The Kings turned in smooth results from a turbulent trial ahead of their jaunt to San Jose for a showdown with the Sharks tonight that will precede Wednesday’s heavyweight bout at home with the formidable Vegas Golden Knights.

Despite starting the year with seven consecutive road games, the Kings have turned in a 5-2-2 record, but one that has come with a negative goal differential on the back of mixed results among both almost any given area and any given player.

Exacerbating the inconsistency that’s come with integrating a multitude of new additions and tactical tweaks into a roster that seemed to lower expectations across much of last season has been the long-term absence of Drew Doughty (ankle surgery), the Kings’ perennial leader in ice time and defensive scoring. That came after they already lost their next-longest-tenured and second-most reliable defender, Matt Roy, in free agency.

But a pair of newcomers along with strong play from a relatively recent arrival have helped not only steady the Kings on the blue line but in the standings. They moved past Calgary for first place in the Pacific Division briefly on Sunday, only to be leapfrogged by Vegas.

That same day, it was the defensive pairing of free-agent pickup Joel Edmundson and first-year regular Brandt Clarke, who showed out at the junior and minor pro levels in consecutive campaigns, scoring all three goals in a 3-2 victory over Utah HC.

While Edmundson potted two of the goals in the first multi-goal outing of his career, which began in 2015, Clarke has, predictably, been the stronger offensive performer. He’s taken Doughty’s spot on the top power-play unit, swooping up five power-play points as part of a start that’s seen him score seven points in nine games, putting him on pace for 64 points this season.

“He’s crafty. He sucks the forwards in and he somehow gets around them,” Edmundson said. “I’m just there in case he turns the puck over, I’ve got his back, but we want him to make those plays. He creates a lot of offense, so, yeah, I’m his safety valve.”

Clarke, who has the sort of hockey imagination and show-stopping skill that cannot be taught, has committed himself to improving his skating, physique and play in the defensive zone. He hopes that leads to a more reciprocal relationship with his first full-time defensive partner.

“I appreciate that (Edmundson) is there but I don’t want to have to have him bail me out all the time. I want to be there for him, too,” Clarke said.

While Caleb Jones and Kyle Burroughs, each in their first year with the Kings, have also seen opportunities in Doughty’s absence, the steadiness of Vladislav Gavrikov — he arrived from Columbus at 2023 trade deadline — has been roughly as remarkable as Clarke’s offensive emergence.

HockeyStatCards tracks comprehensive offense rating, defense rating and net rating figures. Gavrikov ranks seventh in the NHL in defense rating, beginning his contract year on the right foot. In traditional terms, his plus-five rating also leads Kings defensemen.

While the Kings won’t face any headliners in San Jose — top overall pick Macklin Celebrini remained week-to-week with a hip injury and the Sharks have yet to win a game — Vegas has big names doing nightly residencies in gold and gray. They have three of the four top-rated offensive players in Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo, with Stone and Eichel each finishing in the top 10 in net rating as well.