Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar joined NHL Live to discuss his recent performance and the play of the Kings.
At 17-11-7, the defending Stanley Cup champions are in fourth place in the Pacific Division. The Kings, who lost 4-3 in overtime to the Calgary Flames on Monday, resume their season Saturday following the holiday break against the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVA, SN).
"We are in the playoff picture right now, which is where we want to be," Kopitar said. "But at the same time we certainly realize that we haven't played our best hockey yet. We're still right there in the mix, that's encouraging. We're going to work on our game and try and get better."
Named the NHL's First Star for the week ending Dec. 21, Kopitar led the League with nine points and eight assists in three games, including career-highs of four points and five assists in the Kings' 6-4 win against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 18. He added three more assists for his sixth multi-point game of the season in a 4-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 20.
Kopitar is on a four-game assist streak (1-9-10), tying the longest assist streak by a Kings player this season. He has 10 points in his past four games, with six coming on the power play, and has thrived centering a line with Marian Gaborik and Jeff Carter.
"I think every single player will tell you that when you build some chemistry, I'm not going to say it's easy to play, but it's definitely easier because you somewhat know where the guy is going to be on the ice," Kopitar said. "Having Jeff Carter on the line certainly doesn't hurt us either because he's a very good player. Right now we have some chemistry developed and we're going to work at it and try to get better."
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