There’s a lot of talk in the NHL about peaking at the right time. The Los Angeles Kings are doing just that these days.
A month before the end of the regular season, the Kings show great hockey. They are 5-0-1 in March and have a dominant 60.47% of expected goals in a five-on-five game during that stretch, according to the Natural Stat Trick.
The most encouraging aspect was the goalkeeper. Los Angeles played well for most of the season, but poor goaltending kept the team from getting the results it deserved. Over the past couple of weeks, Phoenix Copley and Joonas Korpisalo have provided some stability in that position, and the Kings are suddenly looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the West.
While the Kings are making a name for themselves in the Western Conference, here’s an updated NHL strength ranking.
Biggest driving forces
4
Stars
6
Senators
|
Rk
|
Teams
|
Change
|
Rcrd
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Bruins |
On Saturday, the Bruins made NHL history by scoring 50 wins faster than any other team in league history. Some will argue that this ridiculous regular season will only increase the pressure on Boston in the first round of the playoffs, but when the playoffs come, there will be plenty of time to think about it. For now, fans just need to enjoy this historic ride. |
— |
50-11-5 |
|
2 |
Devils |
Dougie Hamilton has come under some criticism for a poor year in 2021-22, but he’s bounced back with a vengeance this season. Hamilton set a career high for goals (18) and set a new record for assists (45) and points (63). He did it all by posting a 24-goal difference in a five-on-five game, according to the Natural Stat Trick. |
1 |
44-17-6 |
|
3 |
Hurricanes |
Carolina can’t stop chasing the Stanley Cup. After losing to Max Pacioretti due to an Achilles injury early in the season, star forward Andrey Svechnikov suffered a knee injury late in the season. The Hurricanes will still be a formidable opponent in the playoffs, but it will be very difficult to replace Svechnikov on offense. |
1 |
44-14-8 |
|
4 |
kings |
It’s an incredibly small sample, but the Kings’ goaltending has improved markedly in March. Over five games, Joonas Korpisalo and Phoenix Copley have combined 4.79 goals above average. That’s a hopeful sign, and if this Kings team gets a solid goalie in the playoffs, they could win the Western Conference. |
3 |
39-20-9 |
|
5 |
Wild |
With Kirill Kaprizov out of action for three to four weeks with a lower body injury, the Wild’s offense will be put to the test. Even with Kaprizov in the lineup, the Minnesota forwards struggled to score goals. The rest of the squad should catch up as Kaprizov and his 39 goals are shelved for the near future. |
1 |
38-21-8 |
|
6 |
Stars |
On Thursday night, nine different stars scored for the 10th-seeded Sabres. Dallas has been criticized in recent years for lacking offensive depth, but those concerns are likely to fade if the team continues to post double-digit results. |
4 |
37-18-13 |
|
7 |
Maple leaves |
Scored in each of the last two games, William Nylander scored 35 goals in a season, a new career high. Nylander plays at an elite level and is one of the funniest players in the NHL and a pleasure to watch because he never gets bored on the ice. As much as Nylander creates offensively, he can come back a bit defensively, which is an exciting combination. |
1 |
40-18-8 |
|
8 |
golden knights |
Jonathan Quick locked out the Hurricanes in his third start with the Golden Knights, stopping all 33 shots he faced. Quick starts 4-0 in Vegas and he helped them win a couple of games that the team lost. It will be interesting if he continues like this long enough to get revenge on the Kings in the playoffs. |
3 |
42-20-6 |
|
9 |
Avalanche |
Avalanche’s training room starts to fill up. Forward Arturi Lehkonen broke his thumb during Monday night’s victory over the Canadiens and will be out for four to six weeks. Colorado has been incredibly unlucky with injuries this season, and yet the team is still capable of earning home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. |
— |
37-22-6 |
|
10 |
oilers |
Matthias Ekholm’s first results were exceptional. Ekholm has only played seven games in his Oilers uniform, but the team has a goal difference of plus 9 and an expected goals ratio of 59.51% when he’s on the ice in a five-on-five game. Edmonton is much more impressive with Ekholm as the No. 1 guard. |
1 |
37-23-8 |
|
eleven |
Rangers |
The Rangers’ five-on-five game has been lagging lately, and this has led to some poor scores. Over the past month, the Rangers have been ranked 20th in five-on-five expected goals (47.26%). This type of number worked last season when Igor Shesterkin had an out-of-body experience, but this year it wasn’t always the case. |
3 |
38-19-10 |
|
12 |
Panthers |
One of the main reasons the Panthers have been able to move up the Eastern Conference standings is because Alexander Barkov has started heating up again. Barkov has six points in his last four games and he needs to keep that level if Florida is going to rise above the line by the end of the regular season. |
3 |
33-27-7 |
|
13 |
kraken |
Seattle has lost three games in a row and is now only one point ahead of the Oilers in the Pacific Division standings. To make matters worse, the absence of the Kraken’s goalie rears its head again. Last month, Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer teamed up to score 6.54 above average goals per Natural Stat trick. |
1 |
37-23-7 |
|
14 |
islanders |
After a strong start with the Islanders, Bo Horvath cooled off a bit. Croatia has just one assist in their last six games, which is bad news for a team from the Islands who are still fighting for their lives in the playoffs. Ilya Sorokin is more than good enough to make up for some hurtful shortcomings, but Croatian… |
Source: www.cbssports.com
