Three Kings players have stood out this season, and they are not the usual suspects: Alex Turcotte, Quinton Byfield, and Brandt Clarke. Clarke has been leading the team’s defensive core, posting 12 points in 13 games.
Turcotte’s status has been up in the air since the end of the second period against the Nashville Predators, but he has unilaterally carried the team for large stretches of the first ten games and earned a promotion to the top line. Byfield has not necessarily stood out for positive reasons, as his move back to the center has not gone as planned, and he has yet to score a goal.
Hiller did not have any specific update on Turcotte’s status after the game, saying: “I don’t have anything specific other than I talked to him. He’s gonna be alright. I’m not sure when he’ll be able to get back in, but he’s fine.”
— Jared Shafran (@ShafReign) November 5, 2024
With these players or factors in mind, the underlying current that in all actuality forges this team forward is the top six.
Prior to the Nashville game, the top six had been relatively quiet. Anze Kopitar had his hat trick in the first game of the season, but then he started to slow down immediately.
Adrian Kempe is relied upon to fill the net as a former forty and thirty-goal scorer. He has four goals in 12 games, which still equates to 27 goals over an 82-game season, but he has not yet been a force five-on-five or on the powerplay.
Trevor Moore had his first 30-goal season last year but only has one goal to start the year. His regular center partner over the last few seasons, Phillip Danault, just recently broke out of his goalless streak to start the year against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kevin Fiala has almost been a point-per-game player but was a non-factor in the early union with Byfield and was shifted back to a familiar spot next to Danault and Moore and had yet to click.
That all changed against Nashville.
Kopitar scored the game’s first goal with a bank shot off Jusse Saros. The shot was cultivated due to the hard work of the top line, which included the work of Kempe near the blue line. Kempe would later be rewarded for his excellent and responsible overall play with an empty netter.
The second line connected for the game’s second goal with a rebound, banged in by Fiala after a Saros save off a two-on-one opportunity from Danault. Moore drew a late-period penalty during a Nashville pushback.
The score against Nashville reflected what happens when the Kings’ top six leaves their mark on a game in a controlling and dominant way. The shutout is the ultimate testament to a team game but is certainly prompted when your top six wins their matchups.
The top six can saw-off their competition but it is not a complete recipe for success over an 82+ game season when a team relies on their bottom six to get the job done on a nightly basis.
The top line, in particular, was exceptional. Per NaturalStatTrick, only 5:00 TOI together was 10-4 in CF vs CA and a 71.43% Corsi rating.
The Turcotte news hurts, as nothing is certain for now, but his impact on the top line was exponential. His potential sidelining will cause a lineup shakeup. If he’s out in any capacity, the Kings will likely have to elevate Alex Laferriere, who has been dominant on a line with Byfield and Warren Foegele.
While Byfield was quiet to start the year at center, and that line did not score last night, they were dominant, at times more than the top line: 11-1 CF vs CA and a 91.67% Corsi.
Laferriere is a significant component of that line, and the potential breaking of that union could impede the top six from returning to their ways but also take away from what the Byfield line was started to build on.
The top six breaking out is overall an excellent sign for the Kings moving forward. With Drew Doughty’s injury, they looked to patchwork their way through the early season, and a 7-3-3 record tells me that they are well on their way.
However, the unknown extent of the potential injury to their new top-line winger will potentially cause the Kings to reorganize their approach the next few weeks.
The Kings will hope that the top six continue their mojo even with a potential shakeup happening. That starts in Minnesota.
