A successful homestand may have given the Kings confidence but it offered zero opportunity for rest and recuperation.
The Kings canceled Sunday’s practice and hit the road for a stretch that will see them play three games in four nights, all with travel beforehand.
First they’ll be in St. Louis to take on the Blues on Monday before a showdown with the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars on Tuesday and a visit to Chicago to face the rival Blackhawks Thursday.
The Kings managed to stifle the two highest-scoring teams in the NHL over the past six seasons, allowing just two goals in each game in victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.
In between, they dropped a game to the Winnipeg Jets that saw them burned by poor special-teams play and risky decisions, which led to six goals against on just 19 shots.
Coach Todd McLellan said he was pleased with how his group responded in the win over Toronto, in which the Kings scored two power-play goals and protected a lead effectively.
“Now the consistency thing is something that we need to grow,” McLellan said.
Continued success on the power play is something that winger Gabe Vilardi, who has been an offensive revelation thus far, said he expected from the two-man-advantage units.
“We should score a power-play goal every game,” Vilardi said. “If we get four or five looks, which we’ve been getting every night, we should be scoring a goal a game.”
Only Edmonton center Connor McDavid, widely considered to be the best player in the world, has more goals than Vilardi in the 2022-23 season. A vital distinction, however, is that McDavid has averaged more time on ice per game than any forward since his 2015 debut, whereas Vilardi has played limited minutes in the Kings’ top six.
He filled in for Viktor Arvidsson briefly on the second line and has spent the last four periods of the season with the Kings’ top duo of Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, but otherwise was skating on the third line.
“It doesn’t matter where I play, I want to make an impact and make a difference for the team, both offensively, obviously that’s my goal, but defensively as well,” Vilardi said.
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Vilardi and his newfound assertiveness will be challenged by the Blues, who will force the Kings to make discipline a priority. The Blues have the NHL’s fourth most efficient power play, but sit tied for last in five-on-five scoring. Conversely, the Kings are tied for the most even-strength goals (five-on-five, four-on-four and three-on-three combined), while their two power-play goals Saturday still didn’t push them into the top 20 in conversion rate.
Defenseman Justin Faulk and former Kings forward Brayden Schenn pace the Blues in points with nine apiece. Goalie Jordan Binnington has started five of the Blues’ seven games this season.
The Kings will roll onto Dallas, where the Stars have allowed the second fewest goals per game in the NHL this season. Jake Oettinger has been a leviathan in net, leading the league in goals-against average and posting the best save percentage for any goalie that has made five or more starts. He has also factored heavily into their top-five penalty kill.
The combination of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and former San Jose Shark Joe Pavelski has been a potent one again for the Stars. While they lost defenseman John Klingberg in free agency to the Ducks, Miro Heiskanen has been for Dallas what Drew Doughty has been for the Kings, an all-situations minute-muncher that also spurs offense from the back end. He has not played since Oct. 24 due an upper-body injury, and should be considered questionable to return to action against the Kings.
Kings at St. Louis
When: 5 p.m. Monday
Where: Enterprise Center
TV/Radio: Bally Sports West, IHeartRadio