Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is retiring at the end of this year. But with the way he's been playing lately, he's not interested in letting his career end without a fight to get into the post-season.
This is it for the Los Angeles Kings. The final regular-season stretch of the remaining nine games on the schedule will either be a dramatic path into the playoffs, or it's how the legacy and NHL career of Anze Kopitar ends.
As tight as the race for a wild-card spot has been in the Western Conference, the Kings have been inconsistent all year long. But since the coaching change, firing Jim Hiller and D.J. Smith becoming the interim head coach, Kopitar has made it his mission to extend what will be his final season in the NHL.
Since March 1, the day that Hiller was fired, Kopitar has been one of the best-performing Kings. The same can be said for both of his linemates on Los Angeles' top line with Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe.
In that 14-game span, Kopitar has scored six goals and 11 points, about as good a stretch as he had all season. On a side note, he also has seven points in his last nine appearances.
Since Smith has become the bench boss, Panarin leads the way with seven goals and 15 points, while Kempe - who's been dealing with an injury - has recorded five goals and 13 points in as many contests.
It's clear that Kopitar has had a boost in his game since the coaching change. Under Hiller this season, he averaged 0.52 points per game and was the eighth-best scorer on the Kings. But once the calendar flipped to March, the captain led by example on the ice.
Anze Kopitar (James Guillory-Imagn Images)To his credit, there is more to his jump in production than just a new leading voice behind the bench.
As the season winds down, the idea of the Kings potentially missing the playoffs, and Kopitar's career coming closer to the end, is becoming a reality, and that doesn't look lost on the veteran center.
The 38-year-old knows that it's time to leave everything he's got left in the tank out on the ice. And if Los Angeles fails to make the post-season, Kopitar has proven that he's not going out without a fight and honest effort.
The blood, sweat and tears that Kopitar has been putting into this organization as of late look to be rubbing off on his teammates.
Aside from his aforementioned linemates, players such as Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, Brandt Clarke, Trevor Moore, and even newcomer Scott Laughton have seen a boost in their individual production, even if this month is a smaller sample size compared to the rest of this campaign.
With the ups and several downs the Kings have experienced this season, there's no certain answer as to where this team will be beyond April 18. But the city of Los Angeles can count on Kopitar to give his best effort for the logo on his sweater, even in season No. 20.
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