The race for the Pacific Division championship will most likely come down to the final days of the regular season, and the LA Kings have done their part in keeping pace with the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot. The team collected another critical two points on Saturday night by dispatching a reeling St. Louis Blues 4-2, thanks to some late third-period magic from Gabriel Vilardi.
Although this contest may have been closer than anyone hoped, newly acquired players Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov have had great first impressions in black and silver. Ultimately, their presence in the lineup will assist the Kings on a deep playoff run.
Let’s discuss a few takeaways from last night’s win over the Blues.
Joonas Korpisalo Impresses in Kings Debut
Most of the fan base still has not come to terms with the recent news that franchise icon Jonathan Quick is no longer in a Kings’ uniform, leaving some pretty big shoes to fill. Even though Korpisalo was not acquired to replace Quick, he came to the west coast to solidify the goaltending situation, pushing Pheonix Copley to be at his best.
Considering the Kings recently awarded Copley an extension, trading for Korpisalo injects more youth in the goal crease. During his debut on Saturday, Korpisalo showcased his skills by turning away 24 of the Blues’ shots finishing the night with two goals against and an excellent .923 save percentage (SV%).
The former third-round pick (62nd overall) only knows how to carry mediocre teams through a season and only has four winning campaigns on his resume. However, now that he’s playing behind one of the league’s best offenses (eighth in goals for), he’ll have a chance to stop pucks (.903 career SV%) while easing the pressure on the rest of the team who may have had concerns about letting shots through.
There’s No Stopping Gabriel Vilardi Right Now
If the Kings handed out an award for an unsung hero, this year’s winner would be Gabriel Vilardi, who tallied the eventual game-winner at 16:57 of the third period. Thus far, the native of Kingston, Ontario, is in the midst of a career season with 21 goals, including five game-winners.
After setting a career-high with 23 points in 54 games in 2020-21, he’s blown past those numbers with 36 points in 54 games this season. Additionally, he’s playing a career-high 15:45 minutes a night, reaching the 20-goal plateau before Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, who are no strangers to the club themselves.
Even though most teams expect the offense to come from Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Kevin Fiala, the Kings are getting respectable numbers from their third-line center, who is finding the net at the right moments. Ultimately, with 18 games left on the schedule, there is no ceiling for how high Vilardi’s statistics can go.
Vladislav Gavrikov May Be the Deadline Steal of the Decade
Leading up to the NHL trade deadline, the Columbus Blue Jackets sat Vladislav Gavrikov for “trade-related reasons,” believing they had a deal with the Boston Bruins for his services. Ultimately, the Bruins went in another direction, leaving Gavrikov to another bidder, the LA Kings.
Although the defenseman may be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, his presence in the lineup has altered the structure of the Kings’ defense and made them a more challenging team. Clearly, everyone took notice of his performance against the Blues (two shots, plus-two, and 18:55 ice time), earning the second star of the game honors.
Hopefully, Gavrikov continues to show his value down the stretch and in the playoffs, leading to a new contract in the offseason. Since the team just extended Michael Anderson, getting Gavrikov to commit long-term would ensure the Kings have a succession plan for the future.
LA Kings Special Teams Strike at Perfect Time
Heading into the contest with the Blues, the league’s third-best power play unit (25.2%) was on a cold streak, converting for just three goals in their last 16 chances. Although they scored those three goals in the previous four games, the team recently lacked the killer instinct to bury home momentum-grabbing goals.
Vilardi’s game-winner came on the power play, which went 1-for-3 on the night. Furthermore, the goal on the man advantage is the type of goal that breaks a close game, which the Kings should find themselves in during the playoffs as most of the Western Conference is used to tightly contested games.
Of course, teams won’t find the same level of success with the power play in the postseason since teams will crack down on providing those opportunities. However, if the Blues game taught the team any lessons, it would be that when a game is close, capitalizing on the special teams can be the difference between a win and a loss.
Even though the Blues are not going to the playoffs, they provided the Kings with a formidable challenge, and the difference ultimately came down to special teams, which the team capitalized on for the two points.
Who’s next for the LA Kings?
The Kings will wrap up a three-game homestand against the Washington Capitals on Monday night before a trip to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.