Kopitar’s push is clearly on.
He has five points (two goals, three assists) in the past six games. He’s clicking on a line with Adrian Kempe and the newest Kings impact forward, Artemi Panarin.
“He’s the leader of this group and he’s played really well,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. “He continues to push. Obviously, we have a goal of continuing to push and win games here and give ourselves a chance to get into the playoffs, and he’s been a big reason.”
Kopitar is doing it in his 20th and what will be his last NHL season.
He announced on Sept. 18 that he was going to retire at the end of this season. It’s not because he can’t play anymore, longtime teammate Drew Doughty said.
“If you talk to him he’ll tell you he can still go, it’s just all the off-ice work that goes into it in the summer,” Doughty said. “Working out five days a week, starting to get back in shape when you’re practicing and all the injuries we have throughout the season, getting treatment, coming in here three hours before practice just to get ready for practice, you know what I mean? That’s the stuff that he doesn’t want to deal with anymore.”
So this season is it for Kopitar, who knew when he made his announcement during training camp that he was 56 games away from becoming the ninth player in NHL history to reach 1,500 games played with one franchise and that he needed 30 points to break Dionne’s record.
Simple, right?
Kopitar has been one of the most durable superstars of his generation, missing 32 games in his first 19 seasons. Before this season, the longest stretch of games he missed was 10 in his rookie season from March 1-18, 2007.
Even in his worst statistical season (in an 82-game season) he still managed 52 points (2016-17).
“It’s 30 points I’ve got to get, and in the previous 19 years it hasn’t been really a problem to get to 30,” Kopitar said.
Well, it has been everything but simple this season.
Kopitar got to 1,500 games played against the Islanders at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on March 5, later than he thought because he had two stints out of the lineup: four games from Oct. 16-23 and 11 games from Jan. 7-29.
His hot streak in March has pushed him up to 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists), by far the lowest of his career.
“It’s been a very up and down year this year,” Kopitar said. “I guess in normal circumstances (the record) would have been behind me already, but we’re here now, two away.”
Two away from history, and, to Doughty, statistical evidence to a fact everyone who has followed the Kings and Kopitar and the NHL for the past 20 years should already know.
“He is already the best King of all time, especially at forward,” Doughty said. “This solidifies it if he can break this record. In my mind he already is, but that’s what it does.”
It doesn’t feel like an if anymore.
“He’s chasing it down and everyone is rallying with him and excited for him and his family,” said Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, who had the primary assist on Kopitar’s goal Friday. “He’s getting the recognition that he deserves.”
It’s just not something Kopitar himself wants to think about yet, so he hasn’t dug deep into the particulars behind the record other than knowing the point total.
“No, because you’re in the zone and I don’t want to (look at) it really until it’s time for it,” Kopitar said.
That means he doesn’t know Dionne has held the record since Feb. 7, 1981, when he scored two goals in a 4-4 tie against the Washington Capitals to give him 661 points with the Kings, breaking a record previously held by Butch Goring (659 points).
He likely doesn’t know that he’ll become the 10th active player to lead a franchise in points, but of the other nine, only Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (1,746 points) and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (1,674) have more points than Kopitar.
“All of the stuff that has been happening the last couple of years is special, but in my mind right now you can’t let it slip,” Kopitar said. “You’ve got to look ahead and try to make the playoffs. It’s just the way I like it.”
