Kings Article: Torrid Pace Has Helped Anze Kopitar Put LA Kings On His Back

[FrozenRoyalty]

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar began the season hot and hasn't cooled off 29 games into the season. Not only is he fifth in the National Hockey League in overall scoring, he's also averaging more than one point per game, and he's on pace to set career highs in goals, assists and points.

Kopitar, line mate Dustin Brown, and head coach John Stevens discussed Kopitar's huge resurgence this season—why it's happening, what's going into it, and more.

Check it out at...

Torrid Pace Has Helped Anze Kopitar Put LA Kings On His Back

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[Omni Owl]

You can tell the guys are having more fun this year, almost like there's less pressure. Between that and the injection of youth the team seems to be recharged. Now we just need to get Carter back...

 

[Sol]

I've not seen the Kings smile so much in years.

Proud of Anze. He's had a sensational rebound.

Goes to show how much of player ability is emotional, and not physical.

 

[KINGS17]

Happy to see Kopitar is exceeding all expectations so far this season. I don't expect him to keep this pace up over an entire 82-game season, but he shouldn't need to if Gaborik and Carter are able to perform to their career averages. I do expect 70+ point seasons from a $10M 1C.

I am not buying into the idea Sutter told Kopitar to skate laps around the offensive zone last season and not take the puck to the middle. The Kings have always been a better team when Kopitar shoots more and I don't want to see him get out of the habit of shooting if Gaborik is put back on his wing.

 

[deaderhead28]

No disrespect but Kopi isn't placing the Kings on his back lol.Toffoli and Brown have been huge contributors just as much as Kopi.Kopi lack of performance last year did hurt this team tho.I am stoked Kopi is finally earning his contract from the entire failure of last year numbers.Hoping as well his goal scoring and assist numbers don't vanished throughout the season.A successful Kopi is a dangerous team that could win another championship if the Kings fill at lease one of their two holes on the roster.

 

[FrozenRoyalty]

Happy to see Kopitar is exceeding all expectations so far this season. I don't expect him to keep this pace up over an entire 82-game season, but he shouldn't need to if Gaborik and Carter are able to perform to their career averages. I do expect 70+ point seasons from a $10M 1C.

I am not buying into the idea Sutter told Kopitar to skate laps around the offensive zone last season and not take the puck to the middle. The Kings have always been a better team when Kopitar shoots more and I don't want to see him get out of the habit of shooting if Gaborik is put back on his wing.

The players were never coached to stay on the perimeter and not attack the dangerous areas of the ice. Not by Sutter, not by anyone.

 

[FrozenRoyalty]

No disrespect but Kopi isn't placing the Kings on his back lol.Toffoli and Brown have been huge contributors just as much as Kopi.Kopi lack of performance last year did hurt this team tho.I am stoked Kopi is finally earning his contract from the entire failure of last year numbers.Hoping as well his goal scoring and assist numbers don't vanished throughout the season.A successful Kopi is a dangerous team that could win another championship if the Kings fill at lease one of their two holes on the roster.

Sure, Toffoli and Brown are big contributors. But Brown's numbers would be down without Kopitar and the team would be nowhere without Kopitar, so from that point of view, the headline is accurate and I stand by it.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Happy to see Kopitar is exceeding all expectations so far this season. I don't expect him to keep this pace up over an entire 82-game season, but he shouldn't need to if Gaborik and Carter are able to perform to their career averages. I do expect 70+ point seasons from a $10M 1C.

I am not buying into the idea Sutter told Kopitar to skate laps around the offensive zone last season and not take the puck to the middle. The Kings have always been a better team when Kopitar shoots more and I don't want to see him get out of the habit of shooting if Gaborik is put back on his wing.

The players were never coached to stay on the perimeter and not attack the dangerous areas of the ice. Not by Sutter, not by anyone.

I agree with that. And I'm pretty sure we all saw a central tenet of Sutter hockey--the successful playoff version anyway--was go hard to the net and take the abuse to get shit done.

But while I don't think anyone was told that directly, I'm also pretty sure play 'possession hockey' meant 'don't take shots off the rush/wing and don't center the puck from behind the net/towards our net from anywhere in the ozone." Easy to see why a puck lugger like Kopitar would hang onto the puck to set up the cycle and/or offensive zone dominance. A lot of other guys don't have the power to drive through and around and would just stop or curl back to look for the pass where Kopitar would just bull down the wall. I DO believe that was a directive.

 

[Fishhead]

No doubt Kopitar is carrying a load, but I think his improved play has a lot to do with guys like Toffoli doing his scoring job and Kempe and Lewis providing secondary scoring from the bottom 6. We have 29 goals this year from guys who would be considered bottom 6ers - that's 31% of team scoring. I think the fact that Kopitar isn't having to carry the team on his back all the time is why he is doing so well.

 

[deaderhead28]

No doubt Kopitar is carrying a load, but I think his improved play has a lot to do with guys like Toffoli doing his scoring job and Kempe and Lewis providing secondary scoring from the bottom 6. We have 29 goals this year from guys who would be considered bottom 6ers - that's 31% of team scoring. I think the fact that Kopitar isn't having to carry the team on his back all the time is why he is doing so well.

I agree except for Kopi carry the load part.Kopi is "helping"to carry the load.Kopi is more relaxed and doesn't feel he has to score every game for the team to win every night.So no Kopi isn't carrying this team.Others are producing so he doesn't have to carry the team.Using facts Kopi alone couldn't carry this team to win these games and the title isn't quite correct.

 

[deaderhead28]

Sure, Toffoli and Brown are big contributors. But Brown's numbers would be down without Kopitar and the team would be nowhere without Kopitar, so from that point of view, the headline is accurate and I stand by it.

Umm couldn't that be said also of Brown and Iafallo on Kopi numbers?

 

[likid]

Before start of this season Kopitar had interview for slovenian medias (he’s doing this each year) and he said he expect much better offensive season because his attacking role has changed and he will be allowed to play much more attacking minded.

He also had interview for one of the biggest slovenian sport site maybe two weeks ago and said he don’t remember, when was the list time that he enjoy playing hockey as he is enyoing right now...