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New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes chirped to the Kings last season that people paid to watch him play, but with a six-game win streak, the biggest attraction Wednesday in Newark might be wearing white, black and silver.
Yet these Kings aren’t even thinking about the gate money or anything but enjoying their recent success on the ice.
“When things are rolling like this, it’s fun, it’s not like work,” reporters were told by Kevin Fiala, who has three goals and five points during the Kings’ surge.
Entering Wednesday’s slate of games, the Kings had an active streak twice as long as any other team’s. Their 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday started with one of their strongest periods of the season and finished with a restrained, disciplined final frame.
While captain Anže Kopitar and right-hand man Adrian Kempe each have a team-high seven points across the half-dozen victories, Fiala has been particularly dialed in over the past two contests. He’s played on both power-play units and appeared laser-focused.
“I can’t remember him playing better than that, so that was really good to see,” Kings coach Jim Hiller told reporters on Long Island.
Mikey Anderson’s empty-net goal was the Kings’ league-leading 13th of the season. The third period saw the Islanders strike two posts that helped Darcy Kuemper earn his second consecutive win after being activated from injured reserve.
Not only does the streak stack up favorably against the rest of the league at the moment, it’s approaching one of the longest in franchise history. The Kings haven’t had a six-gamer since November 2021, a tear they extended one more game.
The lengthiest string of consecutive victories in Kings lore is nine, set in the 2009-10 season. Kopitar, along with the injured Drew Doughty and Trevor Lewis, all played on that team, as well as three of the five Kings rosters that won eight straight.
To reach or surpass that level, the Kings will have to get it done on the road during their second seven-game odyssey of the season.
“It was the first game of seven games. We’re excited for this challenge,” Fiala told reporters. “It’s going to be a long road trip, but we’re just going to continue what we’re doing, the same details, tracking, the gaps, playing straight, playing simple, shooting the puck. Whatever we’re doing now, I think we should continue.”
Seeking to impede the Kings’ progress will be the Devils. Their fast start – they are tied with the Kings, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets for the most regulation wins in the NHL – hit a speed bump this week.
They lost 4-0 to the Colorado Avalanche and former Devil Scott Wedgewood, one of two goalies recently added by the Avs. On Tuesday, they outshot the Maple Leafs 39-16 but still lost 2-1, thanks to freshly coronated Toronto captain Auston Matthews’ overtime winner.
Jesper Bratt’s 38 points pace New Jersey, with Hughes and fellow pivot Nico Hischier also enjoying productive campaigns. Goalie Jacob Markström, acquired from Calgary in the offseason, has 13 wins to tie him for third in the NHL.
Kings at New Jersey
When: 4 p.m. Thursday
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
TV: FDSNW
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