The Kings thrived against the best team in the NHL again and on Thursday they’ll have another opportunity to complete a season-series sweep when they travel to Salt Lake City for the third and final meeting with Utah HC.
After winning for a third time Tuesday against the league-leading Winnipeg Jets and outscoring them 10-3 in the process, they’ll face the NHL’s newest franchise – sort of, following an absurdly complicated relocation from Arizona – with a chance to add to prior victories on Oct. 26 and Feb. 22.
The Kings have accumulated more points in the standings than any other NHL team since March 8, the day after the trade deadline. Only scorching St. Louis and the perennially tenacious Carolina Hurricanes posted better points percentages in that span than the Kings. The Kings have also placed second in goals allowed per game (behind St. Louis), eighth in goals for, sixth in penalty-kill percentage and 11th in power-play conversion rate since the deadline.
Their lone acquisition at the deadline or at any point since the season started, Andrei Kuzmenko, has revitalized the top line with Anže Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Most recently, his impact has gone beyond spacing or slotting players into the right spots in the lineup. Kuzmenko has five points in his past two games, and his pair against Winnipeg were masterful in terms of effort and deception.
He gave the appearance of a shooter only to deliver a lateral pass for Kopitar’s tally and then put up a playmaker’s facade before taking full advantage of the slightest bite from perhaps the best goalie on the planet today, Connor Hellebuyck. Kuzmenko erupted like he’d broken a late tie in a World Cup game.
“I like it, but I need more goals, more celebrations,” said Kuzmenko, whose English is a work in progress, but whose ebullience is well-established.
Kuzmenko’s effusive celebration was yet another testament to just how free he feels in what had been considered a restrictive and offensively limiting system all the way up until his arrival. Then, the Kings were in the midst of a season-worst losing streak that saw them score just eight goals in five games. They scored eight goals against San Jose and its shaky goaltending on Sunday alone.
Kuzmenko has always been an offensive-zone asset and one that could carve out space down low. He’s also recaptured some of the magic he showed off the rush with star linemates in Vancouver and Calgary. Yet both plays Tuesday came off takeaways by the 29-year-old Russian who’s competing in his third season in the NHL, having played for five different coaches already.
Not only has Kuzmenko fit in seamlessly in the Kings’ dressing room, he seems to have grasped the hierarchy quickly, avoiding disappointing the captain Kopitar.
“I can’t let him [down], I am respect too much, this guy, Kopitar, for several years. If I am a little bit lazy, not good back check, how I can see, [his] face is not good,” Kuzmenko said in his charming, piecemeal English.
In Utah, the Kings will see not only leading scorer Clayton Keller (80 points in 74 games), but an old chum in defenseman Sean Durzi.
The former King had an assist in his return to action following a lengthy absence (shoulder surgery) against his old club Feb. 22. He also recorded the primary helper on the game-winning goal against Calgary on Tuesday in a matchup critical to the Western wild-card race. Utah remained a longshot to qualify, but by prevailing 3-1, they put a significant dent in the Flames’ playoff aspirations.
Kings at Utah
When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City
TV: FDSNW