Target practice

What an opportunity the Kings had Thursday night. They had taken a 2-1 first-period lead on an exciting Wayne Simmonds penalty-shot goal, and just more than one minute later, at the 18:41 mark, the Senators started a mind-boggling run of penalties that eventually led to a two-minute, 5-on-3 for the Kings. What did they do with it?

18:41: Kelly interference penalty
18:57: Doughty shot wide
19:24: Alfredsson tripping penalty
19:32: Volchenkov penalty for closing hand on puck
19:43: Kopitar shot blocked
19:56: Stoll shot on goal
0:26 (second period): Stoll shot wide
0:32: Stoll shot on goal
0:59: Doughty shot wide
1:10: Stoll shot wide
1:40: Williams shot on goal

All told on the power play, that’s 2:59, zero goals, three shots on goal, four shots wide and one shot blocked. What did Terry Murray think?

Not surpisingly, Murray had a simple reaction when asked what he would have liked to have seen done different on the power play…

MURRAY: “Hit the net. The opportunities were there. We had penalty of shooting opportunities, but you have to hit the net. In the 5-on-3, our attitude up front is scoring and, to me, that needs to be changed. Just hit the goaltender, and now you’re looking for second, third, fourth opportunities. Everybody is turning around, looking to find the puck. They’re facing their goaltender, and that’s when you jump on it. We’re trying to put it inside the post, and get too fine.”