LOS ANGELES –– The Kings had both their best period and their best individual performance of the year from Alex Laferriere on Saturday.
On Monday, they might very well need that and more as they travel to Denver to face the NHL-pacing Colorado Avalanche.
The Kings scored 10 goals in consecutive wins before receding into a stretch with six losses in seven games, during which they only managed 11 goals. After scoring half a dozen against the Ducks on Saturday, they’ll have to confront a Colorado club that has just two regulation losses this season, five fewer than any other team and 10 fewer than the Kings.
“We’ll go in and play what is the best team in the league, right? So, if you want to build on something, go in and beat the best team in the league in their building. That’s a big challenge,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said.
“I think you get a game like (Saturday’s) and you feel a little bit better about yourself, you go in there in the right frame of mind and see if you can’t get that done,” he continued. “We haven’t had a chance this year to really string five or six (wins) in a row, and I’ve always felt like we could, and that we’re going to. Maybe this is the start.”
Much as building momentum off Saturday’s win could be a challenge for the Kings as a team –– after Colorado, they’ll face Tampa Bay and surging Minnesota twice –– turning the page for Quinton Byfield could prove daunting as well. He recorded a point for the first time in 11 games and a goal for the first instance in 18 matches on Saturday. That same evening, Tim Stützle’s tally brought his totals to eight goals and 17 points in 12 December games, while Byfield’s two points represented his first production of the month. In their careers, 2020’s No. 2 overall pick has posted 163 points, while the third overall selection has 366 for the Ottawa Senators.
Saturday, the Kings put up four goals in a period for the first time since last season when they scored four against San Jose on March 30. They effectively rode those 20 minutes to victory, though Laferriere spiced up the third period by completing his first career hat trick.
Two of Laferriere’s goals came off plays from below the goal line and he nearly scored on another opportunity originating there. More play low in the zone and extended cycles, as well as well offensive contributions from defensemen, unlocked levels for what had been an impotent offense.
“You want to create as much o-zone time as you can and just kind of make something happen off of that,” captain Anže Kopitar said. “I thought we were attacking the net pretty well and that’s why all those maybe a little prettier plays open up like that.”
The Avs have made plenty of pretty plays this season, with Nathan MacKinnon threatening to go wire-to-wire as the league leader in scoring until a recent push from Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. On the blue line, Cale Makar tops all NHL defensemen in points.
Darcy Kuemper, who won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 and was a Vezina Trophy finalist for the Kings last season, sounded as though he would not be ready to return (upper-body) on Monday. He was hit in the head by another former Colorado star, Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen, on Dec. 15.
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