I’ll have a feature up on LAKings.com tomorrow about the chemistry developing amongst the Kings’ reshuffled top two lines.
The Toffoli-Kopitar-Carter line combined for two goals and seven points in Monday’s 5-3 loss to Chicago, and Darryl Sutter had several interesting comments about their alignment. His thorough analysis of Toffoli skating on the left side was posted in his quotes earlier today.
As for the Brown-Richards-Williams line, the development of the chemistry hasn’t come quite as quick. Though the line was on the ice for two even strength goals against on Monday, Mike Richards felt that the goals were the result of bad luck and senses a trend developing in the right direction.
Mike Richards, on skating with Dustin Brown and Justin Williams:
I think we’re starting to get a little more chemistry. The first couple games maybe we were almost just throwing the puck away, looking for people to be in different spots that they weren’t [in]. The first couple games we chased the puck a lot, just giving pucks away and not having that chemistry, and I think last game we made more plays. We had some scoring chances. Obviously, we got scored on a couple times, which isn’t very good, but I think [they were] some fluke goals. If we just keep playing together and working together and talking it out, I think it’ll come.
Richards, on ways to cultivate chemistry:
It’s just conversations. It’s communication on the ice, where each other is. Some lines form instant chemistry, and some lines have to work at it and talk through it. It takes a couple games. We didn’t click right off the bat, that’s for sure. We were throwing pucks away, and like I said, we were chasing pucks and playing a lot of defense for it. I think last game we were a lot better on the offensive side of the puck. Even though they scored two on us and we were a minus-two, I don’t think they had very many chances. One went off a stick, and the other was just another broken play. If we tidy some things up and keep communicating where each other is on the ice, I think it’ll be a line that could do some damage once we get comfortable.
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