The Los Angeles Kings had a tremendous 5-2 victory against rival Vegas Golden Knights on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings lit up the arena by scoring four goals in the third period. Kudos to head coach Jim Hiller and his coaching staff for experimenting with different line combinations and then finally finding the right mixture which added fuel to the fire.
One very special concoction, which turned out to be a wise decision, was moving Adrian Kempe to join the line with Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala. Both Byfield and Fiala have been major contributors as of late, so the addition of Kempe, one of the most underrated forwards in the NHL, was a great idea.
The results were pleasing as Kempe and Byfield each had assists on the final two goals, one by Joel Edmundson and the final goal of the game by Fiala.
In the post-game press conference with Hiller, he was asked about moving Kempe to that successful line.
“I thought the last two or three shifts of the second period they gave us some life, brought some energy into the building,” said Hiller. “We just discussed that, should we keep them together? We don’t usually do that, and we felt like we had them going, they had some energy, so let’s give them a run. They were really good, clearly, made a big difference. They made a big difference and looked really good doing it. So, I don’t know if we’ll see it again, or if we’ll see it again next game, or whenever. I’m sure at some point, but we’ll talk about it as a coaching staff.”
It seems as if it would behoove the Kings coaching staff to continue utilizing this special line. It would be challenging for opponent’s defensive lines to contain them.
There’s just one concern. Captain Anze Kopitar and Kempe have played on the same line together for several years now. Which Kings player would the Kings partner with Kopitar? Maybe Kempe could switch back and forth during the game.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Hiller decides to continue to incorporate the Kempe-Byfield-Fiala line. More will be revealed as time marches on in the run to the playoffs.