The Kings wrapped up their homestand with a fifth consecutive victory and set off on a two-game trip that’ll begin in St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild on Monday before concluding in Chicago on Thursday.
If they were to take both games, they’d have a season-long winning streak, not having lost since the March 7 trade deadline. They have reworked their defense corps and fourth line, and though he hasn’t recorded a point yet, Andrei Kuzmenko has helped create better balance up front.
“This is going to be a good test for us in Minnesota,” Coach Jim Hiller said after an ugly win over Nashville on Saturday. “They play a certain style of game, they’re strong. We’re going to have to take a deep breath and come with some more energy for that one, for sure.”
The Wild may be strong but they’ve also been wounded. Offensive spearhead Kirill Kaprizov, No. 1 center Joel Eriksson Ek, and stalwart Jonas Brodin have been missing in action, with Kaprizov not having played since late January.
Minnesota, which still comfortably occupies the top wild-card spot in the West, has nonetheless lost some ground of late. They have one win in their past five games, most recently losing 5-1 to the St. Louis Blues at home.
“There’s a hungry team coming in here Monday,” Minnesota forward Mats Zuccarello told The Athletic. “We gotta be ready to compete and win hockey games.”
For the Kings, Quinton Byfield has come to the fore, forging an active six-game goal streak that includes two overtime game-winners. Of the four OT victories that the Kings have this season, Byfield tallied the decisive goal in three of them, having also driven the dagger into the Edmonton Oilers back in December.
“I used to be scared of that [situation],” Byfield said. “Now, going 3-on-3 with all that ice, it’s so much fun out there. I try to enjoy being out there. You get a lot of time and space, you can make plays and have fun.”
Kempe, who scored the Kings’ fourth extra-session goal in Winnipeg on Jan. 10, assisted on all three of Byfield’s winners, with Brandt Clarke having set up two of Byfield’s tallies.
For years, Kempe, captain Anže Kopitar and alternate captain Drew Doughty coming over the boards to start overtime was an eventuality. But Hiller has been more flexible with his personnel and valued speed more in the bonus frame. Byfield said that confidence and opportunity were vital in shedding his trepidation and becoming the Kings’ best chance to win in OT.
“Just the trust, (Hiller) starting me [in overtime]. It’s also repetition as well, before I never really got that chance until this year really,” Byfield said.
The Kings haven’t seen Minnesota since December, but they won both early-season meetings decisively. Byfield was one of four Kings to record a multi-point effort in a 5-1 win on Nov. 5. Kempe and Trevor Moore combined for three goals and four points in a 4-1 victory on Dec. 7.
The Wild were getting bigger contributions from Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi this season, but they have goal droughts of 10 games and nine games, respectively, at the moment.