The Kings are among the league's worst in offense. However, their top-6 forwards have scored 26 of the Kings' 29 goals that have come from forwards.
That is actually a very good pace for a top-6, even though their total offense comes in at 23rd in the league, and was 27th until Saturday's 5-2 rout of Minnesota.
For example, 12th-ranked Tampa Bay has received 28 goals from their top-6—or for a higher comparison, 36 goals from top-6 forwards from third-ranked Boston.
So it's really not to say the Kings' top forwards are not getting it done. In fact, they are doing just fine. It's the meager three-goals that the Kings have scored from players outside the top lines that are the key.
Terry Murray has had a rotation of players on the bottom pairings of Jarret Stoll, Dustin Penner, Brad Richardson, Trevor Lewis, Kevin Westgarth, Ethan Moreau, Trent Hunter, Kyle Clifford and recent injury-recovered Colin Fraser.
From these nine players, just Fraser, Stoll and Clifford have found twine. Once each. And also should be noted, Colin Fraser has suited up just two games since coming off IR.
Depth was easily a strong suit for this team heading into the season, as were the stars Kopitar and Richards.
But you can't ask three or four players to carry the squad. Kopitar is third in the league in scoring and on pace to have a career year. Simon Gagne and Justin Williams also look poised to overtake their point totals from last season.
So where do the Kings go from here? Almost 20 games in, and the bottom-6 forwards haven't found their rhythm. Is a trade in order to find some help? Or perhaps a call up for Andrei Loktionov, Marc-Andre Cliche or Justin Azevedo, the leading scorers of the Manchester Monarchs? (It should be noted that Loktionov was...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
