Like clockwork, every season the Los Angeles Kings hit that second-half swoon. Thursday night, they had all of the Staples Center swooning over more than just the throwback Forum uniforms and Barry Melrose's old mullet.
Kings forward Tyler Toffoli had a lot to do with it. It was his seventh game back after sitting out with mono, but it seems like he never left. Toffoli registered his first career hat trick in the Kings' 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames, Thursday night, giving him six goals since his return.
"I thought we played a really, really solid game," Toffoli said. "When we play like that it's a lot more fun. Especially when we're winning."
And Toffoli's second line had a lot more to do with it, scoring four of the Kings' five goals and combining for nine points and a plus-nine rating on the night.
Despite Tanner Pearson's absence, the line looks a lot more like it did when the Kings were nearly unbeatable. Moving Carter back to his natural second-line center position and Dwight King up to that line when Pearson was injured was instrumental in creating much-needed offensive production.
One, two, three... three. https://t.co/2g5wtbiOa2
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 13, 2015
"I think we're moving our feet and getting pucks to the net," Toffoli said. "I think we're moving pucks fast coming out of our zone quickly and that's where we're getting a lot of our chances on the rush."
"The last three or four games, I think he and that line have carried us," said Kings coach Darryl Sutter.
It was a big moment for Toffoli, the team's leading scorer at only 22 years old. His contract is up after this season and he's proven himself to be a spark for a team has been desperately trying to catch fire.
"Ty's real strong in his own end," said linemate Jeff Carter. "He plays the right way. For a young guy, that's pretty impressive. He battles on walls and makes plays to the centerman, which makes my life a lot easier. He's a smart kid, and he gets it, so hopefully he can keep it going."
But as big as that moment may have been, right now, two points might be even bigger.
Tyler Toffoli talking about hats https://t.co/0UlOafK9XX
— Abbey Mastracco (@AbbeyMastracco) February 13, 2015
"It was exciting and it was a personal accomplishment," Toffoli said. "But this time of year it's huge to get wins and it's our third straight. We've got to keep going."
The Kings are now riding a three-game, six-point win streak and have earned eight points since the All-Star break. In typical L.A. Kings fashion, it's looking as though they'll need every game of the regular season to make it into the postseason, but knocking off a divisional opponent like Calgary is an extremely beneficial start.
With 60 points, they're now three back from a playoff spot in the wild card and four away in the Pacific Division.
"The difference tonight was that we capitalized on our chances," Carter said. "Not a lot needs to be said in this room. If you looked around the room before the game, you could tell that everyone was ready. Everyone realized what tonight was about and it was a big win for us."
