Observations from an undefeated Week 6

It appeared to be the same foot that Doughty had surgically repaired last offseason, so the fears that LA’s top defenseman could miss the bulk of the season were real.

However, it may not be as bad.

Missing weeks is certainly not ideal. But weeks are better than months.

It’s worth noting that there has not been an official word from the team, so don’t breathe too comfortably just yet.

A Little Bit Of Everything

The LA Kings went 3-0 in their three-game week, but they went about things in very different ways.

In Montreal, the Canadiens were definitely the better, more dangerous team in the first period and had a 1-0 lead to show for it. While the Kings started better in the second period, it was really a four-minute stretch where the game got away from Montreal.

LA tied the game on a Joel Edmundson slap shot that found its way past Sam Montembeault off a faceoff. Then the Kings held the puck for over one full minute in a delayed penalty situation where LA had a 6-on-5 advantage. It’s pretty rare that a team is able to maintain possession for that long. LA did, and Byfield was able to bang home the go-ahead goal. The third goal was also a strange situation where the puck went in toward Montembeault, and for some reason, instead of covering the puck, he guided it right to Kevin Fiala, who made him pay.

From then on, the Kings controlled.

Then, in Toronto, a much different story. LA dominated the game. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Kings had a 69.9% CF% and 66.7% xGF%. Yet, they found themselves trailing 2-0. Goals from Warren Foegele and Fiala tied things up, and after going down 3-2, Alex Laferriere tipped in the tying goal with less than seven minutes to play. Byfield scored in OT on a nice setup from Doughty.

The game in Ottawa was a snooze fest. Normally, we can thank the Jim Hiller LA Kings for that, but Ottawa isn’t exactly known for high-event hockey either. Laferriere scored midway through the first period on another deflection, and that was all the scoring we would see in this game.

Whatever action there was, though, took place in the LA zone. At 5-on-5, the Kings had just a 38.3% CF% and a season-low 27.3% xGF% (per Natural Stat Trick). Anton Forsberg secured his first shutout as a King against his former team, but this was a less-than-stellar performance from the Kings.

Three very different games, but three very important wins in a very tight Pacific Division. Entering Monday, just five points separate the first-place Kings (24 points) and the seventh-place Sharks (19). The points aren’t coming pretty all that often, but the important thing is that they are coming.

Byfield Leads The Charge

You don’t have to look very hard on Twitter to find people who have issues with Quinton Byfield. You’d think this week would help quiet some of those critics as he had a team-high two goals and five points. For the season, Byfield has four goals and a team-high 13 assists for 17 points in 19 games. That’s a pace of about 17 goals, 56 assists, and 73 points. Is this the ceiling we’re all hoping for with Byfield? Maybe not. I think there’s the hope he can emerge as a true point-per-game type player, but for the production we’re seeing so far, this is quite an important step.

Besides, the Kings’ best player for nearly two decades, Anze Kopitar, hit 80 points just twice in his career. If Byfield can keep this pace up while contributing excellent defensive impacts, there shouldn’t be any complaints.

The Eastern swing of the road trip concludes on Monday in Washington against the 8-8-2 Capitals. LA finishes the road trip on Thursday in San Jose before returning home on Friday to host the Boston Bruins.

It’s another three-game week ahead. Let’s see if the LA Kings can stay hot.

Main Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers, Imagn Images