Smarter play needed

The merit of the plus-minus statistic has been discussed ad nauseum, and there’s really nothing to add to the debate. It’s a widely-recognized statistic, though, and if you accept the idea that its fluctuations will even out over the course of a full season, it’s at least useful in terms of evaluating one defenseman against another. To that extent, the stat isn’t kind to Jack Johnson. He had a plus-5 rating over his first 15 games but is minus-11 in his last seven games. Overall, his minus-6 is worst among Kings defensemen, although he has contributed a team-high nine power-play points, which are not factored into plus-minus. Johnson’s “minus-1” on Saturday night came after he fanned on a slap-shot attempt, leading to a 2-on-1 Chicago break and the game’s first goal. After practice today, Terry Murray was asked about some of the questionable decisions Johnson has made of late.

MURRAY: “I don’t disagree, but that’s an area that is prevalent in our group right now. The number of times that we have plays that are easy clears, or breakout passes, we’re not making that pass. We are attempting the pass and it’s off the stick, or it’s not close to the player. Coming through the middle of the ice, with possession, we’re just failing to get the puck in behind when there’s no other play to be made, to make the team go back to 100 feet. We end up playing stops and starts, from the top of the circle in the offensive zone to our own goal line, and it’s not a fun way to play hockey.

“So the decision-making by most everyone, right now, is off-page. If you’re going to be a good team in this league, you’ve got to be strong with the puck and have heavy sticks in the right areas, and get into that compete to recover those pucks. The question is about Jack, I understand that, but it’s everyone that is in the same area right now. It’s very gray, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the puck when I see it in certain parts of the ice. If we clean that up, we can become a good team again. I’m looking at showing our players that our pattern, our structure, it’s good, it’s consistent. But it’s the execution that’s really off the page.