Kings host Avalanche, aim for 6th straight winThe Los Angeles Kings were never in a playoff race this season, but that hasn't prevented them from having an impact on the standings lately.The Kings will try for their sixth consecutive win when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.Colorado, like four of the five teams Los Angeles has beaten during its season-long winning streak, is battling for a playoff spot, or better positioning, heading into the final 14 games of the regular season.The Avalanche (41-19-10, 92 points) enter the week two points behind the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division -- and the Western Conference.Colorado beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Sunday night in the second game of its three-game road trip, improving to 8-1-1 since Feb. 19."We're way more consistent in the commitment to play the right way, to defend the right way, to make the right decisions with the puck," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game.Avalanche center Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and two assists to extend his point streak to eight games. He has five goals and eight assists during the streak.Nathan MacKinnon is equally hot for the Avalanche.He also had a goal and two assists against the Sharks to give him two goals and six assists in a four-game point streak.The Avalanche will be without second-leading scorer Cale Makar, who has an upper-body injury and is not on road trip.The Kings (27-35-6, 60 points) haven't won five in a row since an eight-game winning streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 9, 2017.They've been winning in a variety of ways, from a 1-0 shootout victory against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, to a 7-3 win against the visiting Minnesota Wild on Saturday."Right now, things are going well for us," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "We've got to continue to practice well and get ready for another one." The Kings have been getting solid production from their most veteran players, forwards Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, who have teamed up with Alex Iafallo to form a potent line.Brown had his third NHL hat trick against the Wild and also contributed an assist. Kopitar had a goal and two assists and Iafallo had two assists against Minnesota.Kopitar and Iafallo also had multi-point games in a 4-1 win at the Vegas Golden Knights on March 1.McLellan said the line's offensive productivity has matched by their determination on defense. The trio is usually matched up against the opposition's most productive line."They're taking responsibility for the team and the group on both sides of the puck," McLellan said. "They're working as hard defensively, I think, as they are offensively, and it's allowing them to create chances." Brown said getting past last month's trade deadline has made a difference in the dressing room and on the ice."Guys have been able to relax a little bit, in a good way, and focus on what we want to do," Brown said. "We've been well prepared and executed really well in our systems, and that can snowball into everyone feeling good and playing better." --Field Level Media
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