The surprising thing about it all is that the Kings, so often an advanced stats darling, have been anything but to start the year. This is a team that has had to lean heavily on goaltending more than normal as it finds itself on the wrong end of a lot of possession battles. LA is still winning, though, and showing few signs of slowing.
Jonathan Quick's contributions to the hot start to the season would be difficult to overstate. In games the Kings were just getting killed in possession, Quick has been standing tall to the tune of a .953 save percentage. He already has two shutouts in seven games.
Driving the Kings' success on the other end of the ice that has been the offensive juggernaut known as "That 70s Line." Jeff Carter (No. 77), Tyler Toffoli (No. 73) and Tanner Pearson (No. 70) have combined for 33 points including 16 of Los Angeles' 22 goals.
It would appear that not even the Kings could sustain this kind of early-season success that has been driven by Quick's goaltending and one line's absurd shooting percentage of 30.7. However, when those numbers regress, the Kings have the personnel to pick it up in other areas to ensure the drop-off isn't as severe as it would be for other teams.
The Kings have gotten a little good fortune on the road to a 6-1-1 start. The fact that they're doing this without playing their best hockey, it's frightening to think about what happens when they play better.
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