For the Kings, it starts at the back end. Jonathan Quick has been unbelievable in net for LA, winning eight of his first nine starts, while posting a fantastic .942 save percentage. His backup has been no slouch either. Jonathan Bernier has been about as good as you can hope a backup tender to be, with a 2.26 goals against average.
It helps when you have one of the best young defensemen in the league playing in front of you, in Drew Doughty. Doughty has missed some time, playing in just seven games, but will still be a force back there when he gets healthy. The Kings have another up-and-comer on the blue line, in Jack Johnson, who has nine points on the season, followed by several solid role players, including Rob Scuderi.
The Kings have spent a lot of time developing their forward lines, and have added a solid mix of veterans as well. Captain Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar represent the core of Los Angeles and have performed well early, combining for 20 points in the early going. Wayne Simmonds is another youngster with star potential, after posting 40 points in 2009-2010, just his second season.
Justin Williams has been the most impressive of the vets early on. After scoring just 29 points for the Kings in 2009-10, Williams is off to a hot start, with 14, including six goals. Ryan Smyth, nearing his 1,000th career game, has also been adding points to the stat sheet, with nine and putting up a very good plus-8. Michael Handzus brings the brawn to the forward lines, ce...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings