Seven Days: Los Angeles (Pacific - 1st)

It's been a bumpy road but the Kings are certainly playing top-tier hockey most of the time.

Offense:
The second line is producing - Milan Lucic, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli, who has been on fire all season. Tanner Pearson is playing well on the first line. Anze Kopitar is a both ends kind of player and is doing more than numbers can say.

Defense:
Drew Doughty had a good week. He usually does. The top four here are pretty solid - if Christian Ehrhoff can put in tight minutes, the defense is top-tier.

Goalies:
Jonathan Quick is a very good goalie when his team is playing tight. He might be the toughest goalie in the league when the puck is on the ice. When he lets in 3 or more goals, you know the defense was having trouble. Jhonas Enroth, from Buffalo, is another solid backup.

Next Seven:
Tuesday at Philadelphia
Friday at Detroit
Sunday at Carolina

Another week where I expect Los Angeles to win three.

6pts

Last Seven:
Loss 3 - 2 Arizona
Win 2 - 1 New York Islanders
Win 4 - 3 Edmonton

I would have expected a perfect week. The loss to the Coyotes might be a match-up issue - they lost to them earlier in the season as well. It is probably just a fluke - they carried the play mostly.

Injuries:
No major injuries last week.

seven days Nov. 9th - 15th