LA Kings: Three takeaways from Saturday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues
By Jack Weber
Takeaway #2: New-look first line impresses again
Adrian Kempe stayed on LA’s top line with Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo for a second straight game, and it’s starting to look like a line that may stick together for a while.
Kempe scored on a one-timer off a pass from Iafallo early on in the second period to tie the game at 1-1.
That one-timer by @AdrianKempe 👏#GoKingsGo → https://t.co/HHTef9Fa88 pic.twitter.com/fTCkAR3rek
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 24, 2021
For Kempe, it was his third straight game with a goal as he tied Andreas Athanasiou for the team lead. He’s now scored a 5-on-5 goal in back-to-back games playing on Kopitar’s line after having gone 27 straight games without one dating back to last season.
The Kings dominated play at even strength when that line was on the ice, owning over 78 percent of the shot attempts.
Though the Kings were outshot 30-23 on the night, they actually had far more shot attempts than the Blues, owning a 42-31 edge at even strength. While they need to do a better job of converting that possession advantage into more quality scoring opportunities, it’s something to build off. The Iafallo-Kopitar-Kempe line played a big part in driving that.