That '70s Line 2.0 Delivering Critical Offense for Los Angeles Kings

The forward unit comprised of Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic last spring as the Los Angeles Kings took home their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

In a different incarnation in 2014-15—Dwight King has replaced the injured Pearson—That ‘70s Line is providing critical offense yet again.

Legitimate concern over whether the team would even reach the postseason has been swapped for optimism following a six-game winning streak. L.A. has closed the gap in the Pacific Division and regained the Western Conference's second wild-card spot, and much of the recent turnaround has stemmed from the second line catching fire once more.

Despite offering a different look, the group remains deadly.

Production

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The most dramatic statistical change involves King, who has posted eight points and a plus-seven rating in the past six contests. Over the previous 50 games, the hulking winger had managed just 13 points and a minus-eight rating.

Identified as one of the club’s key underperformers earlier in the season, the 25-year-old has settled nicely into his role of late.

Carter and Toffoli have also benefited from this configuration:

	TOI	GF60	GF%
Carter with King	208:07	4.04	60.9
Carter without King	501:45	2.75	57.5
Toffoli with King	177:02	4.74	66.7
Toffoli without King	379:52	3.95	64.1

In the past six games, Carter has racked up nine points and a plus-five rating. In the six outings prior to that, he’d managed four points and a minus-two rating.

Toffoli, meanwhile, has registered nine points and a plus-six rating compared to three points and a minus-two rating in those respective spans.

During this streak, That '70s Line 2.0 has accounted for 13 of the team's 23 goals. From a strictly offensive standpoint, it has made all the difference.

This group’s success becomes even more important when considering the lackluster showings from big guns Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik. The duo has combined for just two goals in the past 12 games.

Too often this season, the first line has seemingly drifted through the motions, sitting back and waiting for another group to carry the load. When that happens, the Kings can scrape out hard-earned wins. When the attack dries up, extended losing streaks come to the fore.

As we enter the stretch run, Carter, Toffoli and King are thankfully riding red-hot streaks. Virtually everything they touch turns into goals: 

Perhaps most importantly, the new-look second line has generated the game’s opening marker in three of the past six contests (Toffoli vs. Tampa Bay, Toffoli vs. Calgary and King vs. Washington).

The Kings are 17-2-7 when scoring first. When conceding first, they’re 10-16-5. The influx of early offense has helped to offset a defense that has allowed the eighth-most first-period goals in the entire league. 

Goals are critical at this juncture, but they’ve been positively monumental under the team’s current circumstances.

Maintaining this level of production will play a significant role in determining the fate of L.A.’s playoff push.

Chemistry

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With the fleet-footed Pearson in tow, That ‘70s Line operates at a breakneck pace, overwhelming the opposition with raw speed and creativity.

However, it’s also something of a one-trick pony. Once foes caught on to the trio's designs and game-planned to stifle their rush opportunities, there wasn’t much offense to speak of anymore.

Moreover, because Carter, Toffoli and Pearson were so committed to their run-and-gun style, they’d often cheat for offense and pay the price defensively.

King offers a wrinkle to the line’s composition. He doesn’t stall its transition game, but he adds heft in the trenches, battling for pucks in the corners and parking his 6’4”, 230-pound frame in front of the net to create havoc.

That’s a quality the 6’1”, 200-pound Pearson doesn’t quite possess.

As a result of this tweak, the second line has improved its puck possession. King's ability in the dirty areas is clear, but it's a tad unheralded as it relates to limiting time spent in the defensive zone:

	CF60	CA60	CF%
Carter with King	65.16	49.30	56.9
Carter without King	64.45	51.54	55.6
Toffoli with King	70.16	46.77	60.0
Toffoli without King	66.34	51.33	56.4

This mitigates Carter's defensive shortcomings and allows the team to initiate a breakout.

To go with his size and knack for board play, King can extend plays for the Kings with his tremendous stick. He constantly finds the puck in traffic and takes smart angles to seal off his side on the forecheck.

On Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche, he simply didn't quit, hunting down the biscuit until Toffoli retrieved possession. Seconds later, Carter tied the game at 1-1:

Toffoli sticks to his bread and butter, firing pucks on goal from anywhere on the ice. No L.A. forward attempts more shots, and only 11 NHL forwards boast a higher iCorsi/60 this season. Ordinarily, that might not pose much of a threat. With a massive winger by his side to feed him and prolong shifts on attack, merely directing pucks toward the net can yield solid production.

Carter, for his part, can break a game open with both his lethal shot and deceptive wheels. Even at age 30, he continues to surprise defenders with his stride, blowing by them in the neutral zone to manufacture scoring chances:

Together, this line provides a healthy mix of grunt work, pace, finish and playmaking ability. It doesn’t skew too far toward any particular attribute, which has diversified its approach and increased the difficulty in stopping its charge.

That (Revised) '70s Line can come at you in a number of ways.

Outlook

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Losing Pearson was obviously a considerable blow, as his motor and shot are missed in the forward corps.

However, King's addition to the second unit has produced vital offense for a team that can't rely on consistently sound defense at the moment.

L.A. must score early and often—with an emphasis on "early"—to mask the deficiencies in its end. The Kings know their poor starts have already cost them points, so receiving this kind of boost from That '70s Line 2.0 is huge.

Granted, a one-line offense is far from ideal, but if one group must put the team on its back, at least this one has struck a strong sense of balance.

Advanced statistics courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.