Kopitar Creating a Buzz

The Kings are all about cautious optimism these days.

Even the team’s marketing campaign seems to have lowered the bar a tad. A year ago, “Kings Rule” was the team’s pitch to fans, but this season the Kings merely promise to “Play Hard.”

That may give way to eager anticipation the more shifts rookie center Anze Kopitar takes. Certainly the presence of the wide-eyed 19-year-old helped push the Kings to a 4-1 victory Saturday over the St. Louis Blues in front of an announced 18,118 at Staples Center.

Kopitar, the 11th player taken in the 2005 draft, played hard Saturday, creating chaos and scoring chances. He had three assists, one by jamming his imposing 6-foot-4, 220-pound body into the fray at the goal crease, leaving Alexander Frolov free to chip in a rebound that gave the Kings a 2-1 lead 16 minutes 11 seconds into the second period.

Such things leave the Kings a bit giddy about the future, and more than a little nervous about too-much-too-soon attention for Kopitar -- the first Slovenian in the NHL -- who has played only two games.

“He’s the best Slovenian hockey player in the history of the game,” Coach Marc Crawford joked, trying to deflect a little glare from Kopitar after Saturday’s morning skate. “He still has things to learn.”

Maybe so, and school is certainly in session. Just who’s teaching the course is open for debate.

Frolov, Lubomir Visnovsky, Michael Cammalleri and Brent Sopel scored goals Saturday. But the buzz was about Kopitar.

He greeted the NHL with a two-goal performance Friday against the Ducks, one by skating around future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger. Kopitar continued to cut his teeth in the league by gnawing away at the Blues.

“You look at him and he looks lazy, that’s just his appearance, but he has that speed,” Visnovsky said. “It fools you. Before you realize what’s happening, he’s by you.”

This is a brave new world for the Kings, who are not accustomed to such rapid development and production from their first-round draft picks. For every Frolov and Dustin Brown they have taken in the last decade there have been names like Jens Karlsson and David Steckel.

Kopitar, though, has been involved in five of the Kings’ seven goals through two games this season, with play that left fans chanting “Ahn-jay, Ahn-jay, Ahn-jay” late in Saturday’s game.

That came after Kopitar helped clinch the victory with a burst that left defenseman Dennis Wideman frozen in the ice. Goaltender Manny Legace managed to poke the puck away, but Kopitar merely tapped it back to Sopel for a gimme goal 15:14 into the third period.

“I certainly feel comfortable on the ice,” Kopitar said. “I don’t have any problems with the small rink or the speed of the game. I’m just looking forward to the next game.”

So are the Kings, who after two games have split the field in seeking their place in the Western Conference. They weren’t quite up to beating the Ducks, the popular choice to win the conference, but were a little better than the Blues, everyone’s pick to finish last.

“It’s going to take time to build an identity,” center Craig Conroy said. “We have an identity in mind, now we have to earn it.”

Which is?

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Conroy said.

Conroy did paint with some broad strokes.

“We want other teams to be thinking about us,” Conroy said. “We want them to think how hard it is to prepare to play us.”

Kopitar, alone, has provided plenty to think about.

chris.foster@latimes.com