The Kings are 10-2-1 after their 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Their 21 points in 13 games is tied for the best start in team history, matching their 13-game total to start 1980-81. They have done it in the absence of center Jeff Carter, which they could not have been done last season. Carter, who's out after having surgery to repair a cut on his left leg, led them with 66 points and 32 goals, which was 16.1 percent of their 199.
Without him, Anze Kopitar (15 points) and Dustin Brown (13 points) have carried the load offensively.
The 2-1 overtime win against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 28 was a big indicator for me on how good this team is. Forward Tyler Toffoli scored on a perfect face-off win by Kopitar with 0.9 seconds remaining in overtime.
General manager Rob Blake, coach John Stevens and the staff, including assistant coach Pierre Turgeon, who was hired as sort of an offensive coordinator, has done a great job. It was a unique role for Turgeon, but we've seen the dividends with the Kings averaging 3.38 goals per game.
Jonathan Quick arguably is the best goalie in the League right now. He's 8-2-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. The Kings have proven they can win close, low-scoring games, but now they've shown they can also win high-scoring games.