MEDIA: Drew Doughty, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Jim Hiller | 12.15.25 LA Kings at Dallas Stars

MEDIA: Drew Doughty, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Jim Hiller | 12.15.25 LA Kings at Dallas Stars

Drew, where did you feel the team fell short tonight? Obviously, one that could have gone either way until late. >> Yeah. Um thought we played a good 40 minutes. Uh third period just gave up a little too much obviously. And uh yeah, uh got to put a 60-minute game together. And I mean, and it's basically not possible to play a complete 60 games, but can't just take off the third period. I don't think we necessarily took it off, but we definitely weren't as good. and hopefully in the good 40 minutes capitalize a few more times and grow a lead would be nice. >> Drew, >> how do you find offense? Seems like it's the same game every game. It's one goal, two goals, and that's it. How do you generate more rather than the Chicago game, it's the same game every night, isn't it? >> Yeah. Um to be honest, I thought we created a little more chances. We tweaked a couple things in our system that helped us with breakouts and I thought that um the D were able to get more involved and we had more fourman attacks. So, I thought that was a bright spot. But yeah, the bottom line is is we're not putting pucks in the net. Um I mean it's the same old thing about having guys at the net and screening the goalie and getting tips and dirty goals and I still just honestly don't believe we have enough of that. We're too perimeter. >> What did you see on the play where Darcy got hit there and you know what was the reaction like from the guys? >> Uh we were pretty pissed cuz we thought it was a penalty and then obviously we're losing our probably our best player this season, right? Um, and uh, yeah, we tried to go out there and get that win for him, but unfortunately not. And hopefully he's okay cuz big part to our team. >> Did he tell you why it's not a penalty? I got hit. >> He said that uh, he thought Darcy was in the white paint outside his crease when he got hit and he thought that the forward had nowhere to go because our D was on he went in between our D and the goalie. >> Koozie, how'd you feel coming back in tonight? A little bit of a a line that you're familiar with. Oh, it's I like it hockey. I love hockey and uh I like it come back. I understand I need a little bit play better and uh I work every day for future to my body to my mind and uh I want to go come back. It's how I can play. >> Had a couple looks on the power play and the one you had maybe a little bit lucky. What what did you see on there? >> Lucky goal. That's I don't have another answer. >> What about the other uh power plays that you guys had? Seemed like you were moving the puck uh and and getting a couple looks there in front of the net. >> Yeah, I like it. play with Spark the same as every player. And uh very important for every team is a power play because if you score one two goals in the game is uh big moment for you and uh in every game we need a one maybe two goals in the power play little bit easy win for us and uh we work every day about power play. We watch a lot of moments for us how we can better what's not good decision what's good what's needed and uh we have a keep working now about power play >> what about uh outside of the power play on five on five obviously not enough offense there what what are some of the things you guys have tried to do to to increase that offense >> yeah we need to play better than offensive zone yes I agree and uh we not a lot of score goals in this season and we need a little bit better. It's everyone play and the same question to me why so small score [snorts] and uh we work we work in offensive zone we work talk with defense talk with forwards how we can play better it's a lot of things but next we have a two games left and uh away this series against Tampa and Florida is a good appointment uh for us how we can play >> Jim what did you see on the play where Darcy gets hurt there. >> I saw a player come into the blue paint and run into our goalender. That's what I saw. >> Did you get any explanation on why that wasn't called a penalty? >> Uh, I guess they thought he was in the white paint. So, >> how do you felt your team responded to that? It seemed like you did have some some energy there in the second period. >> I thought we had the energy for the first 40 minutes before checked. We were physical. Uh, had lots of loose pucks in and around their net. Third period uh wasn't as good obviously. Um, we needed somebody to make a big play at one moment. They're they did. We didn't. That's the end of it. >> You said too much perimeter play offensively. >> That's why you're not scoring. >> No, the defenseman got to get the puck there. We got to get there and defenseman got to get the puck there. So, it's there's two parts to the equation. Yeah. >> To get the power play goal in the five on three. I know kind of a weird different type of play, but a bounce that went your way there. >> Finally. Yeah. We had a couple other good looks on the five on four as well. So, you know, we shut them down. I mean, we had to make a couple good saves. They have an excellent power play. It was a story coming into the game. Only took two penalties. Uh, and did good job with that. You get one, you know, you want to win the hockey game. >> What did you see from Anton coming in there cold and obviously making a couple couple big saves there early? >> Yeah. Well, he was excellent. I mean, the pad save he made in the second period just holding it out. Um, tough situation to come into, but you couldn't ask for anything more from him. Kim, did you like the response by your team after Saturday's game overall? >> Yeah, for that 40 minutes, you know, that 40 minutes, I don't I'm not going to say it's our best for 40 on the road, but it was up there with any 40 minutes we've played on the road and uh third period, we just didn't have enough. Uh, you know, once they got a want once they got ahead of us, they stood back. They they clogged like we did. And makes it really difficult. You got to put it behind them and go to work. And it's such a grinding game nowadays uh when you can't you know create good rush chances and uh we weren't able to get anything else done. >> You talk about grind. Sammy's line looked effective tonight with Perry and and Milan pretty good >> after very effective. I think if you probably uh sused out the time on ice versus time in the Ozone they would probably by percentage I would think that they were would have would have let us. Yeah. No, they were they were dangerous. They were good and and had a presence had a presence beyond that. Yeah. Was it especially frustrating tonight that the third was was not the best after you seems like most games you guys bring it for the third period? >> Yeah. Well, I mean the home team, you know, it's third period. It's a it's a 1-1 game. You know, it's going to be a tough period. Um I just didn't think we gave ourselves enough chances, put it behind them and forch check and finish checks and buzz their D like we did in the first two periods. We we had some opportunities to do that. We tried to make something happen at the blue line and and you know, then we weren't able to to generate as much

Find Us 👇
Instagram: http://instagram.com/lakings
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lakings
Facebook: http://facebook.com/lakings
Web: http://lakings.com

#LAKings #NHL #GoKingsGo