Joe Patarino 
Despite starting the season with seven games away from Crypto.com Arena, the LA Kings finished the month of October with an impressive 6-3-2 record, capped by a dominant 6-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The 14 points in the standings are good enough for second in the Pacific Division.
And to think, all of this without their top defenseman, Drew Doughty.
Pluses
So how are the Kings getting it done?
+ For starters, strong 5-on-5 play. As of November 1st, the LA Kings are in the top ten in Corsi-For percentage (CF%), Scoring Chances-For percentage (SCF%), High-Danger Chances-For percentage (HDCF%) and Expected Goals percentage (xGF%). The latter two rank fifth and third respectively (per Natural Stat Trick).
+ It helps that they have one of the best lines in the NHL. For trios who have played at least 50 minutes together at 5-on-5, the line of Warren Foegele, Alex Turcotte, and Alex Laferriere is in the top five in xGF% (per Money Puck).
Each of those three lead the team in Shot Contributions/60.
Interestingly, that line was split up last game, with Turcotte moving to the wing next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Meanwhile, Quinton Byfield moved back to the middle between Foegele and Laferriere. We’ll see how that change affects things going forward.
+ Speaking of Laferriere, he’s arguably been the team’s MVP in the season’s first month. He leads the team in goals (six – all at even strength) and even strength points (nine). Whether on a line with Kopitar, Turcotte, or most recently Byfield, he’s produced.
+ If it isn’t Laferriere, then young star Brandt Clarke certainly has his name in the running for early season MVP. The young defenseman has been tasked with manning the team’s top power play in Doughty’s absence and while the power play hasn’t yet clicked, Clarke is providing plenty of offense. The 21-year-old leads the team in assists (10) and has 11 points in as many games, and no one has more primary assists (9). Head Coach Jim Hiller may want to pump the breaks on Clarke’s early production, noting that they aren’t going to let him “race up and down the ice and be a point-per-game player” – but we’ll leave the coach-speak to the coach.
+ A player I’ve struggled to come around on is Vladislav Gavrikov. Not this season. He’s been the best defenseman on the LA Kings through the first 11 games and has played alongside Mikey Anderson on his off side for most of the team’s recent games. Production-wise he’ll never be someone who is a significant contributor, but he’s really steadied the ship (and Anderson) in Doughty’s absence after Jordan Spence struggled to adapt to that role in the early part of the season.
+ Father Time has a pretty good track record, but Anze Kopitar isn’t bothered by it. The 37-year-old leads the LA Kings in points (12) while once again leading LA forwards in ice time. I have also tracked him with a team-high eight slot passes in the first 11 games. It’s been more of the same for the future Hall of Famer.
Minuses
– Quinton Byfield entered the season primed for a breakout. So far, it’s been anything but. The team’s future top centerman has already been moved off of the pivot and back onto the wing next to Kopitar and Adrian Kempe (and then back to the middle again). He has yet to score a goal and has picked up just five points in 11 games. He’s still involved in the play, though, as I’ve tracked him as third on the team in Shot Assists/60. That said, he’s yet to find the back of the net and in the last two games, he hasn’t even registered a shot on goal.
– It isn’t just Byfield who’s struggled. Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore are also off to very slow starts. After leading the team in goals with 31 last season, Moore has just one goal and two assists in the early days of the 2024-25 season. His centerman, Danault, has yet to tally a goal and has three assists. Both of them are outside the top five in Shot Contributions/60 on the team and if we assume Laferriere isn’t going to shoot 23% the rest of the way, these are some of the players that will need to turn things around.
– Neither Special Teams unit is playing well. At 15.4%, the power-play is 24th in the NHL while the penalty kill (76.1%) ranks 19th.
The penalty kill has not been bad in terms of xG against/60 but the power play has generated almost nothing. Opposing teams’ penalty kills are very aware of LA’s threat – which is on the perimeter and hoping to connect on cross-seam passes. This hasn’t happened and their lack of any down-low option and slot presence is really showing up.
I’ve got to say, though, if you told me to start the season the LA Kings would get next to nothing from the likes of Byfield and Moore, Doughty would be hurt and the Special Teams would be this poor – I’d have imagined the team would be in a world of hurt. But credit to some unlikely sources and continued strong team play at 5-on-5, the Kings are in good shape heading into November.
Main Photo Credit: Debora Robinson, NHLI via Getty Images