Saturday night is set to bring us another preview of playoff hockey with the Vancouver Canucks closing out their road trip in Los Angeles against the Kings.
The Canucks and Kings are both holding down a playoff position in the Pacific Division and this will be the fourth and final matchup of the season between the two West Coast clubs.
The Kings have won two of the three games played this season and the Canucks are looking to even the season series with a win in their sixth-last game of the regular season.
Following a three-game losing streak, the Kings have reeled off two wins in a row and are in the final game of three in the last four days.
Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe are tied for the team lead with 68 points. Kempe is playing alongside Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar on the Kings’ first line which has been outstanding since they were formed as a trio.
The Kings’ top line has been on the ice for 30 goals scored and only 15 against in their 603 minutes of five-on-five play. They have also had a 54.4% control of Corsi and a 52.4% control of scoring chances.
Byfield, the former second-overall pick and now 21-year-old is having a career year and is up to 19 goals and 34 assists for 53 points in 74 games played.
And for the fourth and last time this season in our Kings previews, we must mention Drew Doughty and his ice time. The 34-year-old defenceman is leading the league by averaging 25:50 per game. He is now up to 14 goals and 32 assists this season. Doughty has played in all 76 games this season and will skate alongside Mikey Anderson on the top pairing and see time on both special teams units.
Quick Hits on the Competition:
- Cam Talbot has been the lead between the pipes and boasts a 24-18-6 record with a 0.915% save percentage along with three shutouts.
- The Kings have the 13th-ranked power play in the league and are clicking at 22.1% through 76 games.
- Their leading power play producer is Kevin Fiala, who has 10 goals and 19 assists on the man-advantage.
- On the other end of special teams, the Kings have the second-best penalty kill in the league with an 84.6% conversion rate.
- Blake Lizotte, Trevor Moore, and Adrian Kempe each have a pair of shorthanded goals.
The Canucks are looking to continue to ramp their game up as the regular season is fast approaching its conclusion. With just six games left, the team wants to focus on their shifts being timed correctly, their breakouts clean, and ironing out their system and structure.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet continues to experiment with some different line combinations that may be needed during a playoff run and the club even went with 11 forwards and seven defencemen in their game against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday.
With a seven-point lead in the Pacific Division, the Canucks are feeling good about where they are in the standings but need to continue to focus on preparing themselves for playoff hockey.
Saturday night’s game is a great test for the Canucks, who fell behind in their March 25th meeting and were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game. The Kings play to their structure and the Canucks will need to focus on sticking to their game and not changing to fit the opponent.
J.T. Miller is now up to 35 goals on the season and continues to battle every night with a focus on preparing himself and his teammates for the intense hockey that is coming for them when the playoffs begin.
Quinn Hughes has three goals in his last two games and is now up to 16 on the season and has jumped into second place on the Canucks for points with 86 through 76 games.
The regular season may be in the final stage, but this year is far from over and a heavy focus is on how the Canucks can iron out playing their game and focusing on themselves as the regular season concludes.
Top Performers over Last Five:
Quinn Hughes: 3g-3a-6p
J.T. Miller: 1g-5a-6p
Conor Garland: 1g-3a-4p
Brock Boeser: 2g-1a-3p
Dakota Joshua: 2g-0a-2p
Saturday’s game is a 7:00 pm PT start time and can be viewed on Hockey Night in Canada or listened to on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
