The Vegas Golden Knights provided a stiff challenge for the Colorado Avalanche offense two nights ago, at least for two periods.
Now the high-powered Avs face a tougher one.
The Los Angeles Kings are at Ball Arena on Monday night, and they have allowed the second-fewest goals in the NHL this season.
“You’re looking at the stingiest defensive team in the league. It’s that simple,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s very difficult to create scoring chances against them off the rush and in d-zone coverage, it’s even worse.”
Bednar’s team has allowed the fewest goals, 11 fewer than the Kings in the same number of games. The Avs coach could just be pumping the tires of his next opponent, which he does often.
But, it is also often with statistical receipts to back it up. Sure enough, Los Angeles is the toughest team to score on in the league this season at 5-on-5.
The Kings are allowing 1.76 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. Colorado is fourth, at 1.93 but boasts the league’s top penalty kill to help further suppress offense. Both of these teams are strong across the board in the defensive metrics, but not elite at limiting shot attempts or shots on goal.
It’s the quality of what they give up — the Kings are fourth in the league in 5-on-5 scoring chances against, for example. And both are being backed by elite goaltending. Three of the top contenders for the Canadian Olympic team will be at Ball Arena.
The Kings, led by ex-Avs netminder Darcy Kuemper, are third in the NHL in save percentage, while the Avs are first. Kuemper is tied for fifth in individual save percentage this season at .917. Mackenzie Blackwood (.924) and Scott Wedgewood (.919) are second and tied for third, respectively.
“You need everybody,” Bednar said. “You need someone different guys to step up on different nights. If our top guys get shut down, you need someone else to produce. You also have to keep in mind that if they’re going to be that stingy on the defensive side of it, we have to be as well. There’s an importance that you have to put on the defending side of it, because it’s difficult to score against them. So you have to have a well rounded game coming into this.”
Vegas is a strong defensive team as well, but the Golden Knights were missing top center Jack Eichel and No. 1 defenseman Shea Theodore. Still, for 40 minutes they did a great job of keeping the Avalanche attackers from finding chances in the dangerous areas of the ice.
That changed in the third period and overtime, when the Avs dominated the puck and collected chances in bunches en route to erasing 4-2 and 5-4 deficits.
“When we come and show up together as a group, we can do special things,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “There are some times, especially in Vegas, where we weren’t all there but like that third period, a lot of guys showed up and that’s what you need.
At the center of Los Angeles’ goal-suffocating prowess is one of the greatest defensive centers in the history of the sport. Anze Kopitar is a two-time Selke Award winner as the top defensive forward in the league, but he’s also finished in the top-8 of the voting 10 times in a career that will lead him to a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The No. 1 center from a two-time Stanley Cup champion core, Kopitar is two points shy of 1,300 and 13 games away from 1,500. Game No. 1,488 could very well be his last in Denver.
Kopitar has announced that this is his final season in the NHL, and the 38-year-old who put Slovenia hockey on the map and brought Lord Stanley’s cup to Los Angeles for the first, and second, time is getting the recognition he deserves during his last tour of the league.
“Tremendous career to this point,” Bednar said. “It’s not done yet. He’s been able to win and like just the longevity of his production and how impactful he is on both sides of the puck. He’s a phenomenal player and showing no signs of slowing down.
“His line been a lot to deal with, especially over the last little while. You try and move your skill guys away from him at times and other times they’ve got to play against him and just hope to take advantage of it. But that line is doing really well, and he’s doing really well here recently.”
Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.