Kings Takeaway: Defeat Islanders 4-1 – Hockey Writer – Los Angeles Kings, expanding their winning streak to 3 games

After five straight games and making the Pacific Division’s points ratio much more interesting than they need, the Los Angeles Kings have won three straight games, with their latest score 4-1 against the New York Islanders since the trade deadline. Now with 77 points, second in the Pacific Edmonton Oilers, the Kings have turned the page and made great strides in the first place of their division.

For two conservative defensive clubs, this game is completely open and there are many opportunities for both teams. Islanders vs Kings are the last showdown you’d expect, it’s a fun, high-tempo and high-octane game, but that’s definitely.

The Kings scored two points, but they weren’t that pretty for a variety of reasons. The coverage of stable goalkeepers, free throw kills and surprisingly, turnovers, penalties and explosions is covered up.

Byfield on the heater

Quinton Byfield has been a hot topic lately, and there is good reason. The 22-year-old felt that he had the strongest and most confident all season and scored in four straight games. When Byfield shoots the puck with confidence, there is another layer of the King’s offense, and now, that’s what he does.

It’s not that Byfield didn’t get a chance earlier this season, but that he was unable to hit the network most of the time, which prevented him from scoring goals. Throughout the season, different parts of his game have evolved and shined at different times, and now it seems all of this blended together, making him the most dangerous and complete of his career.

While production was slow throughout the first few months of the season, Byfield showed his ability to take on defensive responsibilities in the midfield. His two-way match was obvious, and although he didn’t land on the score sheet, he had a positive impact on both sides of the ice. The production side of his game has indeed stood out since the end of January, something he obviously has been building in these games. He has scored 17 points in his last 18 games, with six of them scoring. His play and distribution of hockey was the first part of his offense, and playing with Kevin Fiala made all of this easier.

Now, as he not only ripped the puck, but also hit the network, Byfield consistently found the back of the network. Of the four goals he has scored in the last four games, three of which came due to his evil shot, all from the left side of the Ice. Whether he looks short or far away, be aware if Byfield has room to shoot a puck from anywhere on the left, because now, he is automatic.

King Killed 8 Punishments

Usually when you get eight penalties in a game, you won’t end up winning, and if you end up winning, the chances of the eight eights you kill are even rarer. I guess the exception is when you compete with the Islanders’ power game, ranking last in the NHL at just 11.9%.

Accepting eight penalties in one game is unacceptable, but killing all eight games is significant. The Kings have been sticking with their aggressive structure for the most part, and although the Kings officially dropped 8/8 in free throw kills, the Islanders did find the Nets’ back twice. Fortunately for the Kings, both Islanders scored in the power match, challenging the goalkeeper’s intervention and succeeding. After killing eight free throws, the Kings jumped four positions and now finished eighth in the league with a free throw rate of 81.8%.

Free throw kills are the key difference maker in this game, and without the Kings’ efforts to dig deeper, and the excellent performance from start to finish by Darcy Kuemper, they probably won’t be home with two points.

“It is unacceptable to be punished so much, but obviously (we) do better in this regard, I mean the killer is great and Darcy saved us a huge savings, so (that is) keeping us alive.”

Kuemper’s reliability remains vital

Speaking of Kuemper, he never seemed to really slow down, nor gave the Kings any reason to believe he wasn’t a consistent goalkeeper who could be the anchor this team needed in a seven-game playoff series. The game may look different without calling Kuemper, especially in the early stages.

Kuemper made 33 saves with a savings percentage of 0.971 (SV%), the highest SV% he recorded this season, except for his two closing events. This is the story of Kuemper saving his team when it needs the biggest game that has been repeated this season, and again that’s the case. The Kings had an early jump in the pressure on the offensive zone and hockey possession, which meant the Islanders didn’t produce a ton and only shot six shots in the first phase. Cooper didn’t see a lot of movement, but the quality he faced was quality. Of these six shots, three are essentially a breakthrough in the middle, and the rest are pointed shots. Kuemper stood on his ground and handled everyone, giving the Kings a 1-0 lead into the first half.

Related: Kings’ Takeaway: Byfield’s OT champion and Bruce win 5-game winning streak

The second stage is that he is really busy, facing 17 photos. The Kings like to have the team push hard in the second phase. In almost every game, the opposition occupied the middle frame and last night was no different. Aside from Kuemper’s game, Islander forward Anders Lee beat him with a shot, a soft figure passing through the wicket. Apart from that, he showed why he was the first place in the king. It was his calm and positioning in the crease that allowed him to put him on the puck almost every shot. Rarely do you see Kuemper panic or needing to do an acrobatic, dramatic rescue, because of how great he is in reading the drama and expecting the place where the hockey is going to be.

Kuemper’s expected goal for last night was 4.12, and he faced 13 opportunities for senior crises, stopping all 13. These 13 high-risk savings are the second highest he has stopped all season. He could have been closed easily, but asked him to come out of the game and allow only one goal to tell you everything he needs to know about everything he needs to play in the role of the Kings.

The Kings will hope to keep collecting points and give it four straight wins when they host Alexander Ovechkin and the Eastern Conference-led capital of Washington on Thursday (March 13).