THE POWER OF 18

LOS ANGELES, CA — I’m not big on numerology but the number 18 has interesting meaning attached to it. In China, the alternative pronunciation of resembles the words “going to prosper.” In my religion of Judaism, the Hebrew word for life, “chai” has the value of 18 and many of us wear a chai charm for good look. And in many countries, it’s the age of majority for kids.

With the Los Angeles Kings completing their 18th game Wednesday night in St. Louis, those terms are appropriate for the first dozen and a half matches. Things are trending in the right direction in the midst of a six-game winning streak; they are getting a good share of puck luck and great goaltending and as always. . . #playthekids.

The Good: The Kopi train keeps rolling.

On Tuesday, our friends at nhl.com had Anze Kopitar the West’s top candidate for the Hart Trophy. Given the insane season Connor McDavid is registering, it’s probably as close to the award as the captain will get. Except for four penalty minutes, it’s been a flawless performance.

The Not-so-good: Little Luff for Matt.

It has to be very frustrating for Matt Luff not to find extended ice time. On a team that has found chemistry surprisingly fast, I would have like to see him given a string of games to determine if he could be a productive bottom-six forward. His NHL destiny might be in the Pacific Northwest next season.

The Good: I’m Jake, from Manhattan Beach.

That chirping Dustin Brown got from his son Jake regarding his skill level was as good a motivator as any Darryl Sutter “motivational speech” from back in the day. With his minutes strategically adjusted by Todd McLellan – removing him from the penalty kill, a taxing duty, earlier in the season, Brown looks fresher and more confident around the net, resulting in 11 goals. His finesse move at the net in Monday’s victory over the Blues was one pulled out of the recesses of his toolbox and he stole another goal from a teammate (this time Alex Iafallo) on Wednesday. The man is living right.

The Not-so-good: Penalty killers need love, too. With all the attention the Kings powerplay is getting (and rightfully so, it’s moved from 17.1 to 24.6 percent efficiency), the penalty kill has a higher league ranking – 84.5 percent is seventh best in the NHL, while the PP is ranked 11th. Hey kids, you can make NHL money blocking shots, too.

The Good: A Quick response.

Remember when Jonathan Quick was never going to start a Kings game again after getting pulled in the first game against the Vegas Golden Knights? Cool story. He’s far too prideful a player to admit that the string of games Cal Petersen earned on merit was hurtful. It’s no surprise that he responded to the doubters with action and not words with three straight wins, two via shutouts, and 79 of 81 shots stopped.

The Not-so-good: No 5 star 5-on-5.

Though the team shooting percentage has climbed nicely this season (from 6.0 to just a shade over the league average at 7.9), the need for improvement at 5-on-5 play must continue if they have designs on the West’s fourth playoff position. They are presently last in the league in expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5 when adjusted for score and venue (courtesy: Natural Stat Trick). If you’re not an advanced stat geek (and I’m still learning), just know it’s not-so-good to be last in the league in any category that has “goals” in the title.

The Good: The Vilardi Papers.

Over the last half dozen games there has been definitive progression in Gabe Vilardi, both on and off the ice. There are more glimpses of an elite player – the early third period shift against St. Louis on Wednesday where he took on multiples Blues and retained possession was probably his finest as a King – and a greater awareness of what is necessary to establish himself as a top-six center (yes, faceoffs are important, just ask your Selke Award winning captain) underscores the realization that few go in a straight line from juniors hockey dominance to NHL stardom.

The Not-so-good: Shoot the puck, Gabe. Please.

You’d think an eye-popping 26.3 percent shooting percentage would have a player at the top of the NHL goal scoring list but when you only take a shade over one shot a game (19 SOG in 18 games), the math tells you that player will score once every four games (advanced algebra 😊). He can’t end the season with the same number of shots as Olli Maatta (a strange but true stat).

The Good: They’re (almost) healthy.

L.A. is undefeated since the return of Matt Roy (5-0) and Sean Walker (2-0) to the lineup. While kids like Kale Clague and Austin Strand performed well in their absences, the defense performs at a different level with these two back in the lineup.

The Not-so-good: Sad about JAD

Just when Jaret Anderson-Dolan was ready to claim a stake on the forward wall, he suffered an upper-body injury against Arizona that landed him on injured reserve. His performance on the three-game home stand just prior to the roadtrip displayed his entire toolkit – speed, skill, and smarts. Hopefully, it’s a short IR stay.

The Good: The Kings don’t have the worst contract in the league.

It was written before the start of the season that Drew Doughty possessed the worst contract in the NHL but at least for the first third of this season, that designation has traveled 350 miles north to where Erik Karlsson resides. Not only has his offense resurfaced (4G, 11A) but his advanced stats are trending in the right direction (Relative Corsi, Fenwick and possession quality).  Setting aside the numbers, Doughty’s mental approach to the game has steadied, there’s no-ice outbursts (probably because he’s not facing Calgary and Matthew Tkachuk) and there’s no penalties due to poor decisions making (4 minor penalties).

The Not-so-good: Kempe’s old tricks.

I got chirped nicely from some L.A. loyalists when Adrian Kempe put up three goals in his first five games of the season. This was going to be his breakout offensive season, I was wrong about him being a bottom-six player, etc. With the understanding that he brings a certain dimension to the ice, specifically his zone entry work on a powerplay unit that is tied for fifth in powerplay goals, one goal in his last 13 games is definitely unlucky and isn’t out of character.

And finally, another chapter in saga of . . . . . #playthekids.

Rhetorical questions: Wouldn’t Quinton Byfield’s development be better served by being the 23rd LAK roster player? Even if he never played an NHL game this season, wouldn’t he be learning at the highest level of play by practicing against better players and operating in a winning (and, in the moment, a playoff team) environment as opposed to his current team that is struggling to establish structure and with little on-ice success?