The Los Angeles Kings take their five-game winning streak to Saint Paul, Minn., on Monday when they face the Minnesota Wild.
It’s the third time this season Los Angeles has won at least five straight, and Quinton Byfield has been the offensive catalyst behind the recent streak. The Kings center has scored a goal in six consecutive games. His tally in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators was his second overtime goal in this ongoing stretch and third this season.
Getting opportunities in the extra session is something Byfield is beginning to relish.
“I used to be scared of that,” he said after Saturday’s victory. “Now, just going 3-on-3 with all that ice, it’s so much fun out there. I just (need to) enjoy being out there. You get a lot of time and space, and you can just make plays and have fun.”
Byfield, who has 17 goals and 23 assists on the season, is just the fourth Kings player age 22 or younger to score in six or more straight games. Luc Robitaille was the last to accomplish the feat in 1987-88.
The Kings are one of the NHL’s top defensive teams, with their 2.55 goals allowed per game ranking second in the league entering play on Sunday. Goalie Darcy Kuemper has been between the pipes for four of the team’s five consecutive wins and earned his 200th career win on Saturday. He’s allowed a combined two goals in those contests and has not allowed a puck to get past him in more than 154 minutes.
Kuemper, a sixth-round pick by the Wild in 2009, ranks second in the NHL with both a 2.16 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. He also has four shutouts, tied for third among all netminders this season.
The Wild are struggling offensively. Entering Sunday, they were tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the sixth-worst production, averaging just 2.7 goals per game.
With 79 points, Minnesota is in firm control of the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, six points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks in the standings. However, coach John Hynes’ squad has just three points in its last five games (1-3-1).
On Saturday, the Wild fell 5-1 at home to the St. Louis Blues. Over the last five games, they have scored only seven goals.
Much of the offensive slump is due to the absence of forward Kirill Kaprizov, who has missed 30 games this season due to a lower-body injury. Despite the missed time, he still leads the team in goals with 23 and ranks third in points with 52.
Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi are tied for second with 21 goals each. However, Boldy last scored on Feb. 22, and Rossi hasn’t found the back of the net since Feb. 25.
Even without Kaprizov and with both Boldy and Rossi struggling to score, Hynes still has confidence in his team.
“(Saturday), like I said, we didn’t have it for 60 minutes, but I think when you have the competitive nature that our team plays with, the attention of detail that we play with, when those things are on point, we can beat anyone on any given night,” Hynes said.
