The Los Angeles Kings are slumping badly. Over the last handful of weeks, they have been one of the worst teams in the NHL. They were so good before their slump that they did fall out of a playoff spot but they will If they keep losing.
On Wednesday, they had their last game before the All-Star break. They were on the road taking on the Nashville Predators. Both teams needed a win badly.
It would take a great team performance for the Kings to get it done. It also would be nice to have an unexpected hero in their quest to end the rough skid. That’s exactly what happened.
Alex Turcotte scored his first career NHL goal and had his first career NHL assist. It took him a long time to reach this point but he had the game of his life and it was huge for his team.
The Los Angeles Kings will be a great team if Alex Turcotte gets going
Turcotte was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He was an elite prospect but he had a hard time becoming an NHL regular through his development. It was matches like this that Kings fans dreamt of when he was first selected.
Now that Turcotte has his first goal and first assist in his back pocket, he can just focus on playing some hockey. He has all of the talent in the world and now he should have the confidence to go out there and use it.
This isn’t a 29-year-old just getting a shot either. He is a 22-year-old kid who just played in his 14th career NHL game. It is also just his second of this season so these two points make him a point-per-game player for the time being.
Turcotte may or may not become a star but becoming a solid contributor to an NHL team should very well still be on the table. He is in an organization that will do a good job of getting him what he needs to be successful.
The Kings, as a result of this great performance by Turcotte, secured the 4-2 victory over the Predators. They are now 23-15-10 for 56 points which is good enough for the top Wild Card spot at the moment.
They have a few days off with this All-Star break now. It couldn’t have come at a better time as rest and refocus will be great for them. Hopefully, Turcotte becomes a great player and the Kings win as a result.