On match-ups against the opportunistic Flames

Earlier today, Darryl Sutter noted the success experienced by Jeff Carter’s line in the head-to-head match-up against Calgary this season, and likewise, the success experienced by Sean Monahan’s line. On the impact that the match-ups could have on the outcome of the game, he suggested, “Just dig a little deeper in your stats.”

The stats suggest that from a possession standpoint, Calgary is fortunate to have won three of the four games in the series. Total shot attempts in five-on-five play favor the Kings, 242-138, though shot attempts will generally favor the Kings in any head-to-head appraisal, while the Flames have been supremely opportunistic this season, cashing in on a 10.6% shooting percentage that ranks second in the NHL. They’ve scored on an even more pronounced 13.1% of their shots against Los Angeles.

It’s a continued topic considering Calgary’s top three scorers play on the same line, and the forward who ranks fourth on the club in points, Lance Bouma, is not expected to play tonight. There’s a bit of a gap between Sean Monahan, who ranks third on the team with 61 points, and the next forward, David Jones, who has 30. Given Sutter’s quote yesterday that “we have two top centermen, and usually those guys have a way of sawing each other off,” if the forwards assigned to counter the Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler line can play the Flames’ top forwards to a wash, there are perhaps favorable match-ups for the Kings down the lineup. Of course, it will be up to Bob Hartley to set those match-ups in a Calgary home game that will be backed by a special atmosphere inside the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Then again, nothing about this Flames team is conventional. Defensemen TJ Brodie and Dennis Wideman are adept puckmovers and more than capable of providing supplemental offense, and the activation of Calgary defensemen led to a pair of overtime goals this season. Special teams will also play an enormous factor, as in any other game.

Head-to-Head Top Scorers, Kings
Tyler Toffoli: 3 GP, 4-1=5
Dustin Brown: 4 GP, 0-3=3
Jeff Carter: 4 GP, 0-3=3
Trevor Lewis: 4 GP, 1-1=2
Dwight King: 4 GP, 1-1=2

Head-to-Head Top Scorers, Flames
Johnny Gaudreau, 4 GP, 3-3=6
Dennis Wideman, 4 GP, 1-4=5
Jiri Hudler, 4 GP, 0-4=4
Sean Monahan, 4 GP, 1-2=3
Mason Raymond: 4 GP, 2-0=2

Dwight King, on match-ups beyond top players in tonight’s game being paramount:
That’s kind of the way you look at every team. Obviously the top-end players have to match, and if you want to win, out play top players, and guys who fall in behind, kind of the same thing. It’s a match-up game at this time of year. You usually play against the same guys when you head on the ice. So take advantage of your opportunities and limit the guys you’re playing against can only help our outcome.

King, on what kind of match-ups he sees against Calgary:
They’re a quick moving team, like you said. They’ve kind of changed their identity to that, where they want to be fast out of their zone and have a lot of speed going up ice and carry it into the offensive zone. So just limiting time and space is probably the big thing and once we get the puck into their zone, hold onto it a little longer and we’ll have to see if that leads to our favor.

King, on whether they can recreate a Game 7 mentality before the game:
It’s pretty much a do or die game, so if you want to put it in a Game 7 manner or even if it’s a Game 5, it’s a very important game for our team. I think everyone is well aware of that. The focus needs to be on a high level tonight.

Matt Greene, on any concerted effort to play Sean Monahan more physical in the last game:
I don’t think it was anybody in particular. You’re just trying to play hard, play hard against these guys.

Greene, on the “feel” he gets in games against Calgary:
They work hard. They’re a skilled team that works really hard, so you’ve got to be able ready to match their work and try to limit their skill.

Kyle Clifford, on any concerted effort to play Calgary more physical in the last game:
We know they’re a physical group, and so are we, and obviously…there’s going to be a lot of weight thrown around, so we’ve just got to be prepared and be ready for it from right from the start.

Clifford, on whether there is an effort to habndle Calgary’s top players more physically:
Absolutely. They’ve got a couple high-end skilled guys, so we’ve just got to play ‘em hard and do what makes successful.

Clifford, on whether he’s “excited”:
Yeah, absolutely. These are big games, and these are games that our team thrives on, so it’s going to be fun.