Don't Look Now...LA Kings Center Anze Kopitar Leads The NHL In Scoring

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — Going into the 2009-10 season, one of the keys to the success for the Los Angeles Kings was that their core players must be better than last season, especially center Anze Kopitar.

Although the Kings are just eleven games into the season, to say that Kopitar has shown improvement would be like saying ice is cold.

To coin a phrase, oh what a difference a year makes.

Kopitar has melted the ice to start the season, scoring eight goals while contributing eleven assists for nineteen points in the team's first eleven games.

To say that is a far cry from how he started the 2008-09 season would be, once again, stating the obvious.

Last season, Kopitar got off to a slow start, scoring a goal and adding six assists for seven points in the Kings’ first eleven games. He did not record his nineteenth point until December 5, 2008, in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Six days later, he finally scored his eighth goal of the season, in a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.

Not only has Kopitar totally eclipsed his start to the 2008-09 season, through games played on October 25, 2009, Kopitar leads the National Hockey League in scoring.

Yes, you read that correctly. There is no need to rub your eyes, clean your eyeglasses or get your vision checked.

Kopitar’s early scoring tear has him ranked ahead of the likes of Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin (nine goals, eight assists for seventeen points) and San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (three goals, thirteen assists for sixteen points).

Kopitar is also tied for second in goal scoring and is all alone in second place in assists.

Although it is not at all likely that Kopitar will end the season as the league leader in any of those offensive categories, it gives the Kings confidence and a reason for optimism. After all, when was the last time the Kings had a player who was capable of leading the league in scoring?

One has to look back to the 1993-94 season when The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, finished the season with 38 goals and 92 assists for 130 points, leading the NHL in scoring.

Before the season began, Kings head coach Terry Murray made it clear that the Kings needed more from its young core of skilled players. But he also made it clear that Kopitar has to step up more than the rest.

“Your top players are key guys,” said Murray. “Your key guys have to go out and perform at a high level in critical situations at critical times during the season. Kopitar in particular has got to have a really big bite of this hockey club.”

The addition of Ryan Smyth to the lineup has also had a huge impact, as his offensive skill, his constant presence in front of the net and his ability to get his nose dirty along the boards and in the corners gives Kopitar another scoring threat on his line and creates more space for him to maneuver.

“I think there’s a lot of energy and chemistry on the line and Smyth’s a huge part of that,” said Murray. “His game is that same look where he’s playing around the net, taking it to the net, making little plays in the blue paint where he forces players to come and pound away, looking for loose pucks and rebounds. He has to get some of the credit for it.”

But Murray and President/General Manager Dean Lombardi also deserve some credit, as they pushed their players to improve their strength and conditioning over the summer, which has been quite evident in Kopitar’s hot start.

Perhaps the best example of how added strength and speed has helped Kopitar came on October 22 against the Dallas Stars at Staples Center when he flew up right wing with the puck. Using his speed, he powered his way past Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas, turned and moved to the front of the net where he used his strength to fight off Robidas and his defensive partner, Trevor Daley, before he slipped the puck past Dallas goaltender Alex Auld, just inside the left goal post.

It was a spectacular, highlight-reel goal, to be sure. However, it was one that Kopitar likely would not have scored in previous years because he did not have the strength and speed to do so.

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