.

Rink-board advertising markets honestly every so often.

Solid play earned Trevor Lewis a promotion Saturday afternoon, penciled in to play alongside Mike Richards and Jeff Carter on the Kings’ second line by Head Coach Darryl Sutter.

This move only continued the oft-quiet forward’s mini scoring outburst.

Lewis has erupted to tally two goals and two assists in the Kings’ previous three contests. His recent numbers have been anything but stat-fillers, they’ve been certified game-changers.

Against the Edmonton Oilers this past Tuesday, Trevor Lewis notched two assists, including a beautifully placed helper to feed Jeff Carter‘s game-winning tally with just 46.9 seconds left in regulation. The following night against the Calgary Flames, Lewis struck gold yet again – this time scoring the Kings’ game-winning goal himself.

And as many witnessed in downtown Los Angeles Saturday afternoon, Trevor Lewis continued his tear, killing any momentum the Colorado Avalanche may have been in the midst of mustering with a shorthanded marker to all but seal the deal in the Kings’ victorious return to Staples Center.

Lewis’ PK-tally is the Kings’ one and only shorthanded goal so far this season.

Two (Two) Short

When ugly’s pretty

Red-Light Lewy: Lewis’ tally early in the second period on Saturday was a terribly weak goal if you’re Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov or Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie. Both players treated Lewis’ rush like their man-advantage situation had some sort of heed into the situation until point’s end.

As the Kings showed the league last spring, it’s a kiss of death to sleep on the penalty kill. Lewis put the nails in Colorado’s coffin, who the Kings made short work of Saturday.

He kept it simple, too, which is how he functions as an NHL player. There’s nothing fancy about Trevor Lewis‘ game. He’s got below-average hands, depends on open lanes and positioning rather than skill-fed moves, and is an absolute magnet on the forecheck – a magnet when it comes to shadowing and pressuring opposing players who have the puck.

That’s your standard resume for a solid, dependable, third or fourth line forward.

And when that type of player is putting up numbers that catch glances, your situation can’t be all that bad.

Plus, it makes you not miss Brad Richardson even more than you didn’t miss him before.

Five-Tools

Trevor Lewis‘ four points through the previous three games have just been the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the 26 year-old’s recent play. The native of Salt Lake City, UT has been fulfilling just about every aspect of the game a forward can.

Lewis has a +6 rating in the last three contests. The Kings, as an entire team, have a +7 rating. Did you want to talk about positive impact?

Aside from that, he’s ripped off eight shots on goaltenders and laid seven hits on the opposition.

The Kings drafted Trevor Lewis in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft as the #17 overall selection. Since then, he’s played 197 games in a Kings uniform over the course of five NHL seasons. The production hasn’t always been there, but the dedication to him has.

Maybe we’re seeing the pursued result of the Kings’ strong commitment to this player. Maybe Trevor Lewis is a late-blossom player. If consistent dependability graces your name before you put up numbers, the attractive stats are only a bonus.

Been around the block

Climbing gear: With three straight wins and a 5-1-0 record in their previous six contests, the Kings continue to climb the Western Conference standings, now holding the group’s 10th spot with 18 points on hand.

The Kings are only one point behind the two clubs that own the 7th and 8th-place spots in the Western Conference. These teams are two Pacific Division foes, which have a current tally of 19 points – the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars.

As for the 9th-seed? The Pacific Division trend continues. The Phoenix Coyotes, also at 19 points, are straddling the postseason cut-off mark in a heavily saturated race toward a playoff berth in this uniquely shortened campaign.

Monday night, the Kings will be playing the only Pacific Division club not on their direct radar in the standings, the Anaheim Ducks.  Anaheim stands at 2nd in the Western Conference, 2nd in the entire NHL, and are currently breaking away from the Kings and the rest of the Pacific Division with their 27 points – 12 of which are due to their current six-game win streak.

Wouldn’t that be a nice thing to bring to a halt.

Puck drops 7:30PM PST Monday night against the Anaheim Ducks at Staples Center.

Episode 180 KingsCast TV: LA Kings Battle in Alberta – HERE
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