What Detroit Red Wings Must Do to Slow Down Los Angeles Kings' 'That 70s Line'

Through the first couple weeks of the 2014-15 season, the Los Angeles Kings' "That '70s Line" has picked up from where it left off in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The line of Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli has come together to tally 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 NHL points and tons of points for me in fantasy hockey.

Their chemistry on the ice, production to date and ability to keep churning out points has been unprecedented, especially when you consider how they came together in Los Angeles.

Tanner Pearson was passed over during the 2011 draft and was selected 30th overall in 2012. Carter and his "untradeable" contract went to Columbus, and he was jettisoned to L.A. after only wearing the Blue Jackets uniform for 39 games. Toffoli, on the other hand, was a prospect drafted way back in 2010, and he made it to the NHL for the majority of last season.

No matter how you slice it, this line was not created through conventional means. You have a league veteran, a rookie and another youngster who is getting his feet wet in the NHL.

To date, only the Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins have been able to keep this line in check. So heading into Detroit's matchup with the Kings, what must the Red Wings do to slow down "That '70s Line"?

The Penguins shut out the Kings during Thursday's game, and the Red Wings should have been taking notes while watching. In addition, the Wings should apply some of the things they did against the Washington Capitals during their latest victory.

The Penguins were successful against L.A. because they were able to match the physicality that the Kings bring to the table on a constant basis. The Kings tallied 32 hits, and the Penguins tallied 33. Prior to facing the Kings, the Penguins had been averaging 29.5 hits a game, so they took it up a level against L.A. to level the playing field.

This in turn helped neutralize "That '70s Line" to a degree, but it was the Penguins' aggressiveness that played a huge role in earning the victory.

It was similar to what Sean Couturier and the Flyers did against L.A., as the Broad Street Bullies made it a point to take away time and space from Pearson, Carter and Toffoli. Philly got physical as well, but that is something that the Red Wings won't be able to do, so we will focus on what Detroit can do.

Detroit is not a physical team by any stretch of the imagination, as they currently rank 22nd in the league in registered hits. This is not to say that they are a soft team, as Niklas Kronwall is as tough as they come. While the Red Wings won't be able to match the Kings' physicality, they will be able to use their speed, aggressiveness on the forecheck and versatility of two-way players throughout the lineup.

Both Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are preeminent offensive two-way forwards. Both can skate well, score a big goal and make a defensive stop when they need to. Both have played very well this season after rebounding from injuries, and both will have to come up big against the Kings.

The Wings' top line currently consists of the two aforementioned players, and Justin Abdelkader. I wrote in detail about Abdelkader's progress so far this season here, so I won't repeat myself too much. Abdelkader has a reputation for being a solid player in his own end, a great skater and he has added offense to his game this year.

Right now his overall skill set aligns perfectly with the game Zetterberg and Datsyuk are trying to play. That game involves puck possession, being smart in all three zones and playing with urgency.

The wheels and hands of both Zetterberg and Datsyuk allow them to push the play, and it also enables them to get back quickly when the team is transitioning from offense to defense.

Abdelkader can be successful along with Zetterberg and Datsyuk if he does things like this when "That '70s Line" has the puck.

Ideally, Datsyuk should be able to shutdown Carter, Zetterberg can target Toffoli and Abdelkader can take Pearson. Carter is a tremendous offense player and scorer, but his odds aren't good in a two-way battle with Datsyuk.

He isn't as good at dishing the puck as he is shooting it, so if Datsyuk can smother him, he could be prone to turnover the puck. Zetterberg, on the other hand, has more experience than Toffoli, and he could exploit that inexperience if the situation arises.

That leaves the shifty and physical Abdelkader to tackle Pearson, and that should be a good matchup since the young scorer hasn't shown that he can play a very physical game thus far into his NHL career.

In essence, the Wings present a solid challenge to "That '70s Line," and something that the team hasn't encountered that much to date. The Kings' top line has had success scoring off the rush, and it will be interesting to see how the Kings' young wingers matchup with two of the NHL's top veteran two-way forwards.

If history repeats itself, it should be a low-scoring game, because that is what has happened with similar opponents the Kings have faced in 2014-15.

Thus far, only the St. Louis Blues and Flyers have been able to throw out a line that can prevent "That '70s Line" from running amuck while being a threat to score as well. In both those games, the Kings scored two or fewer goals, because the team had solid two-way players that could score and put pressure on the Kings' top line.

In offense vs. offense battles, the Kings have generally been successful, but their top line will be put to a test against a Red Wings team that is fourth in the league with fewest goals allowed per game. When you look at the team Detroit has built, it is one that puts an emphasis on defensive two-way play.

If Detroit can continue to play a strong defensive two-way game, receive quality goaltending from Jimmy Howard and have their top line go toe-to-toe against the trio of Pearson, Carter and Toffoli, there's a good chance the Red Wings will be victorious.

All stats via NHL.com unless mentioned.