When the Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets swung a deal that netted the Kings Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo ahead of this month’s NHL trade deadline, questions abounded.
“Did the Kings get the wrong defenseman in Vladislav Gavrikov?” pondered The Athletic’s staff in analysis that suggested that the “in-between move” would merely solidify the Kings as “first-round fodder.” For Korpisalo’s part, he had “been surprisingly great this season, but the key word there is ‘surprisingly.’”
So, with half-dozen games behind them and a match against their former team ahead Thursday, how has the startling swap for goaltender Jonathan Quick played out so far?
In six games, the Kings have yet to lose in regulation, going 5-0-1. The two players have been integrated seamlessly: Korpisalo had three wins in three starts with a sparkly save percentage and Gavrikov contributed four points in his past four games. Gavrikov has posted a +7 rating and blocked 11 shots since his arrival. Defensively, the Kings have been not only sound but consistent, with their goalies giving up just 11 goals after the trade.
“They’re great, two good personalities for our room. They just go about their business every day,” said forward Trevor Moore of Gavrikov and Korpisalo. “Then as far as being players, you can see it out there, they’re both super important to our group and we’re lucky to have them.”
Gavrikov initiated the transition sequence that led to Moore’s goal in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Gavrikov was credited with an assist on that play, but not on another in a 4-2 victory over St. Louis where his disruption of a Blues play led to an Adrian Kempe counterattack goal.
“He’s got a really good stick in the neutral zone, so he creates that transition, right? He’s the guy who turns that puck over and we get to go back fast,” said Moore, then turning his attention to Gavrikov’s first goal as a King in a 4-2 victory over Washington. “In the O-zone, we sling into the net and all of a sudden there’s Gavy at the net. He wants to score and he does it responsibly.”
Kings coach Todd McLellan said he was pleased by how consistently Gavrikov was looking for offensive opportunities, and also with how meticulous he was in assessing when to jump into the play.
“When he does go, he goes at the right time and he’s aware of what’s behind him. So he’s not leaving something vacant,” McLellan said. “He goes at the right time, he knows somebody’s covering and he can come down on a puck versus a forward chasing it back.”
McLellan has alternated starts between Korpisalo and Pheonix Copley, though there’s a chance he tweaks that rotation with Korpisalo’s former club in town Thursday. The best performance statistically by either netminder, ironically, came in the Kings’ lone loss in the past six games, a 2-1 shootout defeat by Nashville in which Copley ceded one goal in 65 minutes. Korpisalo’s numbers have been definitively dependable: In three starts, he’s allowed two goals each time and registered save totals of 24, 28 and 26.
“Calm. Not a lot of garbage or secondary stuff in and around (the net). He makes a good first save and then the whistle goes. We believe in the centers we have, for faceoffs, so we’re OK with that,” McLellan said. “There’s a calmness to him, he’s a veteran. ‘I’ve been here before, let me do my job.’ And I think it rubs off on the players.”
If Korpisalo’s poise didn’t always rub off on his Blue Jackets teammates, it might be understandable. They’ve returned to the status of perennial sellers at the deadline and a slew of injuries only added to the uneasiness again this season.
Tuesday’s overtime victory over San Jose was their first win since the trade, which sent them into an 0-3-1 funk. That was hardly unusual for Columbus, which has meandered to the worst campaign in the Eastern Conference. Its goal differential is 16 goals behind the next worst mark in the conference and it has 10 fewer points than any other Eastern team.
Related Articles
Kings remain hot, bury Islanders with 4-goal 2nd period
Kings’ recent streak hasn’t been helped by strong power play
Kings’ 5-game win streak ends with shootout loss to Predators
Kings build confidence buoyed by 5-game winning streak
Kempe, Danault each score twice as Kings bury Avs to extend streak
Banner free-agent acquisition Johnny Gaudreau has topped the Blue Jackets in scoring, averaging nearly a point per game, thanks in part to a five-point outburst against the Sharks. Yet his minus-23 rating tells the story of a struggling side. Captain Boone Jenner and sniper Patrik Laine are Nos. 1 and 2 on the team in goals. Top defenseman Zach Werenski (shoulder) has been out since the third game of the season, though the Blue Jackets’ injury woes have gone well beyond Werenski and the blue line.
What’s more, the Kings won’t have to face Quick yet as Columbus shipped the two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie two days later to the Golden Knights. The Kings travel to Vegas for a potential showdown with their old teammate April 6.
Columbus at Kings
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/iHeart Radio (English) & Tu Liga 1330 (Spanish)