Waking up with the Kings: March 23

There was a very interesting conversation between Mike Ross, Mick Kern and Pierre McGuire on the SiriusXM NHL Network Friday morning. In discussing teams that are capable of extended playoff runs, McGuire said – and I’m paraphrasing based on my recollection of the conversation – that he favors teams that aren’t necessarily winning more games than other top teams, but teams that are clearly executing a winning brand of hockey in March and early April (I was hoping for this conversation to have been included on SiriusXM’s SoundCloud page, but it was cut off shortly before the discussion took place). I recall Bruce Boudreau saying how the Kings were going to beat the Canucks during his 2012 LA Times playoff blog series – Boudreau was one of the first hockey figures to publicly acknowledge that the Kings were Stanley Cup favorites early in the spring of 2012 – because of the level of play that the team had exhibited during the 2011-12 stretch run. As Darryl Sutter memorably noted last season, “It’s not always whether you win or lose. It’s whether you’re winning or losing.” Is Los Angeles on the right path? They’re trending that way with an unclear velocity, given that a few mistakes had seeped into the team’s play in losses to Toronto, Anaheim and Phoenix at the outset of the homestand prior to wins over Washington and Florida. There really hasn’t been any knock on the team’s ability to execute its own style. By and large, the Kings have possessed the puck disproportionately, as per usual, and the two recent wins were certainly physical demonstrations of the team’s ability to play well without the puck. These upcoming games at Philadelphia, Washington and Pittsburgh will continue to provide that gauge and serve as excellent theater.

Florida Panthers v Los Angeles Kings

The Kings faced an overmatched opponent in the Florida Panthers on Saturday, though to the road team’s credit, the Panthers entered Staples Center and put forth a quality effort similar to those that resulted in a win at San Jose and a narrow loss at Phoenix. Florida, however, was stung by a lack of opportunism and skill, and one or two soft goals allowed by Roberto Luongo. The 4-0 L.A. win was the result of a fine afternoon in net by Jonathan Quick, a late-game Alec Martinez power play goal that came from the left of the left faceoff dot, and some good work in driving towards the net and players forcing themselves towards areas of the ice where goals are scored. It has been noted on this page throughout the second half, but there are more goals coming from Dustin Brown and Mike Richards, both of whom are experiencing their lowest shooting percentages since their rookie seasons. Brown’s 7.8% shooting percentage is 4.9% lower than last year’s mark, while Richards’ unsustainably low 7.0% shooting percentage is 7.6% lower than last year’s mark, which was the highest shooting percentage of his career. This isn’t to say that the two players are going to combine to score eight goals on their next 20 shots, but that it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the two contributed with a small handful of goals over the season’s final 11 games. And now I promise I won’t talk about shooting percentages until the next time a goal is scored by Richards or Brown.

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The adjusted line pairings added a spark to the fourth line as Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Richards put forth a quality, gritty effort and helped spread the minutes throughout the lineup, a key development as Brown was only able to play 7:12 before leaving the game. Richards took three shots, issued four hits, won 9-of-10 faceoffs and scored a goal by driving towards the net from the bottom of the right circle. “Hits” is a misleading stat, though the trio combined for 13 of them to set an appropriate tone. The Kings exhibited a strong compete level during a 1:00 p.m. game against a non-rival, not that the team’s level of energy is really ever cause for alarm.

Noah Graham / National Hockey League

As for Jeff Carter being flanked by the two rookies, the biggest development to come from Saturday’s game centered around the performance by Tanner Pearson, a left wing who has been excellent since his post-Olympic recall from Manchester. Pearson was confident with the puck on his stick and consistently won races for pucks around the Florida net while showing an impressive top speed. Jeff Carter was fine; he’s interchangeable at center and right wing, and his performance was steady alongside the two younger players. This alignment is likely temporary as the team looks to spur production from Richards and Dwight King, and it will be interesting to see whether Darryl Sutter keeps the lines intact for the next three games, where the Kings won’t have the benefit of a last change.

Lastly, and most importantly, congratulations to Jonathan Quick, the winningest Los Angeles Kings goalie of all-time.

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