Joe Patarino 
If we entered November still wondering about the 2024-25 version of the LA Kings, we found out in November that it’s the same as it ever was.
No, I’m not referring to the Talking Heads’ hit Once In A Lifetime, but rather the structured stinginess that has been the Kings’ foundation for years. It matters not that the 1-3-1 is gone; the team is no more exciting—particularly on home ice—but also no less dominant in 5-on-5 play.
LA played 14 games in November, picking up 17 points (fourth most in the West and eighth in the NHL) while registering an 8-5-1 record. This has catapulted the Kings to the second-best record in the Pacific Division, just two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights.
Pluses
+ The defensive play, particularly at home, is simply elite. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5 the LA Kings were first in the NHL in xGA/60, second in Scoring Chances against/60, and third in High Danger Chances against/60 in November. For the season as a whole, LA smothers its opponents.
+ After a rough month to start the season on the penalty kill (76.1%, 19th in the NHL), the Kings had an excellent November when down a man. Their 84.6% penalty kill was good for third in the league.
Mikey Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov have shouldered the bulk of the penalty kill time, averaging over three minutes on ice per game in November.
Something of note is what a lot of people have been hoping to see for a while now and that’s Anze Kopitar‘s penalty kill minutes be limited. In November he was the seventh most-utilized forward, averaging just 48 seconds per game on the kill. That’s down a full minute from last season where he averaged 1:52 minutes while short-handed.
+ Speaking of Kopitar, he’s doing it again. In 14 games last month, Kopitar led the Kings in assists (13) and points (17). I’ve also tracked him with a team-high nine slot passes in the month. He’s been his usual dominant self.
+ Erik Portillo picked up a win in his NHL debut, stopping 28 shots in a 2-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks. Maybe a win against the Ducks shouldn’t be anything to write home about, but considering it was his NHL debut and his 1.74 Goals Saved Above Expected (per Evolving Hockey) was the second-best performance by an LA Kings goaltender all season. Only Darcy Kuemper‘s performance in the season opener was better. The Kings’ goaltending has been average this season, and I’m not expecting Portillo to have an extended stretch of starts, but good on him for an impressive debut.
+ Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore both found their scoring strides. Kempe’s eight goals led the team in November – he also had six assists to get him a point-per-game, while Moore racked up nine assists while finding the back of the net three times for 12 points in 13 games. Most recently, the two have played together as Jim Hiller shuffled his lines. We’ll see if they stick together, but these two needed to find their offense.
+ Finally, we’re seeing an extended look at Jacob Moverare. To the surprise of no one, he’s playing quite well. Per Natural Stat Trick, Moverare led the team in on-ice xGF% at 5-on-5 in November. He’s an NHL defenseman and he’s showing it yet again.
Minuses
– For the second straight month, Quinton Byfield finds him in the minus section. Production-wise, it just hasn’t been there. He had three goals and three assists for six points in 14 November games. Right now, there’s not a lot to hang his hat on. He hasn’t been overly involved in the offense as he was ninth in Shot Contributions/60 for the month – including 15th in Shot Assists/60. On the season, his -3.34 goals scored above expected is second lowest on the team. His 11 points in 25 games is a pace of just 36 for the season. The Kings have managed to this point, but for them to be successful in April, Byfield will need to be a contributor.
– Kevin Fiala has also had a slow start in the box score. With nine goals and seven assists, Fiala is on his lowest point-pace (54) since the 2018-19 season. At least with Fiala, there’s reason for optimism. Four of his goals and eight points came in November. He also led the team in Shot Assists/60 and Shot Contributions/60 so unlike Byfield, Fiala is very much involved in creating chances in the offensive zone. They may not have led to much yet, but at least the process is there with Fiala.
-The power play is still a point of contention. It ranked 22nd in the NHL in November at just 17.7%. For the season, the LA Kings power play is 25th in the league at 16.4%. They’ve tinkered with the personnel, sometimes going with five forward while most recently putting Brandt Clarke back on the top unit while sliding Laferierre down. There remains no slot/bumper threat with the man advantage.
–Tanner Jeannot hasn’t found his footing in LA yet. He was suspended three games early in November for his headshot on Vancouver’s Brock Boeser and had just two points in 11 games during the month. Of Kings’ players who played more than one game in November, Jeannot has the third-lowest CF% and second-lowest xGF% at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick). He leads the team in penalty minutes but spending a second-round pick on a player with three points in 22 games isn’t a good look.
All in all, there are a lot more positives in Los Angeles than negatives. We’ll see if they’re able to continue this stretch of play into December.
Main Photo Credit: Robert Talamantes, The Sporting Tribune