What's the secret to the Los Angeles Kings' hot start?

Modified Oct 26, 2017 08:01 GMT

The Los Angeles Kings did not have a very good 2016-2017 season and they missed the playoffs. To compound matters, Kings' coach Darryl Sutter was let go in the off-season.

But to everyone's surprise, the new Kings' coach John Stevens is off to a 7-0-1 start. Stevens was the associate coach last season with Los Angeles.

The Kings have scored 32 goals this season and given up 19 goals. Jonathan Quick is healthy at the moment, and that will be a key as the season goes on. His record is 5-1-1, with a GAA of 2.14 and a save percentage of .934, along with one shutout.

Anze Kopitar has scored 6 goals and recorded 5 assists so far this season. His plus/minus is 8. And Dustin Brown has scored 5 goals and recorded 6 assists so far, with a plus/minus of 9.

One of the main reasons why the Kings are off to a hot start is rookie Adrian Kempe. He has scored 5 goals and recorded 2 assists, and his plus/minus is 4. Kempe was a first round draft pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, and he is now proving to be the spark plug that the Kings have been missing for the past couple of seasons.

Los Angeles have implemented a speed game this season, but they also love to bring a physcial brand of hockey. Drew Doughty has been instrumental in that, scoring 3 goals and recording 4 assists with a plus/minus of 7.

At some point, the Kings are bound to hit a rough patch. But if they continue to play at a high level, I expect them to reach the postseason where they would be fancied to make a strong run.