LA Kings hoping new-look second line stays hot

In a year of evaluation, finding the right combination of players outside of the team’s first line has been a major hurdle for Todd McLellan and the LA Kings. The organization began the season with a second line of Athanasiou – Lizotte – Carter, producing a 43.2 xGF% in 92.9 minutes on ice.

Trial and error, centered primarily around 21-year-old Gabe Vilardi, the Kings just hadn’t quite found the secondary scoring they sorely needed.

Enter Trevor Moore.

It’s been well-documented that Moore is from Thousand Oaks, California. You probably don’t have to be tuned into the broadcast to be reminded of that fact. But the 26-year-old has gone from an underwhelming fourth-liner to becoming a mainstay member of this Kings’ roster in a short amount of time.

The LA Kings may have found the right personnel along the team’s second line.

Moore has 8 goals and 11 assists in 44 games and was promoted to the second-line winger for a few games earlier this season, centered by Blake Lizotte and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. With Vilardi and Adrian Kempe in the last two games, the trio has been about as productive as one could ask.

On Friday, Vilardi found Moore in front of the net, who buried it past Wild netminder Cam Talbot to beat the first-period buzzer.

“That happened fast,” Moore commented. “All the credit in the world to my linemates there and the D men, too. They kept the puck alive.”

According to MoneyPuck.com, the Kings’ current second line has a 55.6 xGF%, albeit a limited sample size of 33.7 TOI. Vilardi’s inconsistencies have been well-documented as well, dropped to the team’s fourth line and to the wing, but it could be a match made in heaven for all three players.

Again, dealing with small sample sizes here — we’re taking any small victories that we can — Vilardi accounted for an 83.7 xGF% on Friday. Moore and Kempe, a 72.5 xGF% and 76.6 xGF%, respectively.

Regardless of whether the LA Kings can secure a playoff spot, there’s definitely a lot of positives to takeaway if the team has found the right combination of players for the top six forwards heading into the 2021-2022 season.