The Los Angeles Kings are tired of Matthew Tkachuk. With all of last year’s (and last night’s) antics, though, it’s easy to forget that he’d never actually scored against LA before. In fact, the 19-year-old hadn’t even gotten a point in his prior five games against the Kings. However, after his two-goal performance in the Calgary Flames’ win, I wondered: which other teenagers have made LA miserable? Here are your career TEENAGE point leaders against the Kings, since 1987-88:
Most Points Before Turning 20 vs. Kings (Since 1987-88)
| Teenager | Years | Pos | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Linden | 1989-1990 | RW | 5 | 5 | 10 | -8 | 8 |
| Peter Mueller | 2008 | C | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| Pierre Turgeon | 1988-1989 | C | 5 | 3 | 8 | -2 | 4 |
| Jeff Friesen | 1995-1996 | LW | 2 | 5 | 7 | -1 | 4 |
| Rick Nash | 2003-2004 | LW | 5 | 1 | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| Jonathan Toews | 2008 | C | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Petr Nedved | 1991-1992 | C | 4 | 1 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| Marian Gaborik | 2001-2002 | RW | 3 | 2 | 5 | -2 | 2 |
| Marc-Edouard Vlasic | 2007 | D | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Glen Wesley | 1988 | D | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Patrick Marleau | 1998-1999 | C | 0 | 5 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| Patrick Kane | 2008 | RW | 0 | 5 | 5 | -2 | 2 |
Thoughts: the 2007-08 Kings were very bad, Kane and Toews are very annoying, and I really hope the Kings don’t have to play against Tkachuk 86 times, as they had to against Trevor Linden. (Linden finished with 61 career points against LA.)
The good news for Tkachuk: he’s a lofty third in teenage PIM against the Kings, behind Brendan Shanahan and Brad May. The good news for the Kings: Matthew will turn 20 before LA’s next game against Calgary.
HIGHLIGHTS TO WATCH
KINGS WATCH
- Kyle Clifford is “week-to-week” with an upper-body injury sustained yesterday. More to come on that news, but for now: bad timing on that zombie bobblehead giveaway. [Los Angeles Times]
- Drew Doughty apparently likes playing angry, which is weird, because I prefer when the opponents get angry and lose focus instead. To each their own! [LA Kings Insider]
- You can apparently blame the Zodiac for how much Jonathan Quick now hates Tkachuk.
- Here are some theories on the excellent starts for Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown theories. [The Score]/
LEAGUE WATCH
- What’s happening to Tuukka Rask? [SB Nation]
- Can the Sharks be fixed? [Fear the Fin]
- And why is Alex Galchenyuk on the fourth line? [Habs Eyes on the Prize]/
GAME TO WATCH
Two of the last four winless teams face off as the Buffalo Sabres take on the San Jose Sharks. Could be a bad game, or could be a hilarious game.