-a-vis external expectations and finds itself in the thick of the playoff hunt in which every game has become critical.
I dont think that the LA Kings of the past four years should be engaged in any type of trap game. Most of the nights, were the underdog, McLellan said. Were going to play some teams that are lower in the standings than we are, but they have NHL capabilities. Like, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and (Seth) Jones are on this team coming in, if thats a trap game, Im not so sure.
Indeed Chicago (22-32-9) still features Kane, whose 71 points in 59 games lead the team; Toews, who returned to competition after missing last season due to chronic immune response syndrome; and Jones, who tops the Blackhawks in defensive scoring and ice time after being acquired from Columbus for a weighty package of assets over the summer.
At the trade deadline, the Blackhawks sold off pieces at handsome prices, namely winger Brandon Hagel to Tampa Bay and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to Minnesota. Prior to the season, they dealt away defenseman Duncan Keith, a cornerstone of their three Stanley Cup champion squads.
While the Kings (35-22-8) may not have the leagues most explosive offense, stingiest defense, sharpest special teams, leading scorer or any other superlative to hang their hats on, they have been perhaps the leagues most resilient team.
Forward Trevor Moore remarked that the five-goal win Tuesday was good for their goal differential, which lagged way behind that of virtually every other contending team. Playing one of the most condensed schedules in the league, dealing with spates of injuries none greater than the current one that at one point sidelined 10 players and integrating young players into the lineup have been challenges that the Kings have met with aplomb and perseverance.
Since Dec. 1, the Kings have lost consecutive games in regulation just twice, a three-game funk in mid-January and two losses on Feb. 28 and March 2. They are 14-4-0 following a loss. They have demonstrated the bounceback that rivals like Vegas and Edmonton havent had consistently, and that perhaps even the Kings didnt early in the year when they lost six consecutive games in October prior to a five-game skid in November.
Newcomers have blossomed. Rookie defenseman Sean Durzi said he was finding his voice in the room, new acquisition Phillip Danault was called captain material by McLellan and even less extroverted university-aged players like Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield have asserted themselves more.
Nevertheless, Moore, the Kings No. 2 scorer and biggest breakout performer, credited captain Anze Kopitar, winger Dustin Brown, defenseman Drew Doughty and goalie Jonathan Quick all of whom were present for the conference finals battles in 2013 and 2014 with Kane, Toews and Chicago with steadying the Kings ship.
I think our leadership is second to none in the league; we have great guys in there, said Moore, who has been a point-per-game producer since the new year began. Our structure takes care of us, we believe a lot in it, and the young guys playing in Ontario, they do a great job.
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Moore also lauded the influence of Danault, with whom he has forged a strong connection on the ice.
Phils a great leader, a guy who does it right, all the time, everywhere he is, Moore said. Im just trying to do what he does, and keep pushing, trying to lead a little bit.
Chicago at Kings
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: ESPN+/iHeartRadio
https://www.dailynews.com/2022/03/23...ng-blackhawks/
The Kings most recently defeated the Nashville Predators 6-1 on Tuesday. Their past eight games consisted of matchups with five likely playoff-bound teams and three against staunch divisional foe San Jose. Now they face a non-contender in Chicago ahead of a pair of matches with the Seattle Kraken, an expansion team occupying the Pacific Divisions basement.
Kings coach Todd McLellan said there wouldn’t be any talk of letdowns or trap games for a club that has overachieved vis-a-vis external expectations and finds itself in the thick of the playoff hunt in which every game has become critical.
I dont think that the LA Kings of the past four years should be engaged in any type of trap game. Most of the nights, were the underdog, McLellan said. Were going to play some teams that are lower in the standings than we are, but they have NHL capabilities. Like, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and (Seth) Jones are on this team coming in, if thats a trap game, Im not so sure.
Indeed Chicago (22-32-9) still features Kane, whose 71 points in 59 games lead the team; Toews, who returned to competition after missing last season due to chronic immune response syndrome; and Jones, who tops the Blackhawks in defensive scoring and ice time after being acquired from Columbus for a weighty package of assets over the summer.
At the trade deadline, the Blackhawks sold off pieces at handsome prices, namely winger Brandon Hagel to Tampa Bay and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to Minnesota. Prior to the season, they dealt away defenseman Duncan Keith, a cornerstone of their three Stanley Cup champion squads.
While the Kings (35-22-8) may not have the leagues most explosive offense, stingiest defense, sharpest special teams, leading scorer or any other superlative to hang their hats on, they have been perhaps the leagues most resilient team.
Forward Trevor Moore remarked that the five-goal win Tuesday was good for their goal differential, which lagged way behind that of virtually every other contending team. Playing one of the most condensed schedules in the league, dealing with spates of injuries none greater than the current one that at one point sidelined 10 players and integrating young players into the lineup have been challenges that the Kings have met with aplomb and perseverance.
Since Dec. 1, the Kings have lost consecutive games in regulation just twice, a three-game funk in mid-January and two losses on Feb. 28 and March 2. They are 14-4-0 following a loss. They have demonstrated the bounceback that rivals like Vegas and Edmonton havent had consistently, and that perhaps even the Kings didnt early in the year when they lost six consecutive games in October prior to a five-game skid in November.
Newcomers have blossomed. Rookie defenseman Sean Durzi said he was finding his voice in the room, new acquisition Phillip Danault was called captain material by McLellan and even less extroverted university-aged players like Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield have asserted themselves more.
Nevertheless, Moore, the Kings No. 2 scorer and biggest breakout performer, credited captain Anze Kopitar, winger Dustin Brown, defenseman Drew Doughty and goalie Jonathan Quick all of whom were present for the conference finals battles in 2013 and 2014 with Kane, Toews and Chicago with steadying the Kings ship.
I think our leadership is second to none in the league; we have great guys in there, said Moore, who has been a point-per-game producer since the new year began. Our structure takes care of us, we believe a lot in it, and the young guys playing in Ontario, they do a great job.
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Moore also lauded the influence of Danault, with whom he has forged a strong connection on the ice.
Phils a great leader, a guy who does it right, all the time, everywhere he is, Moore said. Im just trying to do what he does, and keep pushing, trying to lead a little bit.
Chicago at Kings
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: ESPN+/iHeartRadio
https://www.dailynews.com/2022/03/23...ng-blackhawks/