The Los Angeles Kings have picked up back-to-back wins after defeating the Winnipeg Jets and the Anaheim Ducks. The season will have its ups and downs, and with the Kings getting wins under their belt, their offense gives cause for concern. The productivity of their top duo largely buoys the Kings' offense. Anze Kopitar has continued to fight back father time, pacing himself to what could potentially be his second most productive season in his career (on pace for 80+ points, 27p in 24gp). Adrian Kempe is quietly having one of his best starts to the season. He has 23 points in 24 games and has scored six goals in his last ten games. Kempe led the team in points last season and is on pace to match that output. The season prior, right behind Kempe, was Kevin Fiala, who has yet to produce to his contract value as the highest-paid forward on the roster. Fiala has 14 points in 23 games and has yet to put together his usual string of games where he dishes out multi-point efforts. Four of his eight goals have come on the powerplay, where he's been a force in the past. He leads the team in powerplay goals, but that's not saying much, as the team's powerplay has been mostly dysfunctional since the start of the year. Fiala's lack of production doesn't hide that the other top six members have also yet to produce to par. Players like Phillip Danault or Trevor Moore might receive a different salary than Fiala, but they are expected to deliver. Moore has two goals in his last twenty, matching Danault's goal productivity in the same span. Danault's lack of production (albeit scoring a massive goal against Winnipeg just two games prior) is rapidly becoming a concern, given his age, now north of 30, and his price tag above five million. The lack of production is just as concerning for Moore as he was exceptional at even strength last season. Per Moneypuck.com, he was the 20th most productive forward at even strength (45 points). Both Moore and Danault are on pace to their usual output at even strength, yet both have been absent on the powerplay. The Kings have scored ten goals in their last five games, averaging two goals per game. They've scored four goals or more eight times this season (24 games). They dropped one of those games to Ottawa (8-7 OTL) and produced outstanding wins against Vegas (6-3), Minnesota (5-1), and Winnipeg (4-1). They are 7-0-1 in those eight games where they've scored four goals or more. In games where they score three goals or less, they are a lackluster 6-8-2. The record indicates that they have somewhat found timely scoring in the games they've won, but their scoring is also precarious to their overall playing scheme early on. Does this trend bode well for the Kings, as they struggle to balance brilliant defensive metrics with inconsistent goal-scoring [https://x.com/LordsOfTheRinks/status/1862232384630087823]? With this organization, it's a tale as old as time. With the Kings dealing with different faces and personnel in various spots, we could be in store for quite the reckoning if secondary goal-scoring doesn't step up. Back at the Crypt Episode 4 - Made with Clipchamp
