Los Angeles Kings (NHL 16 Be A GM)

[Psyblast]

October 2016 Recap

Championship hangover in Los Angeles
Kings sluggish out of the gate in 2016-2017

LOS ANGELES - It's not an uncommon occurrence - but it's an annoying one nevertheless for the Los Angeles Kings.

The defending Stanley Cup champions went just 4-6-0 in the month of October to open the new season, leaving them tied with the Arizona Coyotes at the bottom of the Pacific Division. The culprit? A surprisingly lax defense and shockingly leaky goaltending from Jonathan Quick. The Kings are 3rd in the league in scoring with 38 goals through ten games, but have given up 37 themselves, good for 27th - or 4th worst - in the league. While the alarm bells aren't being sounded just yet, there is a level of concern in the front office.

As usual, the Kings are being led by Anze Kopitar, who has 16 points (6-10-16) through the opening 10 games, followed by 11 each from Milan Lucic (3-8-11) and Tyler Toffoli (7-4-11); Toffoli is in the last year of his contract before being a restricted free agent next summer, and seems on pace for a major payday. Following him in scoring are nine points each from Jeff Carter and Jordan Staal, and eight from Drew Doughty.

But the storyline right now is Quick. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's best goaltender has just a .903 save percentage and a ghastly 3.31 GAA to go with his 4-4-0 record. Backup Peter Budaj has been a disaster in his two appearances (.843 SV%, 4.31 GAA). Quick isn't a three-time Stanley Cup winner for nothing though, and as mentioned, there are no alarm bells being set off yet. The Kings trust their franchise goalie to turn things around.

Los Angeles Kings October 2016 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Oct 9	at Anaheim	Won, 4-1
Oct 12	at San Jose	Lost, 4-3
Oct 13	at Calgary	Lost, 5-3
Oct 15	vs Anaheim	Won, 5-1
Oct 18	vs Toronto	Won, 4-2
Oct 20	vs Carolina	Lost, 4-2
Oct 22	vs Columbus	Lost, 1-0
Oct 25	vs Ottawa	Lost, 5-4
Oct 27	vs St. Louis	Won, 9-8 (OT)
Oct 30	vs Anaheim	Lost, 6-4

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	7	3	1	15	7	37	28
	7	3	0	14	6	27	24
	7	4	0	14	7	31	30
	5	5	2	12	4	39	41
	5	5	1	11	3	29	27
	4	6	0	8	4	38	37
	4	8	0	8	3	22	40

Los Angeles Kings Stats - November 1, 2016
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	10	6	10	16	+3	1	11	38	15.8
Milan Lucic	10	3	8	11	+5	0	8	35	8.6
Tyler Toffoli	10	7	4	11	+3	1	4	34	20.6
Jeff Carter	10	4	5	9	-1	0	13	34	11.8
Jordan Staal	10	3	6	9	+1	0	0	22	13.6
Drew Doughty	10	1	7	8	+8	1	4	30	3.3
Jake Muzzin	10	2	4	6	+5	0	19	31	6.5
Nathan Horton	10	3	3	6	+2	0	0	18	16.7
Brian Boyle	10	2	2	4	0	0	12	21	9.5
Tanner Pearson	10	1	3	4	-2	0	6	13	7.7
Andy Andreoff	10	1	3	4	-4	0	8	16	6.3
Alec Martinez	10	0	3	3	-2	0	6	5	0.0
Colton Parayko	10	2	1	3	-2	1	6	32	6.3
Matt Greene	10	0	2	2	-6	0	8	10	0.0
Kyle Clifford	10	2	0	2	-5	0	6	10	20.0
Jordan Nolan	10	0	2	2	-7	0	5	13	0.0
Derek Forbort	10	1	1	2	-5	0	10	18	5.6
Dwight King	10	0	0	0	-4	0	6	19	0.0
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	9	4	4	0	3.31			.903	0
Peter Budaj	2	0	2	0	4.31			.843	0

[Psyblast]

November 2016 Recap

Struggles continue through November
LA can't find its groove as the championship hangover endures

LOS ANGELES - There are no alarm bells just yet. But there is concern.

The Kings' sluggish start to the season in October has continued through November, with several more ugly losses punctuating a 6-6-2 month, leaving the Kings at 10-12-2, tied with the Sharks for last in the Pacific Division and 13 points behind red hot Calgary for first place.

It absolutely isn't the offense; Los Angeles is 3rd in the league in scoring, but the Kings have given up 80 goals, 2nd worst in the league, and completely against the philosophy that won them three of the last five Stanley Cups.

The defense hasn't been what it should be, but the ugly elephant in the room is the man between the pipes. Jonathan Quick has been mentally checked out to start the season, and some in the front office believe his attitude has had a negative effect on his play; the thrill of being a three-time champion and reigning Vezina Trophy winner with no competition behind him is apparently turning into a poisonous combination for LA's goaltending situation. An injury to Peter Budaj midway through the month prompted the callup of Patrik Bartosak, LA's 2013 5th round draft pick. The 23-year old Czech is the Kings' top goalie prospect, and a solid performance could prompt him to stick around at the NHL level.

Offensively, the Kings did some line shuffling to see if that might change things up. One of the changes involved moving Nathan Horton down to the 3rd line and bumping Jeff Carter to the top line with Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic. Predictably, Horton's production fell off in November, confirming the belief of the LA brass that Horton's play is entirely dependent on Kopitar setting him up. Kopitar continues to be the Kings' star (11-21-32 points in 24 games), followed by Lucic (5-20-25) and Carter (13-11-24).

Los Angeles Kings November 2016 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov 2	at Pittsburgh	Won, 5-2
Nov 4	at Buffalo	Lost, 6-2
Nov 5	at Detroit	Lost, 5-2
Nov 7	at Philadelphia	Lost, 4-3 (SO)
Nov 9	at St. Louis	Lost, 6-2
Nov 11	vs Tampa Bay	Won, 5-2
Nov 14	vs Calgary	Lost, 2-1 (SO)
Nov 17	vs Anaheim	Won, 5-3
Nov 19	vs New York Islanders	Won, 2-1 (SO)
Nov 20	vs Colorado	Won, 5-2
Nov 23	at Minnesota	Lost, 2-1
Nov 25	at St. Louis	Lost, 3-0
Nov 26	at Winnipeg	Won, 4-2
Nov 29	vs Calgary	Lost, 5-3

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	17	7	1	35	15	70	47
	13	8	3	29	13	71	62
	14	10	0	28	14	61	60
	12	11	2	26	11	78	82
	12	13	0	24	10	52	70
	10	12	2	22	9	77	80
	10	12	2	22	8	60	68

Los Angeles Kings Stats - December 1, 2016
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	24	11	21	32	+8	2	17	72	15.3
Milan Lucic	24	5	20	25	+12	1	20	62	8.1
Jeff Carter	24	13	11	24	+3	1	25	84	15.5
Tyler Toffoli	24	11	11	22	0	1	8	66	16.7
Drew Doughty	24	1	16	17	+11	1	16	51	2.0
Jordan Staal	24	3	13	16	-6	0	6	39	7.7
Tanner Pearson	24	4	6	10	-2	0	6	24	16.7
Jake Muzzin	24	6	4	10	+8	0	21	68	8.8
Nathan Horton	24	5	3	8	0	0	12	37	13.5
Colton Parayko	21	4	3	7	-7	1	20	56	7.1
Jordan Nolan	24	3	3	6	-8	0	37	23	13.0
Brian Boyle	24	2	4	6	-3	0	24	42	4.8
Derek Forbort	24	3	2	5	-10	1	20	43	7.0
Dwight King	24	1	4	5	-11	1	16	34	2.9
Andy Andreoff	24	1	4	5	-8	0	22	25	4.0
Kyle Clifford	24	2	2	4	-8	0	19	21	9.5
Alec Martinez	24	1	3	4	-3	0	19	25	4.0
Matt Greene	24	1	2	3	-10	0	18	21	4.8
Brett Sutter	3	0	0	0	-1	0	0	5	0.0
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	20	8	8	2	2.91			.915	0
Peter Budaj	7	2	4	0	4.27			.859	0
Patrik Bartosak	1	1	0	0	2.00			.939	0

[Psyblast]

December 2016 Recap

Kings creep over .500
Defense & goaltending show signs of life as 2016 comes to an end

LOS ANGELES - Issued an ultimatum by management, Jonathan Quick responded the only way he knows how to under pressure: with excellence.

The Kings' resurgent goalie led LA to an 8-4-2 month of December, highlighted by shutout wins over division rivals Calgary and Vancouver. Though still 11 points back of the first place Flames in the Pacific Division, the Kings now sit in 4th place - and in playoff position at the moment - and only three backs behind the 2nd and 3rd place Ducks and Canucks.

In addition to Quick, the defense as a whole played much better in December, perhaps spurred by the shakeup of the pairings on the blueline, including the demotion of the struggling Alec Martinez to the 3rd line, while youngsters Colton Parayko and Derek Forbort were given opportunities to prove themselves. Up front, LA was hit with a few injuries, most notably to Brian Boyle and, unfortunately, Nathan Horton. The feel good story of last year's championship run, Horton's second year with the Kings has seen a dramatic dip in his production - only 11 points in 35 games - and now a return of the dreaded injury bug.

In spite of all the tumult, the Kings' special teams have been elite this year, featuring the league's second-best power play at 22.7%, and the #1 penalty kill in the NHL at a sterling 88.9%.

Los Angeles Kings December 2016 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Dec 1	at Chicago	Lost, 2-0
Dec 5	vs Vancouver	Won, 4-3 (OT)
Dec 7	at Vancouver	Lost, 3-2
Dec 8	at Arizona	Won, 3-2
Dec 10	vs Arizona	Lost, 3-0
Dec 12	vs Philadelphia	Won, 4-1
Dec 14	at Calgary	Lost, 4-3 (SO)
Dec 16	at Vancouver	Lost, 3-2 (SO)
Dec 19	vs Minnesota	Lost, 3-2
Dec 21	vs Calgary	Won, 2-0
Dec 25	at Edmonton	Won, 2-1 (OT)
Dec 28	vs San Jose	Won, 5-1
Dec 29	at Edmonton	Won, 2-0
Dec 31	at Dallas	Won, 4-3 (SO)

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	25	10	1	51	22	103	74
	20	12	3	43	19	103	90
	20	14	3	43	18	112	115
	18	16	4	40	16	111	107
	17	19	2	36	16	84	108
	16	18	4	36	14	106	110
	17	20	2	36	15	92	116

Los Angeles Kings Stats - January 1, 2017
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	38	18	28	46	+16	2	23	112	16.1
Tyler Toffoli	38	14	20	34	+4	1	10	96	14.6
Milan Lucic	38	7	24	31	+13	2	22	90	7.8
Jeff Carter	38	16	15	31	+7	1	25	130	12.3
Drew Doughty	38	2	26	28	+18	2	28	78	2.6
Jordan Staal	38	7	17	24	-1	2	26	65	10.8
Jake Muzzin	38	7	8	15	+10	0	29	109	6.4
Tanner Pearson	38	4	8	12	-3	0	12	39	10.3
Nathan Horton	35	5	6	11	0	0	23	53	9.4
Jordan Nolan	38	4	6	10	-9	0	43	32	12.5
Colton Parayko	35	4	5	9	-5	1	41	80	5.0
Derek Forbort	38	7	2	9	-1	3	33	67	10.5
Kyle Clifford	38	3	5	8	-6	1	52	29	10.3
Dwight King	38	4	4	8	-12	1	20	54	7.4
Andy Andreoff	38	2	5	7	-12	0	34	39	5.1
Brian Boyle	29	2	4	6	-5	0	30	50	4.0
Matt Greene	38	1	4	5	-10	0	34	35	2.9
Alec Martinez	38	2	3	5	-5	0	29	50	4.0
Brett Sutter	12	1	2	3	+1	0	12	12	8.3
Nick Shore	3	1	0	1	+2	0	6	5	20.0
Goalies	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	33	16	11	4	2.44			.925	2
Peter Budaj	7	2	4	0	4.27			.859	0
Patrik Bartosak	2	1	1	0	2.50			.924	0

[Psyblast]

January 2017 Recap

Quick takes command
The reigning Vezina Trophy winner rounds into form as LA surges in January

LOS ANGELES - There was never any panic in the Los Angeles front office. Some concern, yes. But never panic.

The Kings knew it was only a matter of time before Jonathan Quick found his mojo - that time was January, as the Kings rolled to a 8-3-1 mark, paced by four shutouts from Quick, and a stifling defense that surrendered 17 goals in 12 games. The Kings now sit in a second place tie with Vancouver in the Pacific Division, and are within shouting distance - six points - of the first place Calgary Flames.

In addition to Quick, the surge was led by who else but Anze Kopitar. The Kings' franchise skater is second in the NHL in points with 61 (22-39-61) through 50 games; following him is Tyler Toffoli (17-26-43), Jeff Carter (20-21-41), and Milan Lucic (12-28-40). Toffoli has continued to blossom into a top line player; on pace to set a career high in offensive numbers, the restricted free agent will command a big raise in the offseason.

Also "demanding" a big raise this offseason will be defenseman Derek Forbort - and the Kings are not likely to give it to him. Even when given the opportunity to play with Drew Doughty on the Kings' top defense pairing, the 2010 1st round pick simply has not produced; 7 goals and two assists for nine total points in 50 games. Word from his agent is that Forbort will still want a contract in the neighborhood of four million dollars per year this summer - a number Los Angeles simply will not give. The Kings could dangle him as trade bait, either after the season, or perhaps more enticingly, in the leadup to this season's trade deadline.

In terms of what they may look for on the trade market, the Kings have real concerns about Brian Boyle's health down the stretch. Boyle, who was acquired to replace the departed Jarret Stoll as LA's 3rd line center, has 7 points (2-5-7) in 33 games, and has missed 17 games with various injuries, including a broken nose and, more significantly, a concussion. With some of the contracts due up in the summer, it is unlikely the Kings look for a player with a big cap hit and/or multiple years left on a contract, but an expiring deal could be very enticing, especially considering the wiggle room the Kings have under the cap for the current season.

Los Angeles Kings January 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Jan 2	vs New York Rangers	Won, 7-1
Jan 4	vs Florida	Won, 4-1
Jan 7	vs Colorado	Lost, 2-1
Jan 9	vs Montreal	Lost, 2-1 (SO)
Jan 11	at Winnipeg	Won, 2-0
Jan 13	at Toronto	Lost, 3-2
Jan 15	at Montreal	Won, 4-0
Jan 18	at Carolina	Won, 5-0
Jan 25	vs Nashville	Won, 3-0
Jan 27	vs Detroit	Lost, 4-2
Jan 29	at Edmonton	Won, 4-3
Jan 31	at Vancouver	Won, 2-1 (SO)

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	30	16	3	63	27	135	107
	26	19	5	57	24	152	154
	26	19	5	57	23	147	123
	25	18	4	54	24	138	120
	23	21	4	50	20	142	139
	23	24	2	48	18	112	141
	20	26	3	43	18	115	150

Los Angeles Kings Stats - February 1, 2017
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	50	22	39	61	+24	2	35	133	16.5
Tyler Toffoli	50	17	26	43	+9	1	10	128	13.3
Jeff Carter	50	20	21	41	+13	2	27	158	12.7
Milan Lucic	50	12	28	40	+19	3	24	125	9.6
Drew Doughty	50	2	37	39	+28	2	40	113	1.8
Jordan Staal	50	12	19	31	+7	2	36	84	14.3
Jake Muzzin	50	8	14	22	+16	0	39	132	6.1
Tanner Pearson	50	7	10	17	0	1	14	57	12.3
Nathan Horton	42	7	7	14	+2	1	25	71	9.9
Jordan Nolan	50	5	7	12	-8	0	45	40	12.5
Kyle Clifford	50	5	7	12	0	2	67	43	11.6
Dwight King	50	6	5	11	-5	2	26	69	8.7
Colton Parayko	47	6	5	11	+1	2	54	97	6.2
Derek Forbort	50	7	2	9	+5	3	39	79	8.9
Andy Andreoff	46	3	6	9	-10	0	40	48	6.3
Alec Martinez	50	3	5	8	+2	0	33	70	4.3
Brian Boyle	33	2	5	7	-4	0	32	58	3.5
Matt Greene	50	1	4	5	-8	0	36	52	1.9
Brett Sutter	17	1	4	5	+1	0	20	18	5.6
Nick Shore	15	1	2	3	+2	0	12	17	5.9
Goalies	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	45	24	14	5	2.16			.932	6
Peter Budaj	7	2	4	0	4.27			.859	0
Patrik Bartosak	2	1	1	0	1.90			.944	0

[Psyblast]

February 2017 Recap

The Champions surge
Red-hot Kings close in on Calgary as February turns to March

LOS ANGELES - Two months ago, the talk was all about how the defending Stanley Cup Champions were going to have to scrape and claw just to get into the playoffs.

Now the Los Angeles Kings are breathing down the necks of the Calgary Flames, who have held the lead in the Pacific Division almost all season, thanks to another spectacular month. After going 8-3-1 in January, the Kings followed it up with an 8-4-0 record in February, bringing them into a statistical tie with Calgary atop the Pacific; both teams have identical 34-23-5 records, but Calgary is technically in first as a result of having 30 wins in regulation or overtime, compared to 29 for Los Angeles.

The remarkable turnaround has been led by Jonathan Quick and the suddenly still-elite Kings defense, which now ranks 5th in the NHL in goals allowed, along with devastating special teams: the LA power play is 8th in the league, and they still boast the league's #1 penalty kill at 87.9%.

Now that the existential threat of possibly missing the postseason has (hopefully) passed, the Kings are turning their attention to the trade deadline, which is 48 hours away. Brian Boyle stayed relatively healthy in February, but sources in the LA front office say there is still uneasiness about his durability for the stretch run and the postseason. The same source says Los Angeles would still like to explore the possibility of adding a center to play behind Anze Kopitar and Jordan Staal, with the usual tradition of teams being out of contention putting out feelers for any assets contending teams might be interested in.

Los Angeles Kings February 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Feb 2	vs Washington	Won, 3-2
Feb 5	at Boston	Won, 5-1
Feb 7	at New York Islanders	Lost, 1-0
Feb 8	at New York Rangers	Won, 5-0
Feb 10	at Ottawa	Won, 4-2
Feb 12	at Tampa Bay	Won, 2-1 (SO)
Feb 14	at Chicago	Lost, 4-1
Feb 16	vs Buffalo	Lost, 5-2
Feb 18	vs Nashville	Won, 2-1
Feb 19	vs Arizona	Won, 3-2 (SO)
Feb 22	at Nashville	Won, 5-1
Feb 26	vs Winnipeg	Lost, 4-1

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	34	23	5	73	30	167	140
	34	23	5	73	29	178	147
	32	24	7	71	29	183	183
	31	26	4	66	28	186	174
	28	26	7	63	27	167	166
	27	29	4	58	22	148	173
	25	33	5	55	23	150	190

Los Angeles Kings Stats - March 1, 2017
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	62	22	48	70	+27	2	50	162	13.6
Jeff Carter	62	26	25	51	+16	3	29	193	13.5
Drew Doughty	62	5	44	49	+34	3	46	153	3.3
Tyler Toffoli	62	19	29	48	+13	1	10	149	12.8
Milan Lucic	62	15	31	46	+21	3	35	156	9.6
Jordan Staal	62	14	25	39	+10	3	46	104	13.5
Jake Muzzin	62	10	17	27	+18	0	41	159	6.3
Tanner Pearson	62	9	14	23	+5	1	16	70	12.9
Nathan Horton	54	12	9	21	+9	2	40	98	12.2
Dwight King	62	8	7	15	-2	2	26	83	9.6
Kyle Clifford	62	5	8	13	+1	2	89	56	8.9
Brian Boyle	44	4	9	13	+1	1	46	81	4.9
Colton Parayko	59	6	7	13	+4	2	61	120	5.0
Jordan Nolan	62	6	7	13	-8	0	56	53	11.3
Alec Martinez	62	4	7	11	+7	1	43	87	4.6
Andy Andreoff	47	3	7	10	-9	0	40	50	6.0
Derek Forbort	62	7	2	9	+10	3	54	89	7.9
Matt Greene	62	1	5	6	-3	0	44	62	1.6
Brett Sutter	17	1	4	5	+1	0	20	18	5.6
Nick Shore	27	1	2	3	+3	0	16	25	4.0
Goalies	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	55	30	18	5	2.14			.931	6
Peter Budaj	7	2	4	0	4.27			.859	0
Patrik Bartosak	5	3	1	0	1.58			.955	1

[Psyblast]

LA is all in on repeating in 2017
Hanzal & Merrill prep the Kings for the stretch run

March 2, 2017

LOS ANGELES - As a general rule, Kings GM Brian Kudron does not like to make trades with division rivals. But in this case, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Less than 24 hours after the last place Coyotes put the word out that center Martin Hanzal was on the trade block, the Kings had closed the deal with their Pacific rivals, acquiring the 30-year old Czech from Arizona in exchange for defenseman Derek Forbort and Los Angeles's 2nd round pick in 2018.

Hanzal is another burly forward who fits what the Kings do to a tee, with the added benefit of doing it right under the Kings' noses for years now, giving them an up close and personal look at what they're getting. At 6'6, 226 pounds, Hanzal is an excellent two-way forward, showing as much vigor and awareness in his own zone as he does on offense. Additionally, he is an outstanding faceoff man, winning 58% of his draws for the Coyotes this year. After years of battling injuries in the desert, Hanzal has put together back to back outstanding years with Arizona: last season, in 81 games, he had 21 goals and 24 assists, for 45 points, a career high. He has followed that up this year with 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 63 games.

The one downside for Los Angeles is that he is almost assuredly a rental player. In the final year of his contract, Hanzal is making $3.66 million dollars this season, and is likely to command a significant raise in his pay this summer, which will likely exclude the Kings from the bidding. On the other hand, Hanzal would not be likely to accept a 3rd line center role anyway, so the temporary marriage may just be worth it, if it helps the Kings repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. Additionally, Forbort, the player the Kings traded to Arizona, was also not likely to sign with LA this summer. The Kings gave him every opportunity to prove himself, including extended periods of time playing next to Drew Doughty on the top defense pairing. Simply put, he did not perform well enough to justify the four million dollars he's going to ask for in June and July.

To replace Forbort on the blueline, the Kings made another trade with a team well out of playoff contention, the New Jersey Devils. With Tanner Pearson being another player likely to ask for too-big-of-a-raise this summer, the Kings opted to move him now, trading the talented young winger to New Jersey in exchange for defenseman Jon Merrill and New Jersey's 3rd round pick in this year's Draft. Merrill, a 25-year old, 6'3, 205-pounder out of the University of Michigan, was New Jersey's 2nd round pick in 2010. While his offensive game is underwhelming - he has three points (1 G, 2 A) in 61 games this year, and 33 points (6 G, 27 A) in 237 career games - the Kings like his defensive play and his size/physicality combination, and his very friendly contract - two years left after this season at $2.755M per year - Merrill should fit in well replacing Forbort on the Kings' third defense pairing.

What also made it easier to trade Pearson is the upcoming NHL debut of the top prospect in the Kings' system: speedy winger Adrian Kempe. Drafted 29th overall in 2014 by Los Angeles, the 6'1, 187-pound Kempe has shown deadly skill with the Kings' AHL affiliate in Ontario: 35 points (4 G, 31 A) in 65 games last season, and 39 points (11 G, 28 A) in 48 games this year. The 20-year old Swede has one year left on his entry level deal after this season, and the Kings believe it's time for him to put his blazing speed to use at the NHL level. Following the tradition of other recent Kings' prospects, Kempe will wear a number in the 70s - #79, to be exact - while flanking Martin Hanzal (who will wear the unconventional #88) on LA's 3rd line.

[Psyblast]

March/April 2017 Recap

From postseason peril to Presidents' Trophy winners
Los Angeles enters the 2017 playoffs the prohibitive favorite to repeat as champions

LOS ANGELES - At the turn of the new year, they were very much a question mark for the playoffs.

Now, as the postseason begins, the Kings are the hottest team in hockey, and the #1 overall seed in the tournament.

Los Angeles followed up their 8-3-1 January and 8-4-0 February with a 15-4-1 March and April, giving them a 31-7-2 record in 2017; a white-hot streak that not only ousted long-time leader Calgary for the Pacific Division title, but also stole the Presidents' Trophy as regular season champions with 104 points.

Anze Kopitar may not have done enough to wrestle the Hart Trophy from Sidney Crosby, but he repeated his 2015-16 campaign with another 90-point season, the 10th straight year he's led the Kings in scoring. Jeff Carter followed up his 44-goal campaign of a year ago with a team-leading 38 this season, while Drew Doughty seems likely to repeat as Norris Trophy winner after a spectacular 60 assists on the season. 24-year old Tyler Toffoli also increased his production, making the jump from 48 points (17-31-48) in 2015-16 to a stellar 65 (24-41-65) this season, setting the stage for a big payday this summer.

Martin Hanzal, meanwhile, fit in splendidly on the 3rd line since being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes. In 19 games with Los Angeles, the 6'6 Czech registered 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists). The young phenom from Sweden who flanked Hanzal on the 3rd line, Adrian Kempe, put up 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in those same 19 games.

On the blueline, after Drew Doughty's elite season, the Kings got outstanding production from Jake Muzzin, who set a personal best in goals (17) and equaled his career high in points (42), matching his total from last year. Colton Parayko, the 23-year old acquired from St. Louis last year, showed dramatic improvements after a mediocre rookie season with the Blues last season. In 79 games, Parayko scored 10 goals (compared to 4 last year) and registered 11 assists (2 last year) for 21 points (6 last year), while improving his +/- from -7 last season to +21 this year. He is a restricted free agent this summer, and Los Angeles very much wants to lock him up. On a bit of a disappointing note, however, was Alec Martinez. While not renowned for his offensive skill like Doughty and Muzzin, the scorer of the golden goal from the 2014 Stanley Cup Final put up just 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in 82 games this year, another drop in production after just 19 points last season and 22 the year before that. For the four million dollars he's making for the next four years after this, the Kings were hoping for more production.

But ultimately, the story of the Los Angeles Kings begins and ends with their MVP, goaltender Jonathan Quick. The main culprit behind LA's slow start this year (by his own admission), Quick blossomed to have perhaps his best season yet, registering a career-high 44 wins to go with an elite 2.09 GAA and .932 save percentage, to go with a spectacular 11 shutouts. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner will be among the favorites to take home the award as the NHL's top goalie once again.

Now, LA's focus turns to the playoffs, where, as the #1 seed, they will open the postseason tomorrow night at Staples Center against the 8th-seeded Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are led by an explosive young nucleus of Matt Duchene (17 G, 47 A, 64 points), Nathan MacKinnon (18-42-60), Gabriel Landeskog (23-33-56), and Mikhail Grigorenko (21-29-50), and the steady presence of Semyon Varlamov between the pipes.

Elsewhere in the West, Central Division champion Nashville will welcome the Winnipeg Jets back to the playoffs, while St. Louis and Dallas meet in the other half of that side of the bracket. In the Pacific, an old western Canadian rivalry is renewed as the Flames and Canucks will start their series in Calgary.

In the East, Metropolitan Champion Philadelphia hosts Columbus, while the Pittsburgh Penguins meet the New York Rangers for the fourth season in a row. Meanwhile, Atlantic champs Detroit will host the Florida Panthers, while the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens renew their ancient rivalry once again.

The defending Stanley Cup Champions now cruise into the playoffs as the #1 seed and prepare to host the 8th-seeded Colorado Avalanche

Los Angeles Kings Stats - 2016-17
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Anze Kopitar	82	26	64	90	+42	2	62	209	12.4
Jeff Carter	82	38	33	71	+33	5	37	279	13.6
Drew Doughty	82	6	60	66	+51	4	62	196	3.1
Tyler Toffoli	82	24	41	65	+26	3	14	202	11.9
Martin Hanzal	82	24	34	58	-12	1	38	205	11.7
Jordan Staal	82	21	37	58	+23	4	64	145	14.5
Milan Lucic	82	19	37	56	+30	4	44	193	9.8
Jake Muzzin	82	17	25	42	+32	2	47	206	8.3
Nathan Horton	74	14	16	30	+20	3	44	120	11.7
Dwight King	82	11	13	24	+4	2	46	102	10.8
Kyle Clifford	82	8	14	22	+3	2	102	78	10.3
Colton Parayko	79	10	11	21	+21	5	83	167	6.0
Brian Boyle	64	7	14	21	+5	1	50	102	6.9
Jordan Nolan	82	10	10	20	-7	0	67	72	13.9
Alec Martinez	82	7	9	16	+25	2	57	119	5.9
Adrian Kempe	19	4	7	11	+4	0	6	30	13.3
Andy Andreoff	47	3	7	10	-9	0	40	50	6.0
Matt Greene	82	1	6	7	-3	0	52	82	1.2
Jon Merrill	80	1	4	5	-5	0	44	87	1.2
Brett Sutter	17	1	4	5	+1	0	20	18	5.6
Goalies	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jonathan Quick	74	44	22	6	2.09			.932	11
Peter Budaj	7	2	4	0	4.27			.859	0
Patrik Bartosak	6	4	1	0	1.65			.950	1

Final Record: 49-27-6, 104 points
Goals For: 252 (1st)
Goals Against: 187 (2nd)
Power Play: 19.1% (6th)
Penalty Kill: 87.2% (1st)
Home Record: 26-13-2
Road Record: 23-14-4

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Western Conference Recap

Pacific Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	49	27	6	104	44	252	187
	48	28	6	102	42	222	182
	43	29	10	96	39	241	240
	40	36	6	86	37	238	235
	37	38	7	81	35	214	214
	35	41	6	76	29	199	246
	34	40	8	76	29	190	242

Central Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	47	28	7	101	42	231	190
	46	30	6	98	36	235	216
	43	28	11	97	36	235	228
	42	33	7	91	38	223	223
	41	33	8	90	35	207	206
	40	32	10	90	35	240	241
	39	31	12	90	32	221	219

Western Conference Leaders

Western Conference Skaters - 2016/2017
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Radim Vrbata	40		1. Anze Kopitar	64
	2. Jeff Carter	38		2. Drew Doughty	60
	3. Corey Perry	38		3. Ryan Getzlaf	57
	4. Tyler Seguin	38		4. Oliver Ekman-Larsson	53
	5. Patrick Kane	36		5. Radim Vrbata	52
Points		P	Power Play Goals		PPG
	1. Radim Vrbata	92		1. Radim Vrbata	14
	2. Anze Kopitar	90		2. Jeff Carter	13
	3. Tyler Seguin	89		3. Thomas Vanek	13
	4. Jamie Benn	88		4. Three tied	12
	5. Patrick Kane	86		5.
Game Winning Goals		GWG	Time on Ice		TOI
	1. Craig Smith	9		1. Roman Josi	27:02
	2. Thomas Vanek	7		2. Shea Weber	26:45
	3. Six tied	6		3. John Klingberg	26:42
	4.			4. Duncan Keith	26:35
	5.			5. Drew Doughty	26:18
Hits		H	Faceoff Percentage		FO%
	1. Ryan Suter	228		1. Jordan Staal	59.8
	2. Dan Hamhuis	214		2. Anze Kopitar	59.7
	3. Shea Weber	214		3. Martin Hanzal	57.8
	4. Mark Giordano	213		4. Paul Stastny	57.6
	5. Jordie Benn	206		5. Ryan Getzlaf	57.5

Western Conference Goaltenders - 2016/2017
Wins		W	Goals Against Average		GAA
	1. Jonathan Quick	44		1. Jonathan Quick	2.09
	2. Pekka Rinne	41		2. Karri Ramo	2.16
	3. Karri Ramo	39		3. Pekka Rinne	2.19
	4. Kari Lehtonen	37		4. Semyon Varlamov	2.34
	5. Three tied	35		5. Jake Allen	2.38
Save Percentage		SV%	Shots Against		SA
	1. Jonathan Quick	.932		1. Jonathan Quick	2204
	2. Karri Ramo	.927		2. Corey Crawford	2165
	3. Pekka Rinne	.925		3. Cam Talbot	2045
	4. Semyon Varlamov	.925		4. Ryan Miller	2043
	5. John Gibson	.919		5. Pekka Rinne	2023
Shutouts		SO	Minutes Played		MIN
	1. Jonathan Quick	11		1. Jonathan Quick	4310
	2. Karri Ramo	8		2. Pekka Rinne	4141
	3. John Gibson	8		3. Corey Crawford	4114
	4. Pekka Rinne	7		4. Kari Lehtonen	4111
	5. Kari Lehtonen	6		5. Cam Talbot	4012

Eastern Conference Recap

Atlantic Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	48	27	7	103	42	238	212
	47	31	4	98	37	209	203
	43	33	6	92	37	217	214
	41	33	8	90	36	207	211
	42	34	6	90	35	220	204
	39	33	10	88	36	211	213
	38	32	12	88	35	215	226
	36	37	9	81	31	202	241

Metropolitan Division Standings

Team	W	L	OTL	PTS	ROW	GF	GA
	45	25	12	102	35	229	223
	47	30	5	99	43	239	195
	43	30	9	95	38	247	231
	42	31	9	93	42	203	190
	36	39	7	79	34	207	234
	37	41	4	78	29	224	256
	36	42	4	76	31	212	225
	26	45	11	63	24	181	262

Eastern Conference Leaders

Eastern Conference Skaters - 2016/2017
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. John Tavares	49		1. Mats Zuccarello	58
	2. Alex Ovechkin	47		2. Kyle Okposo	58
	3. Sidney Crosby	45		3. Nicklas Backstrom	57
	4. Steven Stamkos	39		4. Sidney Crosby	55
	5. Rick Nash	36		5. Derek Stepan	55
Points		P	Power Play Goals		PPG
	1. Sidney Crosby	100		1. Steven Stamkos	20
	2. John Tavares	99		2. John Tavares	15
	3. Mats Zuccarello	79		3. Jonathan Drouin	14
	4. Kyle Okposo	77		4. Four tied	12
	5. Four tied	74		5.
Game Winning Goals		GWG	Time on Ice		TOI
	1. Alex Ovechkin	9		1. P.K. Subban	26:48
	2. Patrice Bergeron	8		2. Ryan McDonagh	26:09
	3. Max Pacioretty	8		3. Matt Niskanen	26:07
	4. Scott Hartnell	8		4. Michael Del Zotto	25:59
	5. Five tied	7		5. Victor Hedman	25:56
Hits		H	Faceoff Percentage		FO%
	1. Dennis Seidenberg	251		1. Patrice Bergeron	59.6
	2. Jeff Petry	221		2. Travis Zajac	57.5
	3. Marc Staal	210		3. Claude Giroux	56.9
	4. P.K. Subban	205		4. Mike Richards	56.1
	5. Victor Hedman	203		5. Jay Beagle	55.5

Eastern Conference Goaltenders - 2016/2017
Wins		W	Goals Against Average		GAA
	1. Marc-Andre Fleury	40		1. Marc-Andre Fleury	2.12
	2. Carey Price	39		2. Sergei Bobrovsky	2.20
	3. Al Montoya	38		3. Craig Anderson	2.23
	4. Henrik Lundqvist	38		4. Carey Price	2.27
	5. Steve Mason	37		5. Al Montoya	2.34
Save Percentage		SV%	Shots Against		SA
	1. Sergei Bobrovsky	.929		1. Al Montoya	2092
	2. Marc-Andre Fleury	.927		2. Steve Mason	2055
	3. Carey Price	.924		3. Sergei Bobrovsky	2000
	4. Craig Anderson	.924		4. Cory Schneider	1982
	5. Two tied	.922		5. Tuukka Rask	1977
Shutouts		SO	Minutes Played		MIN
	1. Marc-Andre Fleury	8		1. Al Montoya	4173
	2. Sergei Bobrovsky	8		2. Tuukka Rask	3931
	3. Jaroslav Halak	8		3. Henrik Lundqvist	3925
	4. Four tied	7		4. Steve Mason	3915
	5.			5. Marc-Andre Fleury	3904

[Psyblast]

Western Conference Quarterfinal - Game 1

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

Kings lead series, 1-0

Defense delivers offense for LA in Game 1
Three points for Parayko, two for Muzzin as the Kings take the first from Colorado


Kopitar tucked in the GWG early in the 3rd period

Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings
March 13, 2017 1 2 3 F 0 2 0 2 2 0 1 3 Three Stars Colton Parayko, D 1 G, 2 A, 1 hit Anze Kopitar, C 1 G, 1 A Jake Muzzin, D 1 G, 1 A	Team Stats Comparison Shots on Goal 19 25 Hits 14 19 Faceoffs Won-Lost 12 24 Penalty Minutes 6:00 0:00 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 0 3 Time on Attack 4:31 10:20
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD Parayko, 1 (Kopitar), 5:38 Muzzin, 1 (Parayko, Staal) (PP), 9:07 SECOND PERIOD Duchene, 1 (Gormley, Gelinas), 11:26 Landeskog, 1 (Duchene, Grigorenko), 14:06 THIRD PERIOD Kopitar, 1 (Parayko, Muzzin), 1:57