5 Stats That Are a Reason for Optimism for the Los Angeles Kings in 2014-15

The Los Angeles Kings' hot streak to start this season—which included a franchise record six-game home win streak—has quickly gone cold, as they've lost five of their last six games. 

They managed to pick up a point against the New York Islanders Thursday, losing in a shootout. 

Still, there is no reason for fans to be worried. Forwards Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik were back on the ice Thursday, and that should provide a huge offensive boost going forward. 

While there are a number of statistical categories where the Kings rank poorly, there are many that should have fans feeling positive about the season going forward. 

These are five stats that give reason for optimism for the Kings.  

Faceoff win percentage was previously mentioned in an article discussing the five stats that should make the Kings' worry.

A week-and-a-half later, the Kings have made significant improvements in the faceoff dot, going from winning 50.8 percent to 52.6 percent of their draws. It may seem like a small increase at 1.8 percent, but with all teams hovering close to 50 percent—with the exception of Calgary and Buffalo—this a major improvement. The Kings now rank sixth in the league, up from 15th in late October. 

Here is how the top four centers now stand in comparison to late October:

Aside from Richards, there were major leaps made, especially for Stoll and Kopitar, who had uncharacteristically bad starts in the dot. The Kings' ability to win draws, especially in the defensive zone, will help them to control the play throughout games and ultimately lead to more scoring chances.

Aside from his previously mentioned faceoff stats, which seem to go way up or down with every game, Mike Richards has stepped up in recent games, particularly on offense. 

Richards is riding a four-game point streak with one goal and three assists and has five points in his last six games. To put that in context, he had no goals and two assists through the first eight games of the season. 

With That 70s Line inevitably cooling off, it is crucial for a player like Richards to contribute secondary scoring. He now ranks fourth on the team with seven points, behind only Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. 

While he won't keep up his current pace, Richards should be expected to have a much better season than last year, especially on offense. 

Similar to Mike Richards is Dwight King in that he struggled early in the season offensively but is now putting up numbers. 

With Jeff Carter tying a career-long pointless streak at six games and Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar just recently returning, other players need to produce. While the Kings have lost often in recent weeks, at least there are signs of life from third-line players like King.

King has a goal and two assists in his past four games compared to just two points in his first eight games. He's also doing a better job getting the puck to the net with seven shots in his past four games. 

The other area where King could improve is with his physical presence, as he has just 16 hits on the season. 

It's not even close. The Kings are the NHL's most physical team with 436 hits. The second-place Colorado Avalanche have just 399 hits. 

Leading the way for L.A. is veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr, who ranks seventh in the NHL with 48 hits. Close behind is Matt Greene (38), Brayden McNabb (37) and Kyle Clifford (35), who've managed to rack up their hits with limited ice time. 

This physical play contributes to the Kings' ability to generate turnovers in the neutral or defensive zones and put pressure on opposing players on the forecheck. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big, replay-worthy hit to be effective, and the Kings know that. 

Look for this trend to continue throughout the season. 

Jonathan Quick's stat line is impressive, and there is no reason it can't stay that way. 

He ranks third in the NHL with a .943 save percentage, and considering the quantity of shots he's faced, it makes this stat more noteworthy. 

He's tops in the league with 405 shots against and 382 saves. A 1.93 goals-against average isn't bad, either. 

Quick is playing at an elite level. It's the type of consistent performance that could help any team—maybe even the Buffalo Sabres—win games. For an L.A. squad that is capable of winning the puck-possession battle nightly, this can make racking up the wins easy. 

That is, if they can find a way to score a couple goals per game. 

Stats courtesy of NHL.com and LAKingsInsider.com.