Stoll not on point(s) of late

When the Kings got off to their torrid 12-3-0 start to this season, a major factor was the production of the second line, and of center Jarret Stoll in particular. Stoll had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in his first 17 games, but his production has fallen off sharply since then. Stoll now has two goals and zero assists in his last 12 games, and while the first line has gotten going, the second line has slowed down. Perhaps that is part of Terry Murray’s thinking when he talks about reuniting Stoll with Smyth and Williams. That trio was hot at the start of the season but had, statistically, tailed off a bit by the time it was broken up. I asked Murray today what, if anything, in Stoll’s game was indicative of his recent point-production drop.

MURRAY: “When you’re going to put points up in this league today, it’s a matter of having the confidence with the puck, holding onto it and really moving your feet to create some separation, and making plays. Try to find your teammate or getting pucks to the net. I think we’ve gotten away from that a bit. Our net presence and our shot mentality needs to be improved, and Jarret Stoll is a guy who has got a great shot. I would like to see him just use his speed on a pretty consistent basis, carrying the puck and getting pucks to the net.”