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THW's Kings news for 03/20/2021
The latest Kings stories from The Hockey Writers.
03/20/2021 edition:
By Greg Boysen on Mar 20, 2021 08:36 am
This date in National Hockey League history has provided us with a little bit of everything. There were broken records, personal milestones, plenty of hat tricks and one very eventful night in 1993. Let’s take our daily trip back in time to enjoy all the best moments March 20 has given us over the years.
Bobby Hull Has a Huge Date
Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks entered the final game of the regular season on March 20, 1960, trailing Bronco Horvath of the Boston Bruins by one point for the scoring title as the two teams met at Boston Garden. Horvath was injured in the first period while Hull had a goal and an assist during a 5-5 tie to win his first Art Ross Trophy.
Nine years later, on March 20, 1969, the Blackhawks and Bruins skated to another 5-5 tie. Hull scored two goals to give him an NHL-record 55 on the season. His second goal broke his own record of 54 he set during the 1965-66 season. He also became the NHL’s second 100-point scorer just 19 days after Phil Esposito of the Bruins was the first player to hit triple digits in a season.
Boston Bruins Greats Make History
Goaltender Frank Brimsek made 27 saves and the Bruins had 50 shots on goal on March 20, 1941, as they opened their Stanley Cup Semifinals series with a 3-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On the same night Hull scored his 55th goal, Bobby Orr made history as well. The legendary blueliner celebrated his 21st birthday by scoring his 21st goal of the season. This set the single-season record for goals by a defenseman, breaking the old mark set by Flash Hollett during the 1944-45 season. The historic goal game with just one second left in the third period to force the 5-5 draw.
Johnny Bucyk picked up two assists, on March 20, 1971, in a 5-3 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. The two helpers gave him 107 points, tying the single-season NHL record for scoring by a left wing. The win was Boston’s 13th in a row and extended their undefeated streak on home ice to 27 games (26-0-1).
Two new team records were set on March 20, 1993, during a 7-4 loss at the Detroit Red Wings. Ray Bourque picked up his 795th career assist, passing Bucyk for the most in team history. Adam Oates set the team record for the most assists in a season by a center when recorded No. 78.
A Busy Night in 1993
The two records set by the Bruins’ Hall of Famers was just the beginning of a night to remember in 1993. In that same game, John Ogrodnick of the Red Wings scored twice to become the 42nd player in NHL history to score 400 career goals.
In Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux scored four goals for the second straight game to lead the Penguins to a 9-3 win over the rival Flyers. Two nights early, he dropped four on the Washington Capitals in a 7-5 victory.
Brett Hull scored his 50th goal for the fourth straight season in the St. Louis Blues 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Tomas Sandstrom scored in his first night back after missing 21 games with a broken jaw to give the Kings their 500th win in franchise history. Luc Robitaille scored a goal in his 10th straight game and became the first player to lit the lamp against 22 teams in one season.
Alexander Mogilny scored his 70th and 71st goals of the season, while Pat LaFontaine picked up three assists in a 3-1 Buffalo Sabres’ win at the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Patrice Brisebois scored the 9,000th goal in Montreal Canadiens franchise history, while Kirk Muller scored a goal and added three assists in a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.
Defenseman Uwe Krupp scored a goal and added four assists to lead the New York Islanders to a 7-2 win at the Vancouver Canucks.
Hat Tricks on the Menu
Maurice Richard scored his 14th career hat trick on March 20, 1948, with three goals in three different ways. He scored at even strength, a power-play goal and one while shorthanded during a 7-4 Canadiens’ win against the Blackhawks. Montreal set a single-game league record with three shorthanded goals. Eight years later, he extended his Stanley Cup record with his fifth career playoff hat trick, including the game-winning goal, as the Canadiens won 7-1 beat the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals.
Ted Lindsay scored his fourth career hat trick on March 20, 1955, and had two assists to lead the Red Wings to a 6-0 win over the Canadiens. Terry Sawchuk tied his own team record with his ninth straight victory and became the first NHL goaltender to have three 40-win seasons in his career.
Rookie Bernie Nicholls became the first player in Kings’ history to score hat tricks in consecutive games on March 20, 1982, in a 7-5 win against the Penguins.
Mike Bossy scored his 37th career hat trick and had an assist on March 20, 1986, while Denis Potvin picked up four assists as the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-1.
Tony Tanti scored his sixth career hat trick, including an overtime goal to lead the Canucks to a 6-5 win against the visiting Winnipeg Jets. Included was his 68th career power-play goal, a new team record.
Eric Lindros scored his second consecutive hat trick on March 20, 1995, as the Flyers won 8-4 over the visiting Canadiens. He became the second player in franchise history to score three or more goals in back-to-back games.
On that same night, Jason Arnott picked up his first career hat trick, with David Oliver and Doug Weight each earning three assists as the Edmonton Oilers won 5-2 over the visiting Calgary Flames.
Odds & Ends
On March 20, 1918, the Toronto Arenas, now the Maple Leafs, became the first NHL team to play for the Stanley Cup. Reg Noble had two goals and an assist as they beat the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey League 5-3 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Future Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich played in his first NHL game on March 20, 1957, when the Maple Leafs lost 2-1 to the Canadiens.
Two brothers faced each other as opposing goaltenders for the first time on March 20, 1971, when Ken Dryden and the Canadiens beat Dave Dryden and the Sabres 5-2. Neither brother started the game, but Ken was called into duty after Rogie Vachon was injured in the second period. Buffalo coach Punch Imlach immediately pulled starter Joe Daley and inserted Dave for the historic moment.
Guy Lafleur scored a goal to extend his NHL record 23-game point streak on March 29, 1977, in the Canadiens’ 6-1 win against the Blues. One year later, he became the seventh player in team history to score 300 career goals during a 5-1 win at Vancouver.
Also, on March 20, 1978, Bernie Parent became the 13th goaltender in NHL history to record 250 career victories, as the Flyers won 4-2 over the visiting Islanders.
Phil Esposito scored to reach the 40-goal mark for the eighth time in his career on March 20, 1979, to tie Bobby Hull for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history. His goal earned the Rangers a point in a 2-2 tie with the Capitals.
Bryan Trottier scored twice on March 20, 1986, to become the second player in Islanders franchise history to score 350 goals. He also had an assist in New York’s 5-2 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils.
On that same evening, Marcel Dionne picked up an assist to move into second place on the all-time NHL scoring list, passing Esposito, with his 1,591st career point when the Kings lost 6-3 at the Bruins.
In Philadelphia on this night, Tim Kerr became the first Flyer to record three consecutive 50-goal seasons in a 5-1 win over the Penguins. This was head coach Mike Keenan’s 100th victory in his 152nd game, the second-fastest in NHL history.
Paul Coffey became the first defenseman in NHL history to score 100 points in a season with two teams on March 20, 1989, when he was credited with an assist in the Penguins’ 7-2 loss at the Minnesota North Stars.
Wayne Gretzky scored twice on March 20, 1994, to tie Gordie Howe’s all-time goals record with 801 during the Los Angles Kings’ 6-6 tie with the San Jose Sharks.
Bourque scored the final regular-season goal of his remarkable career on March 20, 2001, in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-1 win against the Sharks. This was the 410th goal of his career, still the all-time record for defensemen.
The number 30 was wild on March 20, 2004, as Mats Sundin scored his 30th goal of the season for the 11th time in his career as the Maple Leafs won 5-2 against the visiting Avalanche. The victory marked the ninth 30-win season in the career of goaltender Ed Belfour.
Later that night, Robitaille had a goal and an assist to tie Bucyk for the most points in NHL history for a left with 1,369. The effort wasn’t quite good enough as the Kings were beaten on home ice 4-2 by the Red Wings.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 602nd career goal on March 20, 2018, to pass Jari Kurri for 19th place on the league’s all-time goals list. His league-leading 44th goal of the season helped the Capitals defeat the Dallas Stars 4-3.
Happy Birthday to You
In addition to Orr turning 73 today, 17 other current and former NHL players were born on this date including Charlie Simmer (67), Dennis Wideman (38), Valtteri Filppula (37), Sergei Kostitsyn (34), Nick Leddy (30), Justin Falk (29), Nick Paul (26) Nikolai Knyzhov (23) and Trevor Zegras (20).
By Quinn McLellan on Mar 19, 2021 10:05 am
The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, as it is upon us on April 12, 2021. In the previous two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20), the Los Angeles Kings were out of the playoff picture by the deadline, hence them selling players such as veteran blueliner Jake Muzzin and scoring-winger Tyler Toffoli. However, this season (2020-21), LA is firmly in the playoff picture, as they are fifth in the West Division and are only three points behind St. Louis (with a game at hand) for fourth.
Due to this and LA’s deep prospect pipeline, the Kings are looking to add players who will immediately improve their roster. LA isn’t looking for just any players, though, as they have a specific type of player they are seeking. On TSN Insider Trading, Darren Dreger had this to say about LA’s needs:
”Rob Blake of the Los Angeles Kings is another one looking for a defenceman in the category that Pierre just described, 25 and under. But he specifically wants a dynamic, left-shot defenceman. When you look at the Los Angeles Kings, they do have an abundance of forwards, particularly at centre ice. I’m reminded of the big trade that involved the Columbus Blue Jackets a few years back, and the Nashville Predators. Ryan Johansen for Seth Jones if something like that could be worked out by Rob Blake, then he’d do that in a heartbeat”.
The Kings have a great prospect pipeline and many up-and-coming star young centers they could trade to acquire a defenceman. Should LA pursue a deal in the mold of the Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen trade, they will have to think big. Here are three blueliners who fit the criteria of Jones’ potential and ability when he was traded in 2016.
Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin has struggled mightily this season on an abysmal Buffalo Sabres team. Despite this, it’s a pipe dream to consider Buffalo shipping off the 20-year-old blueliner who they selected first overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Dahlin started his career off with a bang with a historic rookie season. As a rookie, Dahlin produced 44 points, which ranks second all-time among 18-year-old defencemen behind Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Housley. In his sophomore season, Dahlin exploded offensively, gathering 40 points in only 59 games played. He has shown he can be a dynamic defender, though he’s struggled in 2020-21.
Dahlin has the worst plus/minus in the entire league in 2020-21. In 28 games played, he has a minus-27 rating and has a goals for (GF%) of 21.62 percent. His 0.39 points per game (P/G) this season is much lower than his prior two seasons, where he had 0.54 P/G and 0.69 P/G. Despite Buffalo’s struggles and getting stuck in their own zone, his hits per game (0.93) and blocks per game (0.82) are set to be career lows. Buffalo Sabres’ superstar center Jack Eichel has been in the rumour mill as a trade candidate for a while now. (From ‘Jack Eichel trade talk, real or perceived, will only grow with every Sabres loss’, The Athletic, 2/18/21).
This makes the idea of Buffalo possibly trading Dahlin seem less preposterous. Although Buffalo isn’t likely to part ways with him, he would fit the Kings’ needs.
A trade would be tricky due to Dahlin’s potential and his successful first two seasons. A potential deal would have to include either Quinton Byfield or Alex Turcotte. If Turcotte was the centrepiece of the deal, a young roster player or prospect, along with a high-end pick (first or second round), would have to be part of the package.
Mikhail Sergachev
A deal with Tampa Bay would have to occur after the 2021 Playoffs. The Lightning are arguably the best team in the league at this point, and the reigning Stanley Cup champions will not be sellers at the trade deadline. However, they will be in a cap crunch once Nikita Kucherov is healthy and no longer on long-term injury reserve (LTIR).
The Bolts currently have $0 in available salary cap space, and this is with the $9.5 million in salary-cap relief they have gained by placing Kucherov on the LTIR. Tampa will have to move some contracts, and 22-year-old Mikhail Sergachev could be a victim of the cap crunch.
Out of all of Tampa’s left-handed defencemen, Sergachev gets the least playing time. Victor Hedman plays 25:34 minutes per game, while Ryan McDonagh has an average time on ice of 22:31. Meanwhile, Sergachev’s average time on ice is 21:49. Both Hedman and McDonagh have trade protection. Hedman has a no-movement clause, while McDonagh boasts a no-trade clause. Sergachev has no no-trade protection in his contract.
Sergachev is blossoming into one of the NHL’s premier offensive defencemen, as between 2017-18 to 2019-20, he always had between 32-40 points seasons. In 2020-21, his offensive ability has gotten even better, as he has 19 points in 29 games played, tied for 16th among blueliners.
Sergachev also provides great defensive ability. In 256 career games played, he has thrown 343 hits (1.33 hits per game) and blocked 299 shots (1.2 blocks per game). Should LA attempt to acquire him, they would need to utilize a similar package to the Turcotte option I proposed for a Dahlin trade.
Ty Smith
The 17th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Ty Smith will inevitably garner some Calder Trophy votes at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. The 20-year-old blueliner has played in 26 games and posted 13 points, tied for third on the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are an offensively starved team, and the Kings have plenty of young forwards they could exchange with New Jersey.
The Kings’ 21-year-old rookie forward Gabriel Vilardi, who they drafted 11th overall in 2017, was expected to be a Calder Trophy contender heading into the 2020-21 season and has lived up to expectations. The Kings have an abundance of young centers, including Quinton Byfield, Turcotte, Tyler Madden and Jaret Anderson-Dolan (a gritty and highly skilled rookie). The Kings don’t necessarily need Vilardi, especially if a deal to acquire Smith could be hashed out.
Could swapping the two Calder Trophy contenders to help fill each teams needs be possible?
Smith isn’t just good offensively, as he provides value inside his own zone. With him on the ice (at even strength), New Jersey generates 55.75 percent of the scoring chances (SCF%). For perspective, the Devils SCF% this season is 51.17 percent, meaning a rookie blueliner is outperforming his team’s SCF%. His 24 hits (0.92 per game) are impressive for a 5-foot-10 rookie; additionally, he has blocked 18 shots.
To Conclude
According to Dreger, Rob Blake would want to make a deal similar to the Johansen for Jones blockbuster. However, not many left-shot defencemen fit this criterion.
If LA does attempt to acquire a dynamic young defenceman, they will probably have to give up at least one of their young centers. However, LA has a deep prospect pipeline and numerous young centers. Should any of these defencemen (or one of their caliber) become available, LA should jump at the chance to snatch them up.
Stats per: Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick, and QuantHockey
By Eddy Jones on Mar 18, 2021 02:50 pm
Los Angeles Kings’ prospect Quinton Byfield is making his case for an NHL debut as he continues to excel for the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League. 15-year old forward and exceptional status grantee Connor Bedard has gotten off to a hot start to his young WHL career with eight points in four games played. For the first time in history, the Hockey East Championship game will feature the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Byfield Making Bid For NHL Debut
Kings’ prospect Byfield is enjoying life with the Reign in the AHL. He has points in each of his last three games and goals in back-to-back games. His goals were his first power play and shorthanded goals on his young professional career. Byfield is one of several rookies playing a key role in the Reign lineup, a list that includes; Arthur Kaliyev, Samuel Fagemo, Akil Thomas, Aidan Dudas, Alex Turcotte, and Tyler Madden, among others.
THW’s Zackary Weiner broke down why Byfield was the perfect fit for the Kings’ organization after he was drafted last October.
Although the Kings don’t need another center, Byfield shouldn’t be considered a waste of a pick positionally. There is no doubt that Kopitar is going to move on from Los Angeles eventually, so the team is going to need a true number one center to take his place. Although the Kings have lots of center prospects, none have the abilities that Byfield does. In other words, the Kings have a lot of pretty good, but no one that would be able to seamlessly take over for Kopitar. Byfield could be that guy. This is really important for LA’s transition from the rebuilding Kings to the Stanley Cup playoff Kings. The team revolves around Kopitar, and he is the clear leader of the squad. The transition to being a more competitive team will go that much more smoothly with Byfield being able to take the reins.
Byfield has three goals and seven assists in 17 games played this season. Selected second overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the 2019-20 season in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves. He amassed an impressive 32 goals and 50 assists for 82 points in 45 games played. He finished fifth in the league in points per game with 1.82 and led the Wolves in scoring. He represented Canada at both the 2020 and 2021 World Junior Championships winning a gold and silver medal, respectively.
Bedard Off to Exceptional Start to Rookie WHL Season
Bedard has lived up to the hype in his rookie WHL season, recording four goals and four assists for eight points in his first four games played. The North Vancouver native became the first WHL player to be granted exceptional status, and he certainly has proven that it was for a good reason. He’s immediately become the key piece of the Regina Pats offense on a team that missed the playoffs last season, and he’s done so at only 15-years of age.
Fans of junior hockey will be spoiled over the next two years, with two players granted exceptional status vying for the top spots in the 2022 and 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Shane Wright tore up the OHL as a 15-year old last season with 39 goals and 27 assists for 66 points in 58 games played. Bedard follows in his footsteps as the likely first overall selection for the 2023 draft. However, it’s not a lock, as Russian phenom Matvei Michkov is making a compelling case to go first overall in 2023.
Bedard started the 2020-21 season on loan in Sweden with HV71 in the J20 Nationell, where he recorded two goals and two assists for four points in four games played. During the 2019-20 season, Bedard amassed 43 goals and 41 assists for 84 points in only 36 games played for West Van Academy Prep in the CSSHL U18.
Hockey East Championship Game Set
The Hockey East Championship game is set, and for the first time in history, the University of Massachusetts Amherst will take on the University of Massachusetts Lowell. It was a comfortable victory for UMass as they dismantled Providence by a final score of 5-2. Junior forward Bobby Trivigno led the way with one goal and two assists, while New York Rangers prospect Zac Jones had one goal and one assist, and Nashville Predators prospect Marc Del Gaizo also had one goal and one assist.
UMass Lowell pulled off an unbelievable comeback after trailing 4-1 to Boston College midway through the third period. They eventually won the game 6-5 in overtime off of a game-winning goal from sophomore forward Matt Brown. Senior defenseman Anthony Baxter led the way with two goals, and Kings’ prospect Andre Lee finished one goal and one assist. Minnesota Wild prospect Matthew Boldy had four assists, and Colorado Avalanche prospect Alex Newhook had two goals and three assists for Boston College in the loss.
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