Sutter wants shot volume; Kings delivered last night

If you thought that the Los Angeles Kings’ 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday represented a strong all-around performance, the numbers back you up. Only one other regular season game since 2007-08 – a 4-2 loss to Minnesota on December 8, 2011 in which the Kings missed the net 33 times – produced as many five-on-five shot attempts as the 74 directed towards the Flames’ net yesterday.

“We want volume,” Darryl Sutter said. “We have lots of guys who haven’t been getting any shots, so we want volume. Volume’s better.”

It brings to mind a quote of his during the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“We have to find ways to get more at the net, because more is better,” Sutter said prior to Game 3 against St. Louis. “What’s that commercial with that little girl? ‘More. Can you get less of more? Does anybody want more?’”

‘More’ was certainly there last night as the Kings attacked, attacked and attacked some more during five-on-five play against a Calgary team whose smoke machine was unplugged and whose mirrors were cracked. The Flames, riding a robust 101.1 PDO during five-on-five play, have been sustained by a 10.5% shooting percentage despite their 44.5% Corsi-for rate. These numbers suggest that the Flames’ grasp on a playoff spot is tenuous, despite the burgeoning culture and buy-in that Bob Hartley has generated from a tight knit room that boasts an impressive array of skilled young players.

Back to volume: the Kings generated quite a bit of it. Via War on Ice, here’s a shot chart from last night’s game:

Perhaps last night’s game is an example of why the Flames’ shooting percentage is so high. Their shot chances were all from an area of the ice that is integral to goal scoring. But the sheer number of attempts matters, too.

“Volume does matter,” Darryl Sutter said. “‘Volume’ is better. ‘Percentages’ is better. ‘Shots from the middle of the ice’ is better. Guys who don’t get pucks in the middle of the ice in that slot, or from the blue line directly to the net are not performing as well as they should if they’re top players. Guys who are having success when they’re having it and they are known as goal scorers, that’s why. Most of the goals are scored right from the blue paint and straight out. You could draw a line there, and most of ‘em are scored there. If you’re not going there, then you’re not getting the shots. That’s a fact.”

One of those players with a green light to shoot would have to be Anze Kopitar, who is on a 79-game pace (he missed three games earlier this year) to collect 134.8 shots, which would be the lowest shot rate of his career by a considerable margin. Considering Kopitar’s 12.6 shooting percentage this season is in line with his 12.3% career average, should those shot attempts increase, he’s bound to see an uptick in his scoring. Ditto for Marian Gaborik, whose 2.32 shots on goal per game is .95 shots per game below his career average of 3.27.