Block parties make it tough on Kings

You might remember, a couple weeks ago, the discussion of the Kings’ desire to get 65 pucks toward the net in every game. That number, although arbitrary, has been set by the coaching staff as the standard, the total necessary to generate the proper number of scoring chances for the Kings offense. Well, last night the Kings put 68 pucks toward the net and didn’t score a goal. The problem? Only 27 of them got to the net. Another 16 missed the net, and although that’s slightly more than normal, the real problem is that the Kings had 25 of their shots blocked by Minnesota defensemen or forwards. Sometimes, blocked shots end up being deflections that get to the net anyway, but last night, the Wild players were particularly effective in getting in front of shots and blocking them cleanly. Today, Terry Murray talked about the Kings’ need to adjust, and not merely shoot directly into opponents…

MURRAY: “You have to be able to get it through the first layer. Last night, they fronted everything. When we had a net presence, our man was all alone in front of the net. If you get the puck through, it’s going on the goalie. That’s where we’re missing that layer, to get a puck through. We’re not changing the angle (of the shot). You’ve got to move your feet. You’ve got to move your stick. It’s just a matter of stretching your arm out another couple inches, to miss that defenseman that is going to block it, and get the puck through.”