Los Angeles Kings (NHL 16 Be A GM)

[Psyblast]

February 2021 Recap

Kings scrape and claw as time runs low
With the playoffs uncertain, LA faces a decision at the trade deadline

LOS ANGELES - In recent seasons, it's never been a question of whether the Kings would buy or sell at the trade deadline. It's always been about LA GM Brian Kudron looking for the right piece to augment the roster in preparation for the stretch run at the Stanley Cup.

But this season, as February turns to March, the Kings presently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference, one point behind 8th place Chicago and 9th place Nashville. They are indeed still in the thick of things after bouncing back with a 9-5-0 record in February - but is it enough to convince the front office to go for it?

The likely path will be a "stand pat" policy; the Kings are unlikely to make waves by acquiring a big piece, but seem equally unlikely to sell off any major player. The one possibility that exists could revolve around Jordan Staal; the 32-year old center has two years left on his contract at 4.4 million dollars per year after this season ends, and is still performing at an extremely high level. With the Kings likely to invest a significant amount of money in Logan Brown this summer, Los Angeles may be unwilling to have such a huge amount of money tied up at the center position with Brown, Staal, and Anze Kopitar; not to mention that Brown himself may be less inclined to sign long term in LA if he isn't promised 2nd line minutes. The Kings could likely command a heavy return for a player of Staal's caliber, but such a move could also be akin to waving the white flag on this season.

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	37	22	4	78	33	195	169
	38	22	1	77	32	185	157
	36	23	3	75	31	165	163
	36	24	3	75	32	213	202
	30	22	9	69	28	175	158
	27	30	6	60	22	148	170
	18	37	8	44	13	119	201

Los Angeles Kings Stats - March 1, 2021
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	61	21	46	67	+24	3	64	171	12.3
Adrian Kempe	61	22	39	61	+20	4	6	124	17.7
Jordan Staal	61	14	23	37	+9	4	43	118	11.9
Drew Doughty	56	9	26	35	+6	1	44	118	7.6
Tyler Toffoli	55	13	20	33	+5	1	8	124	10.5
Patrik Laine	53	11	19	30	+12	2	20	134	8.2
Logan Brown	61	12	15	27	+3	3	22	155	7.7
Kristian Vesalainen	61	10	17	27	+8	1	14	121	8.3
Victor Hedman	58	7	18	25	-3	2	55	130	5.4
Rasmus Ristolainen	61	7	17	24	+12	1	52	121	5.8
Frederick Parse	61	10	14	24	+8	1	15	159	6.3
Nathan Noel	61	11	11	22	-2	2	2	78	14.1
Joel Lowry	61	7	7	14	-3	1	23	61	11.5
Kyle Clifford	61	4	8	12	-5	1	58	53	7.6
Michal Mischenko	28	4	7	11	+10	0	4	61	6.6
Alex Lintuniemi	61	3	7	10	+16	0	38	48	6.3
Hudson Fasching	44	4	4	8	-7	1	19	58	6.9
Markus Hannikainen	31	3	5	8	+3	0	4	40	7.5
Markus Niemelainen	47	2	5	7	-3	0	4	54	3.7
Erik Cernak	52	1	2	3	+14	0	26	52	1.9
Goalies	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	46	18	17	7	2.60			.911	4
Sami Valiharju	20	12	5	2	2.42			.913	2

[Psyblast]

March/April 2021 Recap

Kings survive to see the postseason
The dynasty endures as Los Angeles will defend its throne

LOS ANGELES - A source inside the Los Angeles front office recently said that the Kings were perilously close to pulling the trigger on a trade that would have shipped Jordan Staal out of LA and effectively waved the white flag on the season. The same source said that that possibility will be seriously revisited after the season ends.

But for the time being, the Kings stood their ground and muscled their way to a 11-7-2 record to finish the season in March and April; a mark good enough to squeak them into the playoffs as the first wildcard, one point ahead of second wildcard Nashville and two points ahead of the eliminated Dallas Stars. As a reward for their efforts, the Kings will travel to St. Louis to play the Blues in the first round of the playoffs; St. Louis won 52 games and tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for a league-best 113 points.

The steep fall from #1 in goals scored a year ago to 18th this season played a large role in LA's struggles, as the new faces adapted to the NHL game in place of departed veterans Jeff Carter and Rick Nash. The Kings' patented defense was still good enough for 4th in the league in goals allowed, but their shaky offense is going to go up against the NHL's stingiest defense in round one: the Blues allowed a league-low 181 goals this season, while also scoring a league-best 270 themselves. Make no mistake, the Blues are the Cup favorite headed into the postseason.

Captain Anze Kopitar was immune to the offensive struggles, as he posted 81 points in 82 games to lead Los Angeles in scoring for the 14th consecutive season. He was followed by Adrian Kempe, who is growing into a star; the 24-year old Swede posted a career best in both goals (27) and points (73).

The "kids," meanwhile, experienced their ups and downs. Patrik Laine spent most of the final three months of the season on the top line next to Kopitar and Kempe, and thus he finished the year atop the scoring board for the new faces, registered 15 goals and 42 points in 74 games. Logan Brown ended the season very strongly, registering 18 goals and 38 points in a full 82 games, while Kristian Vesalainen and Frederick Parse posted 35 and 29 points, respectively.

On the blueline, Drew Doughty's stranglehold on the Norris Trophy will likely end this year, as he posted his lowest scoring total (40 points) since 2013-14. He was followed by 35 points from Victor Hedman and 31 from Rasmus Ristolainen. Alex Lintuniemi posted a modest 15 points, but the Kings love the defense he plays, and he will likely be re-signed this summer. After those four, it was a constant juggling game between Erik Cernak, Markus Niemelainen, and newbie Michal Mischenko. Niemelainen registered 12 points in 66 games, but Mischenko matched that total in only 49. Cernak was dead last on the roster with only four points in 57 games; however, he has been a significant playoff performer for the Kings; his performance in this postseason could make or break his future with LA.

Between the pipes, a mini controversy has been unfolding as Sami Valiharju found himself getting the call more than Jonathan Quick down the stretch. The controversy was quickly extinguished however, as the Kings announced that Quick will be the starter for Game 1 in St. Louis. As inconceivable as it might seem to some, Quick's dramatic decrease in play this season could cause the ever-volatile LA GM to explore options after the season. Quick is signed through 2022-23 at 5.8 million dollars per year, but he is no longer a spring chicken (35), and with Valiharju (and potentially Jayden Neal) in the batter's box, the notion of moving Quick - an unthinkable one prior to now - could inch toward a reality after the postseason ends, whenever that may be.

Los Angeles Kings Stats - 2020/21
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	82	26	55	81	+24	4	80	225	11.6
Adrian Kempe	82	27	46	73	+21	4	8	169	16.0
Jordan Staal	82	16	32	48	+8	5	57	156	10.3
Tyler Toffoli	76	18	25	43	+6	2	10	158	11.4
Patrik Laine	74	15	27	42	+11	3	20	168	8.9
Drew Doughty	77	12	28	40	+4	1	62	166	7.2
Logan Brown	82	18	20	38	+6	3	28	200	9.0
Victor Hedman	79	7	28	35	+3	2	67	189	3.7
Kristian Vesalainen	82	13	22	35	+11	1	20	156	8.3
Rasmus Ristolainen	82	8	23	31	+14	2	70	154	5.2
Frederick Parse	82	12	17	29	+10	1	17	204	5.9
Nathan Noel	82	13	15	28	0	3	8	99	13.1
Kyle Clifford	82	6	15	21	-1	2	80	73	8.2
Joel Lowry	82	9	10	19	+1	1	25	76	11.8
Alex Lintuniemi	82	6	9	15	+17	1	46	73	8.2
Markus Niemelainen	63	6	6	12	+3	2	4	78	7.7
Michal Mischenko	49	4	8	12	+8	0	8	102	3.9
Hudson Fasching	65	5	5	10	-9	1	27	90	5.6
Markus Hannikainen	31	3	5	8	+3	0	4	40	7.5
Erik Cernak	57	2	2	4	+13	0	32	62	3.2
Goalies	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	61	24	23	8	2.58			.912	4
Sami Valiharju	26	18	6	3	2.16			.920	4

Final Record: 42-29-11, 95 points
Goals For: 226 (18th)
Goals Against: 206 (4th)
Power Play: 18.1% (18th)
Penalty Kill: 81.7% (19th)
Home Record: 17-17-7
Road Record: 25-12-4

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Western Conference Recap

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	49	28	5	103	42	261	222
	48	29	5	101	44	269	245
	46	27	9	101	39	217	212
	47	34	1	95	39	232	226
	42	29	11	95	38	226	206
	42	34	6	90	34	210	210
	23	48	11	57	17	154	265

Central Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	52	21	9	113	48	270	181
	44	30	8	96	39	239	212
	44	32	6	94	37	230	209
	41	30	11	93	39	247	218
	41	31	10	92	34	231	220
	43	37	2	88	36	218	235
	28	46	8	64	25	196	249

Western Conference Leaders

Western Conference Skaters - 2020/2021
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Tyler Seguin	42		1. Nicklas Backstrom	66
	2. Vladimir Tarasenko	40		2. Connor McDavid	64
	3. Patrick Kane	39		3. Anze Kopitar	55
	4. Tyler Benson	39		4. Pierre-Luc Dubois	55
	5. James Neal	37		5. Mark Scheifele	54
Points		P	Power Play Goals		PPG
	1. Connor McDavid	86		1. Tyler Seguin	18
	2. Tyler Seguin	85		2. Patrick Kane	13
	3. Anze Kopitar	81		3. Nikolaj Ehlers	13
	4. Nicklas Backstrom	80		4. David Perron	11
	5. Mirco Mueller	78		5. Tyler Benson	11
Game Winning Goals		GWG	Time on Ice		TOI
	1. Nathan MacKinnon	10		1. Max Lajoie	26:32
	2. Tyler Seguin	8		2. Jeremy Roy	26:25
	3. Patrick Kane	8		3. Shea Theodore	26:16
	4. Three tied	7		4. Oliver Ekman-Larsson	25:59
	5.			5. Ville Pokka	25:53
Hits		H	Faceoff Percentage		FO%
	1. Derek Forbort	295		1. Ryan Kesler	61.7%
	2. Chris Tanev	271		2. Jordan Staal	61.5%
	3. Shea Weber	233		3. Ryan Getzlaf	59.2%
	4. Jarred Tinordi	231		4. Anze Kopitar	59.1%
	5. Brenden Dillon	230		5. Bo Horvat	57.5%

Western Conference Goaltenders - 2020/2021
Wins		W	Goals Against Average		GAA
	1. John Gibson	38		1. Jake Allen	2.21
	2. Mason McDonald	36		2. John Gibson	2.41
	3. Eric Comrie	36		3. Eric Comrie	2.47
	4. Ken Appleby	35		4. Darcy Esposito	2.52
	5. Jake Allen	34		5. Jack Campbell	2.54
Save Percentage		SV%	Shots Against		SA
	1. Jake Allen	.925		1. Ken Appleby	2024
	2. John Gibson	.920		2. John Gibson	2013
	3. Vladimir Emelin	.918		3. Jack Campbell	1995
	4. Mason McDonald	.918		4. Eric Comrie	1987
	5. Eric Comrie	.917		5. Vladimir Emelin	1971
Shutouts		SO	Minutes Played		MIN
	1. Eric Comrie	6		1. John Gibson	4038
	2. Devan Dubnyk	5		2. Ken Appleby	4027
	3. Darcy Esposito	5		3. Jack Campbell	4022
	4. 11 tied	4		4. Eric Comrie	3989
	5.			5. Vladimir Emelin	3682

Eastern Conference Recap

Atlantic Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	46	27	9	101	41	227	214
	46	30	6	98	38	227	208
	40	32	10	90	37	231	235
	41	33	8	90	36	212	215
	41	34	7	89	35	225	217
	41	35	6	88	34	229	262
	38	35	9	85	33	220	230
	27	44	11	65	23	184	244

Metropolitan Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	55	24	3	113	50	247	189
	47	27	8	102	45	241	203
	42	33	7	91	40	237	219
	37	35	10	84	30	221	236
	38	38	6	82	36	244	260
	36	38	8	80	30	189	218
	34	37	11	79	29	229	247
	31	40	11	73	30	188	244

Eastern Conference Leaders

Eastern Conference Skaters - 2020/2021
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Rodney Peca	46		1. Josh Ho-Sang	69
	2. Alexander Ovechkin	41		2. Claude Giroux	58
	3. John Tavares	40		3. Nikita Scherbak	55
	4. Evander Kane	38		4. Mats Zuccarello	54
	5. Jonathan Drouin	37		5. David Pastrnak	54
Points		P	Power Play Goals		PPG
	1. Jonathan Drouin	86		1. Rodney Peca	16
	2. John Tavares	86		2. Steven Stamkos	16
	3. Rodney Peca	83		3. Evander Kane	15
	4. Claude Giroux	83		4. Sergey Tolchinsky	15
	5. Evander Kane	82		5. Two tied	13
Game Winning Goals		GWG	Time on Ice		TOI
	1. John Tavares	10		1. Brendan Guhle	26:40
	2. Steven Stamkos	8		2. Morgan Rielly	25:53
	3. Alexander Ovechkin	7		3. John Moore	25:34
	4. Rodney Peca	7		4. Ryan McDonagh	25:31
	5. 8 tied	6		5. John Carlson	25:20
Hits		H	Faceoff Percentage		FO%
	1. Brandon Carlo	272		1. Patrice Bergeron	62.2%
	2. Dillon Heatherington	256		2. Claude Giroux	59.3%
	3. Aaron Ekblad	248		3. David Backes	58.5%
	4. Ryan Mantha	243		4. Paul Stastny	58.0%
	5. John Moore	241		5. Jeff Carter	56.3%

Eastern Conference Goaltenders - 2020/2021
Wins		W	Goals Against Average		GAA
	1. Steve Mason	41		1. Sergei Bobrovsky	2.33
	2. Tuukka Rask	35		2. Callum Booth	2.33
	3. Carey Price	34		3. Carey Price	2.36
	4. Matt O'Connor	33		4. Steve Mason	2.38
	5. Jonathan Bernier	33		5. Matt O'Connor	2.48
Save Percentage		SV%	Shots Against		SA
	1. Sergei Bobrovsky	.925		1. Cory Schneider	2156
	2. Carey Price	.924		2. Tuukka Rask	2036
	3. Steve Mason	.920		3. Braden Holtby	2009
	4. Cory Schneider	.919		4. Matt O'Connor	1995
	5. Matt O'Connor	.918		5. Petr Mrazek	1978
Shutouts		SO	Minutes Played		MIN
	1. Tuukka Rask	8		1. Tuukka Rask	4171
	2. Sergei Bobrovsky	6		2. Cory Schneider	4080
	3. Cory Schneider	6		3. Matt O'Connor	3942
	4. Braden Holtby	5		4. Steve Mason	3925
	5. Robin Lehner	4		5. Petr Mrazek	3848

[Psyblast]

Western Conference Quarterfinal - Game 1

Scottrade Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	0	1	2	1	4
	2	0	1	0	3

Kings lead series, 1-0

The crown still weighs heavy - on St. Louis
LA's mastery of the Blues produces a stunning result in Game 1 of the quarterfinals


Logan Brown tied Game 1 in the final moments - and then followed it up with an OT winner

Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues
April 13, 2021 1 2 3 OT F 0 1 2 1 4 2 0 1 0 3 Three Stars Logan Brown, C, LAK 2 G, 1 A, 3 hits Jake Allen, G, STL 56 saves, .933 SV% Tyler Ennis, C, STL 1 G, 1 A,2 hits	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 60 24 Hits 23 26 Faceoffs Won-Lost 36 12 Penalty Minutes 8:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 2 4 Time on Attack 12:08 5:23
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Schwartz, 1 (Ennis, Pietrangelo) (PP), 1:31 Lehtera, 1 (Staal, Stransky), 16:43 SECOND PERIOD Kopitar, 1 (Brown), 3:19 THIRD PERIOD Fasching, 1 (Cernak, Staal), 17:54 Ennis, 1 (Speers), 18:29 Brown, 1 (Vesalainen), 19:59 OVERTIME Brown, 2 (Vesalainen), 2:51

[Psyblast]

Western Conference Quarterfinal - Game 2

Scottrade Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	3	0	1	-	4
	1	1	1	-	3

Kings lead series, 2-0

Kings take two in St. Louis
Blues' fans boo their team off the ice as wildcard Kings conquer the Arch


Patrik Laine's PPG early in the 3rd stood up as the game winner for Los Angeles

Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues
Apr 15, 2021 1 2 3 F 3 0 1 4 1 1 1 3 Three Stars Tyler Ennis, C, STL 2 G, 0 A Rasmus Ristolainen, D, LAK 0 G, 2 A,1 hit Jori Lehtera, C, STL 1 G, 0 A	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 25 17 Hits 18 4 Faceoffs Won-Lost 20 13 Penalty Minutes 0:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 2 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 0 Time on Attack 6:18 5:12
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Ennis, 2 (penalty shot), 9:45 Brown, 3 (Ristolainen, Mischenko), 13:38 Vesalainen, 1 (unassisted) (PP), 18:00 Hedman, 1 (Kopitar), 19:59 SECOND PERIOD Ennis, 3 (Speers), 19:54 THIRD PERIOD Laine, 1 (Kopitar, Ristolainen) (PP), 3:28 Lehtera, 2 (Muzzin, Bukarts), 5:54

[Psyblast]

Western Conference Quarterfinal - Game 3

Staples Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	1	1	0	-	2
	3	0	0	-	3

Kings lead series, 3-0

Home sweet home as LA ices St. Louis again
Los Angeles pushes the Stanley Cup favorites to the brink of a complete disaster


The story of the series has been LA's dismantling and humilation of St. Louis's Jake Allen

St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings
Apr 17, 2021 1 2 3 F 1 1 0 2 3 0 0 3 Three Stars Kristian Vesalainen, LW, LAK 2 G, 0 A, 2 hits Erik Cernak, D, LAK 1 G, 0 A, 3 hits Rasmus Ristolainen, D, LAK 0 G, 1 A, 2 hits	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 21 34 Hits 5 25 Faceoffs Won-Lost 16 20 Penalty Minutes 2:00 2:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 1 Time on Attack 5:00 7:53
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Vesalainen, 2 (Ristolainen, Mischenko), 3:35 Staal, 1 (unassisted), 4:50 Vesalainen, 3 (unassisted), 16:01 Cernak, 1 (Fasching, Parse), 19:56 SECOND PERIOD Gunnarsson, 1 (Gawdin), 12:52

[Psyblast]

Western Conference Quarterfinal - Game 4

Staples Center	1	2	3	OT	F
	1	0	2	-	3
	1	2	1	-	4

Kings win series, 4-0

No Hollywood ending for St. Louis, just an ending in Hollywood
Kings hold off a furious 3rd period rally to sweep the West's #1 seed


The Kings built enough of a cushion to survive one last push by the Blues in Game 4

St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings
Apr 19, 2021 1 2 3 F 1 0 2 3 1 2 1 4 Three Stars Jordan Staal, C, LAK 1 G, 1 A, 1 hit Patrik Laine, RW, LAK 1 G, 0 A Simon Stransky, C, STL 1 G, 1 A, 1 hit	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 15 32 Hits 10 31 Faceoffs Won-Lost 11 22 Penalty Minutes 0:00 2:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 0 Time on Attack 4:39 8:32
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Cernak, 2 (Staal), 5:54 Stransky, 1 (Speers, Ennis), 15:09 SECOND PERIOD Kopitar, 2 (Toffoli, Kempe), 10:24 Staal, 1 (Mischenko, Fasching), 11:22 THIRD PERIOD Laine, 2 (Brown), 3:37 Speers, 1 (Stransky, Ennis) (PP), 7:43 Gawdin, 1 (Gunnarsson, Pietrangelo), 12:24

[Psyblast]

Kings "very concerned" headed into Round 2
Everything has to be better as Winnipeg awaits in the Semifinals

April 27, 2021

WINNIPEG - It's not often you'll find a team so wracked with concern after sweeping the #1 seed in the playoffs in the first round.

But that's the case in the front office of the Los Angeles Kings, who, even as LA won every single game against the St. Louis Blues, witnessed something completely foreign to them - Jonathan Quick melting down on the ice.

The Kings' goalie, who has established himself as one of the greatest goalies in NHL postseason history, allowed 11 goals in four games while posting an anemic .857 save percentage. And it wasn't just the fact that he gave up a large number of goals while facing a small number of shots - many of the goals he allowed were disheartening in their softness. Shots that should have been routine saves for a goalie of Quick's caliber were suddenly leaking through him and finding their way into the net. The fact that the LA offense put the boots to Jake Allen and the NHL's #1 defense masked this, but the concern inside the organization is palpable.

Because it isn't a new development. This season provided enough of a sample size to tell the LA brass that Quick has encountered the cliff that so many stars encounter. At 35, it isn't entirely surprising; Quick's bread and butter was always his freakish athleticism and his lightning-like reflexes - two things that are always the first to go as a player ages, and when they go, they usually go very, very quickly, and they almost never come back.

Up next for Los Angeles is the Winnipeg Jets, a team they humiliated in the Western Final two years ago. After dropping Game 1 at home, the Kings outscored Winnipeg 21-3 over the next four games. But these Jets have a more determined look about them; they don't look like the wide-eyed bunch of kids the Kings slapped around two springs ago. Perhaps most significantly is the progression of 25-year old Winnipeg goaltender Eric Comrie, the Jets' 2nd round pick from 2013. Comrie has blossomed into one of the brightest young goalies in hockey, and perhaps for the first time in a decade, the Kings are going to head into a playoff series with a clear and distinct disadvantage at the goaltender position.

Elsewhere, the other Western Semifinal will feature a hotly contested Battle of Alberta between the ancient rivals Calgary and Edmonton, who vanquished the Sharks and Ducks in Round 1, respectively. In the East, the Islanders, Red Wings, and Panthers prevailed in seventh games, while the top-seeded Hurricanes eliminated Boston in five. The Hurricanes will face the reigning Eastern champion Islanders, while the Red Wings will face the Panthers.