Playoff hockey games come down to matchups, and matchups act as a chess match. Who has the better pieces? The Kings used to have a reliable fourth line center to play 'chess' with Blake Lizotte, but he could not effectively play up the lineup at center to handle higher tier matchups and remain an impact player. To remedy this, in the 2022-23 season, it seemed that Gabriel Vilardi was the next man up to handle 3C matchups, despite internal and external doubts of his ability to play center in the NHL. Regardless, Vilardi and Kevin Fiala were poised to make an impact in playoff matchups, despite injuries down the stretch. That duo performed well against the Oilers, but the Kings lost their closest series against Edmonton (with a goal against/for of 25-20). In the aftermath of that series and in the offseason, management traded Vilardi in a deal to acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois. Unfortunately, Dubois and Fiala did not mesh well together [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/latest-news/opinion-no-cap-dubois-could-have-bounced-back-in-la], marking the end of external options to strengthen the bottom six center position. In this season, the Kings have finally established a productive third-pairing duo behind the Phillip Danault-Fiala and Anze Kopitar-Adrian Kempe lines, creating matchup challenges for opponents. Los Angeles has allowed Quinton Byfield to play center full-time after a breakout season where he scored 55 points as a winger on the top line. In his last nine games, Byfield has averaged a point per game (6 goals, 3 assists, +10), largely due to his partnership with Warren Foegele. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/game-day/kings-warren-foegele-key-to-quinton-byfields-transition] Together, they have solidified their pairing on the penalty kill, excelling in that area. Byfield's line was a decisive factor in their first matchup against the Oilers this season despite employing an 11-7 lineup. Byfield and Foegele accounted for all four of the Kings' goals, including a game-winning goal by Byfield in overtime. In that game, Byfield's line spent limited time (only 2:43) against Connor McDavid and 2:10 against Leon Draisaitl. Instead, they took advantage of matchups against Adam Henrique, allowing Danault and Kopitar to handle the more formidable opponents. This served as a preliminary test for the line's future performance. In the matchup against Tampa Bay, Byfield and Foegele faced over eight minutes of matchup time (8:34) against the top-line duo of Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. According to Natural Stat Trick, they had a Corsi percentage of 47.83%, outshot their opponents 6-5, but were out-chanced 4-7, and had an equal number of high-danger chances (2-2). The Kings were in flux for most of the game due to the return of three players: Trevor Moore, Trevor Lewis, and Andreas Englund. They continued to rotate players in and out with their successful 11-7 format, managing to cling to a win despite enduring heavy pressure throughout the game (with a scoring chance differential of 13-31 and 3-10 in high-danger chances for and against). They were fortunate, benefiting from Darcy Kuemper's performance, Tampa's struggles to finish, and solid defensive plays from Kings defensemen during the most amount of two-on-ones you'll see in a game all season. The most important takeaway from this game is not merely that they managed to secure an 'ugly' win and extend their home winning streak to nine games —It's that the Byfield-Foegele combination has emerged as a viable third option for winning crucial matchups. Additionally, their head coach is providing them opportunities that no young center in the organization has had while Kopitar and Danault have been in the lineup: facing top-line opponents. If Byfield aims to become a first-line center in this league, this is the way to progress. While he faced challenges in scoring chances and Corsi against two of the league's better players, this experience shows signs of progress. It suggests that management is willing to let him take on more responsibility, and if Byfield can continue to develop in this area, that would be a massive win for the organization. THNLAKKeithFriesWeeklyVideoJan5
