Waking up with the Kings: March 16

The Los Angeles Kings’ 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night was a game similar to several January games in that it provided an argument against placing excess stock in Corsi and underlying possession stats. While the Kings certainly possessed the puck in the offensive zone and to a greater degree and attempted 68 shots to the Ducks’ 40, the scoring chances appeared to only slightly favor L.A., and for two periods the Kings weren’t generating a surplus of grade-A or B-type attempts on rushes or in high quality scoring areas. For 40 minutes it was like watching a half-court basketball game played by a team that leaned heavily on midrange jump shots, and if not for several strong Martin Jones pad saves while the Ducks had the lead, Anaheim could have built up a wider cushion. Of course, this argument is weakened by the Kings scoring what in all likelihood reality should have been the game-tying third period goal. That’s a controversially bold judgment call to make at such a juncture in the game and the season. Credit Marian Gaborik for responding thoughtfully and diplomatically when asked about the play after the game. The team has already moved on…

…but this blog hasn’t! Marian Gaborik made a hard drive to the net, and Jakob Silfverberg channeled him from the slot to the goal line directly into Frederik Andersen. Gaborik’s final push by Silfverberg towards Andersen– at the edge of the goalmouth, precisely where the puck makes contact with Gaborik’s upper body – appears to be a clear example of this paragraph of Rule 69.1: Interference on the Goaltender:

If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.

It was a poor call, though it wasn’t as egregious as the lousy judgment assessed by referees Dan O’Rourke and Mark Lemelin in the October 15 game in Tampa Bay. There, with the Kings trailing 2-0 early in the second period, a Jeff Carter goal was disallowed due to incidental contact by Mike Richards, who was clearly pushed by Sami Salo directly into Ben Bishop. That play wasn’t just a player directing or channeling a player towards the goalie, it was a textbook shove of a Los Angeles forward into the goaltender. The incident last night wasn’t as cut and dry as the Tampa Bay incident, but the goal still should have stood.

Anaheim Ducks v Los Angeles Kings

Judging from Twitter and several blog comments I’ve read, Jake Muzzin has become a source of ire for a lot of Kings fans, and while there were mistakes made in his play last night, it’s not entirely fair. His 15:12 of usage – three full minutes off his Toronto ice time and lowest ice time since December 28 – was the result of getting beat off the boards for Anaheim’s first goal, and an unfortunate deflection off his skate for Anaheim’s second goal. Placing such a pinpointed onus on Muzzin is misdirected; when a group of Luca Sbisa, Tim Jackman, Mathieu Perreault, Francois Beauchemin and Matt Beleskey scores against Muzzin, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Justin Williams, that’s on the entire line, not only on one player. One-game sample sizes are stupid, and Muzzin had been a key component in the Kings’ possession game and puck advancement during the team’s winning streak. Last night was a forgettable game of his; over the last month he, like many of the team’s defensemen, had strung together a collection of quality efforts.

This comment…

 

…I mostly agree with, other than I already see Muzzin as a serviceable number four-type option. But, yeah, playing as a number two, and with the quality of competition he faces while partnered with Drew Doughty, there are going to be hiccups.

Anaheim Ducks v Los Angeles Kings

When playing the Ducks, a team is often in good shape when it holds Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry scoreless. Credit Anaheim’s depth for grinding out a pair of ugly goals in the win. Those recording points for Anaheim: Tim Jackman, Patrick Maroon, Kyle Palmieri, Mathieu Perreault, Matt Beleskey and Hampus Lindholm. On the other bench, Jordan Nolan received 5:48 of ice time, Kyle Clifford received 8:12, and Trevor Lewis lost all five faceoffs. Both coaches assigned heavy minutes to top players, but Anaheim’s role players had a more positive impact in the game than Los Angeles’ role players.

Anaheim Ducks v Los Angeles Kings

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