The Kings played a pair of disciplined, poised games against non-playoff teams from last season and now will test their reestablished stability on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, a rival that won the Stanley Cup two campaigns ago and then loaded up at last year’s trade deadline.
After two losses in which they allowed a nauseating 14 goals, the Kings have won their past two matches against the Ducks and Montreal Canadiens by identical 4-1 scores, playing tight games throughout before creating separation in the dying embers of each contest.
“We showed we can be patient,” said goalie David Rittich, who earned both wins with Darcy Kuemper sidelined by a lower-body injury. “I think we maybe missed that kind of play last year, where we couldn’t stick with it and we just were pushing way too hard, and we gave up a lot.”
Offensively, Alex Turcotte extended his points streak to four games and his linemate Alex Laferriere has four goals in his past four appearances, including the game-winner in two straight. The new top pairing of Mikey Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov has notched six points in two games, although it’s been the Kings’ sound structure that’s gotten them across the finish line.
One key to their stinginess and resulting success has been their play shorthanded. Following two defeats in which they gave up six power-play goals in just 10 opportunities, they’ve now killed their past eight penalties, surrendering nothing with the extra man to the Ducks and Habs.
“We’ve been talking about it a lot, because we gave up a couple (that) we didn’t like. We didn’t have to change a lot of things, but we had to be smarter,” Rittich said.
The Kings killed off 11 straight infractions to start the season and their adjustments toward a more aggressive PK have made them more dangerous shorthanded as well.
“The pieces are starting to come together as far as when we’re supposed to pressure,” winger Adrian Kempe said. “When you’re on the power play and you (face) a PK that’s that aggressive, you hate it.”
Vegas, the Kings’ final opponent on their grueling seven-game road trip, has had one of the NHL’s top power plays thus far, cashing in nearly 30% of the time. Their top line of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev has done damage across situations, combining for 27 points in just six games thus far.
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The Golden Knights started the year on a three-game winning streak but now find themselves mired in a three game winless streak. Other than the Ducks, every team they’ve played in 2024-25 has been a recent Stanley Cup winner as they opened with a win against Colorado (2022), followed with a victory over St. Louis (2019) and then fell to Washington (2018), Tampa Bay (2020 and 2021) and, most recently, in overtime to the most recent champion, Florida.
Vegas signed a former King, one-time winger on “That ‘70s Line” Tanner Pearson, following a professional tryout during training camp. He has three points in six games (the same total as marquee trade deadline pickup Tomáš Hertl, formerly of San Jose) and has been skating in their top six. There have been voids to fill there following Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault’s departure to Nashville as a free agent and the lingering undisclosed injury that has kept former Duck William Karlsson out of action all season.