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Los Angeles Kings: Alex Iafallo doing well alongside Kopitar, Kovalchuk

By Suraj Sukumar

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11), Los Angeles Kings left wing Alex Iafallo (19), and Los Angeles Kings right wing Ilya Kovalchuk (17) celebrate after Kopitar scores a goal during the game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 07, 2018, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11), Los Angeles Kings left wing Alex Iafallo (19), and Los Angeles Kings right wing Ilya Kovalchuk (17) celebrate after Kopitar scores a goal during the game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 07, 2018, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Alex Iafallo is doing everything he can to stay on the Los Angeles Kings top line with Anze Kopitar and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Alex Iafallo is earning his stripes in the early part of the NHL season. He was placed on the top line for the Los Angeles Kings and looks the part. While many players could produce on a line with Anze Kopitar and Ilya Kovalchuk, Iafallo is showing good chemistry with his elite teammates so far this year.

This comes at the height of tough times. Dustin Brown, coming off a resurgence in 2017-18, suffered a broken finger and is out indefinitely. Tyler Toffoli would have seemed like a good choice, but he finds himself playing a secondary role along with Jeff Carter and Tanner Pearson.

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All three have potential to excel as top line players, but the Kings need to balance out their talent. Iafallo, the undrafted college product from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, landed the biggest opportunity of his life and has not looked back.

Iafallo was signed by the Kings to a two-year entry-level contract in April 2017. He became a star in the Frozen Four tournament which earned him a shot at the NHL. Having spent all four years in at the NCAA level, Iafallo’s development is clearly in full swing as he takes the next steps in his hockey career.

Last season, Iafallo played in 75 games, scoring nine goals and 25 points. He also scored his first playoff goal in the three games he played for the Kings in 2017-18.

Even on the back-end, Iafallo’s speed and ability to push the pace helps the Kings move the puck into the offensive zone. He did great job with Drew Doughty to help setup Kovalchuk’s first NHL goal since returning from Russia.

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If Iafallo hopes to keep his spot on the top line, he will need to produce at a high level consistently. There are hungry players on the Kings roster, and he will need to hold them off.  The only way to do that is to make responsible plays and generate offense. As long as he continues to make his teammates better, Iafallo could be one of the biggest surprises in 2018-19.

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