NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Kings are having a blast.
It's fun when a team is on a six-game winning streak, the longest active in the NHL and its first since going 7-0-0 from Oct. 30 to Nov. 11, 2021. But if going for seven in a row against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNW, MSG), a record of 17-8-3 and two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Pacific Division gives the impression the Kings are content, think again.
Their approach is methodical, studying what's going right and wrong. A season-long seven-game, 15-day road trip that began with a 3-1 victory at the New York Islanders on Tuesday was a microcosm of what's working and the threat that prosperity could be fleeting. Even after outshooting New York 12-3 in the first period and leading 2-0 on Kevin Fiala's goal at 3:09 of the second period, six in a row wasn't assured until Mikey Anderson's empty-net goal at 19:46 of the third.
That meant practice in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday, and likely more work in the film room.
"It's important to know what you're doing [well]," goalie Darcy Kuemper said one day after making 19 saves. "The coaches do a good job of short video, like, ‘Hey, we're winning, but there's still things that we can do better,’ focusing on the process of how's our game look rather than waiting for it to get too far gone. And then all of a sudden, ‘Oh, why are we losing a couple in a row?’
“That's how you continue to win consecutive games, is that you don't just think just because you won, it was a perfect game."
Los Angeles visits the New York Rangers on Saturday, then goes to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Nashville and Washington before the Christmas break. Every opponent except the Nashville Predators (7-16-6) is currently in or is near a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Such a challenge, Kuemper said, makes it twice as fun, especially away from home, where the Kings are 7-6-2 compared to 10-2-1 at Crypto.com Arena.
"It proves to ourselves we're one of those top teams too," Kuemper said. "There's some more challenging teams coming up. It's just another test for us and we're excited for it."
Recent history and the Kings not traveling beyond the Central Time Zone should help understand why this is a cautionary tale. They started last season 16-4-3, had a .750 points percentage that was tied with the Boston Bruins for best in the NHL on Dec. 9 and were 20-7-4 on Dec. 27 before going 0-4-4 and 3-8-6 that led to the firing of coach Todd McLellan on Feb. 2. Jim Hiller was elevated from assistant and Los Angeles finished 21-12-1, but for the third consecutive season was eliminated in the Western Conference First Round by the Edmonton Oilers, losing the best-of-7 series in five games.
Kuemper was playing for the Washington Capitals. Quinton Byfield was putting together NHL career highs of 20 goals, 35 assists and 55 points in 80 games. The 22-year-old forward is neither looking back nor using adversity as a lesson. It's about aiming higher, while allowing some room to enjoy it.
"You don't want to start cheating a little bit for offense," Byfield said. "You still have to play the right way. That's how we're winning, that's how we own the streak. I think at the beginning of the year, we had some games that were a little bit tougher. We cleaned it up from there."
It's not like expectations were at new heights entering training camp. Kuemper was brought back for his second stint via trade with the Capitals for Pierre-Luc Dubois on June 19. Depth was a focus when forward Tanner Jeannot was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 29, and free agent forward Warren Foegele (three years) and defenseman Joel Edmundson (four) signed July 1.
Drew Doughty, their leader in average time on ice for 16 straight seasons, is month to month following surgery for a broken ankle the defenseman sustained in a 3-2 preseason win against the Golden Knights on Sept. 25.
Kuemper is 6-2-3 with a 2.37 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and one shutout in 12 games, missing 11 (Oct. 16-22; Nov. 16-30) because of injuries. He and David Rittich (10-6-0, 2.45 GAA, .891) have a combined 2.52 GAA, tied with the Winnipeg Jets for second behind the Minnesota Wild (2.36).
Forward Alex Laferriere is second on the Kings in goals (12) and third in points (21) and the defense is getting quantity and quality from Anderson, Edmundson, Brandt Clarke and Vladislav Gavrikov.
"It's not just the same guy," Byfield said. "With Drew out, 'Clarkie,' (Jordan) Spence, they've stepped up big. Clarkie is taking on more of an offensive role in the absence of 'Dewey.' Even when 'Kemps' was hurt for a little bit, Rittich has stepped up huge for us, and (Erik) Portillo came in. Everyone's just contributing each and every game."
Los Angeles hasn’t lost since Nov. 25, 7-2 at the San Jose Sharks, leaving it 11-8-3. It was a wakeup call, Byfield said. Instead of folding, the Kings got going with a 4-1 victory against the 18-4-0 Jets in Los Angeles on Nov. 27. They hope to get back a healthy and rested Doughty, who turned 35 on Dec. 8, for the stretch run. Injured forward Arthur Kaliyev has started a conditioning stint with Ontario of the American Hockey League. Anze Kopitar, the 37-year-old captain, leads the Kings with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists). Kempe, who scored 41 goals two seasons ago, has a team-high 14, nine in 11 games since Nov. 13 and will play for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-off from Feb. 12-20.
That has Kuemper thinking the best is yet to come from a team often overlooked. The Pacific is home to the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights and the 2024 Western Conference champion Oilers, and Kuemper played for the 2022 champion Colorado Avalanche. That's enough to keep the Kings motivated.
They've proving mentally tough enough to meet the challenge.
"We know how important points are because it's super competitive and makes it fun," Kuemper said. "It keeps us on our toes every night. You expect them to win their game, so we’ve got to win ours."
