How the Vegas Golden Knights should tackle the Los Angeles Kings this season
The Vegas Golden Knights will challenge the Los Angeles Kings for a playoff spot in the upcoming season. Here's how they can beat the Kings.
Going through Harry Reid International Airport, I stopped by the new Vegas Born Bar and Grill after a long European trip. I needed to chow down on something after being on nothing but planes for 30 hours (plus, Vegas Golden Knights). The food was excellent and felt like a simple, yet breathtaking concept. 10/10, I would recommend it (especially the bacon cheeseburger).
But that brought up another thought: The NHL season is drawing near, meaning the Golden Knights will compete against 31 other teams for the Stanley Cup. That includes the Los Angeles Kings, a familiar foe in the Pacific Division. They haven't taken kindly to their divisional rivals in recent years, whether it was on the ice or with the fans.
But that's how you can tell hockey season is back. Bitter rivalries are rekindled and the hard hits are coming. It's a great time when the atmosphere calms down, ushering in a season of relaxation and peacefulness. There's nothing like having the NHL return, especially with leagues like the NFL slowly losing its bite.
With that, it's time to focus on the Kings. They'll be another divisional rival that will cause problems for the Golden Knights. However, they're also different from the Edmonton Oilers in their style of play. How so? Let's explore this possibility and see how Hollywood's hockey team will cause problems for Vegas in 2024-25.
How the Vegas Golden Knights should play the Los Angeles Kings this upcoming season
The Los Angeles Kings aren't the Edmonton Oilers by any means. One, they don't have Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl by any means. But they're also a better defensive team, suffocating their opponents in the neutral zone. By taking away and controlling the middle of the ice, Los Angeles can control the puck and maintain possession in the offensive end.
That's where the Vegas Golden Knights should suppress the Kings with their forecheck. Creating turnovers and pressuring Los Angeles will wear them down throughout the game, putting more pressure on the goaltending. That's where Los Angeles isn't the strongest, especially with Cam Talbot's absence (7th in the NHL last season in GAA with 2.50).
But it's likely Talbot was a benefactor of the system put in place (Adin Hill is familiar with this). Trying to push your way through the neutral zone against three defenders is never easy. However, the Golden Knights should stick to what they do best and push the puck up the ice. That way, Los Angeles will be worn down, offering more opportunities for Vegas to pounce.
Watch for Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield
Perhaps the most noteworthy member of the Kings in the past decade has been Anze Kopitar. The Slovenian forward has spent his entire 18 years playing in Hollywood. Here, he's scored 419 goals and 792 assists while winning two Selke Trophies and two Lady Byng Memorial Trophies, making him one of the team's cornerstones.
Last season, he scored 26 goals and 70 points in 81 games, continuing a vastly underrated career for the two-time Stanley Cup winner. But his best work comes from playing with Quinton Byfield, where the two players gel on the same line. When the duo plays together, Kopitar scores 54 goals, 102 assists, and has a plus/minus of +19 in 177 games with Byfield on his line.
That could cause problems for Adin Hill, given the pair's complimentary brand of hockey. That's where the forecheck comes into play, where Vegas generates pressure and closes down any shooting/passing lanes. With this element, Kopitar becomes neutralized and doesn't get the scoring opportunities he's accustomed to seeing. That also means Hill looks like a mountain, becoming impenetrable.
Will the Los Angeles Kings be challenging for the Vegas Golden Knights this season?
Offensively, it might be tough to score goals on the Los Angeles Kings. They know how to restrict their opponents from doing anything offensively by taking away the neutral zone. This was something the Vegas Golden Knights saw in their playoff series against the Dallas Stars last season. Pete DeBoer didn't give any wiggle room for the Golden Knights to maneuver offensively, leading to Logan Thompson and Adin Hill being peppered with shots.
However, the Kings don't have the offensive firepower that the shoot-happy Stars do. There isn't a Wyatt Johnston or Jason Robertson on their team, giving the Golden Knights more ease of mind. That should help them with countering the attack. By creating turnovers and wearing down Los Angeles, Vegas can establish their attack and get more scoring opportunities throughout the game.
The two teams will be duking it out for a chance to go to the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. That makes these seasonal match-ups crucial, with two points coming to the most worthy franchise. Vegas must go to great lengths to win these games, especially since their divisional rivals will compete, too. Otherwise, it'll be a long season where the Golden Knights will bend the knee... for the Kings.
feed