Signs of life from power play?

Is the Kings’ power play heading in the right direction, or is this another case of false hope for the group? The Kings are ranked 24th in the NHL this season in power-play percentage, but in recent games, there has been a pulse. The Kings went 2-for-3 on the power play against Chicago, then had only one chance against Nashville. On Tuesday in Minnesota, the Kings went 0-for-3 but had two early power players that, arguably, were among the best they have had all season. Before today’s practice, the first and second power play units were on the ice for more than 35 minutes, going through an intense set of various drills. Afterward, Drew Doughty talked about the work, and what went right on the power plays against the Wild.

DOUGHTY: “Lately, we’ve been trying a lot of things on the power play, because obviously we haven’t been scoring, and we need to. Especially going into the playoffs, the power play is so key. You’re not going to get many in the game, and that could be the difference every time. I think we were moving the puck around quick. We were finding seams and everyone was in the right place. The main thing is moving the puck quick and getting pucks to the net.’’

Question: Are you a big part in that, in terms of controlling the power play?

DOUGHTY: “Yeah. That whole side of the ice, I’m trying to take care of it, whether it’s backdoor or a seam play or up top to help out Rick [Mike Richards]. I’m definitely trying to put a lot of onus on myself to get this power play going. I think that was a good start, in Minnesota.’’

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