Let me tell you. When the LA Kings were slogging their way through 2-1 overtime games earlier this season, I definitely said somewhere along the way how much I’d love to get one of these that was something like 7-6. Because, even though it would still be tightly contested and probably in overtime, it would at least be exciting. It would be different.
Be careful what you wish for, I suppose!
Last night’s game was so many things.
First and foremost, it was a win in a must-win game. The Kings hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs, eliminated from playoff contention earlier this weekend, and came away with two points. Whether or not they came in regulation or not, or by multiple goals, doesn’t much matter, against an opponent they are not competing with for playoff positioning. So, from a black and white perspective, the Kings did what they needed to do.
The good thing about last night is that it was the team’s best players leading the way. Adrian Kempe had a four-point night, moving him to within one point of his third consecutive 70-point season, one game after a multi-goal showing gave him 30+ goals for the fourth time in five seasons. Assisting on one of those goals was forward Artemi Panarin, who had a three-point night of his own. Those two players, with Anze Kopitar at center, have gelled together very effectively since Panarin joined the team. Since the Olympic break, the pair are tied for the team-lead with 23 points apiece, coming in 20 games played, providing a pair of players at the top of the lineup scoring at over a point-per-game clip. Imagine that sentence during the 2-1 LA Kings era. Both players collected assists on one of the prettiest and most important goals of the LA Kings season, coming in overtime by forward Quinton Byfield. For all that has been made of Byfield’s production this season, he stepped up last night and he’s stepped up as of late. Byfield leads the Kings in goals (7) and points (11) over the last 10 games and his seven goals are tied for the eighth-most in the NHL in that span. Byfield’s overtime winner was his 20th of the season, giving him at least 20 goals in each of the last three seasons, with a shout at making it three straight seasons with 50 points as well.
Those are the good things about last night’s game. Offensive things.
The bad things I think are quite obvious as well. In looking at the six goals against, first of all, well, it’s six goals against. Before the Olympic break, the Kings gave up six goals in a game exactly zero times. It’s happened four times since the break, with last night’s game the first win of those four. There were two types of goals allowed – individual mistakes and structural breakdowns. The first two goals were straight-up individual mistakes. Joel Edmundson and Anze Kopitar each with a turnover that directly led to the goal against. The third and fourth goal I’d classify as structural breakdowns on the penalty kill. Both essentially uncovered players in highest-danger area on the ice. The slot was given up far too easily all night on the penalty kill and that’ll really have to be addressed. The fifth and sixth goals, again, individual mistakes. Brian Dumoulin’s clearance on the fifth before turnovers by Edmundson and Darcy Kuemper on the sixth. These are individual plays that might’ve killed the Kings on another night. They survived them yesterday. For all that went well, when the Kings needed to make the right play defensively, or they needed a bail-out save, or they needed to hone in on the details, they just weren’t there. On one night, it didn’t matter.
So. The high-event Los Angeles Kings.
Prior to the coaching change, a Kings game averaged 5.39 goals per game, collectively. Since March 1, Kings games have averaged 6.53 goals per game. By my math, that is more than a full goal higher. From the start of the season through March 1, the Kings ranked 29th in goals scored and 8th in goals allowed. Since the change, the Kings are 12th in goals scored and 22nd in goals allowed, on a per-game basis. Quite the shift. It’s interesting, because this was obviously a team that was built with the intention of putting up 1’s and 2’s in the goals against column, with enough offensive ability to win games 3-2. With a more aggressive approach, we’re seeing the team’s top offensive players thrive, but it has come at the expense of some of the defensive play. I think the Kings have plenty of forwards who, as we are seeing, are capable of this kind of offensive production, but we’re also seeing some players exposed at the other end of the ice, resulting in more goals against.
Last night was not an identity win. It wasn’t how the Kings were built to win. It probably wouldn’t be how they would have told you they planned to win. But they won. It’s a game they would not have won two months ago. They won because some of their top offensive players delivered with huge games in April. In ways that I think everyone would say that have been needed for so long, to deliver offensively with the team’s best players leading the way. That, in itself, is a positive.
Going forward, there are a number of unsustainable things from last night’s game and the Kings know that. They can’t continue spotting opponents multi-goal leads in the first period. You’re going to get scored on, but coming directly off of unforced turnovers at dangerous areas of the ice will burn you when you don’t score seven goals. Power play goals that came as easy as Toronto’s did, from the inner slot, will do the same. The Kings need more detail in their game, with better care of the puck and the slot, and a couple of more saves when they do break down. Against the Maple Leafs, all of those things went wrong and yet the Kings were able to get the two points.
Those are the two things I’ll take from this game. There was a time this season when the Kings would have had zero chance of winning when all of those things broke down. To have the firepower to overcome that many breakdowns and mistakes is something new. However, you can’t count on that every night and another game like that on Monday feels like pressing a lot of luck. The Kings have a lot to clean up between now and then, without a practice to do it. However, they’ll be playing against a team that is tied with them in the standings, after Nashville skated to a 6-3 win last night in San Jose.
Both teams on 81 points, with the Sharks now two points back with a game in hand. Results around the NHL continue to go the Kings way. Feels like every single night the Kings get help. They took care of their end of the bargain yesterday, but Monday will be the sternest test yet. Kings and Predators, winner takes the WC2 spot with five games to go.