Who is that third-period team?

It’s fair to say there are some on-ice, split-personality issues going on with the Kings these days. Tuesday’s game against Boston was the latest in a recent trend in which the Kings look off-page in the early part of the game, then look like world-beaters in the third period. Part of the issue, of course, is that in most of these games, the Kings are trailing in the third period so, by nature, the opponent will be sitting back, concerned more about defense than pressing the issue. But even within the Kings’ game, itself, there is a more aggressive attitude, crisper passing, more play in front of the net, etc. That can be maddening for a coach — and, no doubt, for a certain former coach — and interim coach John Stevens was asked today about the change that seems to come over the Kings after the second intermission. Last night, the Kings outshot the Bruins 20-3 in third period but, of course, still didn’t get any goals out of it…

STEVENS: “There was a time when our shot totals were way off in the third period. First and second were fine, and then the third was off. Lately, it’s been the first that is off, and the third has gotten a lot better. The one statistic that you want to see is goals going in the net early, because it increases your chances of winning. I think that’s something that Terry really focused on last year, was getting off to good starts, trying to get the lead, scoring the first goal. Last night, (the team) might get a pass just because of what happened. I think the guys were trying to get their mind around the game, get past the emotional struggles that they had, with what had just transpired, but it’s certainly not something that we want to see. We’ve had some really good third periods lately, but we’d like to see that kind of play early in the game.’’

Stevens also addressed the obvious point, that part of this is attributable to the Kings need to play from behind in the third period…

STEVENS: “I think there’s always some of that. They’re not coming after you, trying to score. They’re going to err on the side of caution, maybe not try to make plays, and make sure pucks get deep. But I do think a lot of what happened last night, and a lot of what has happened in the third periods lately, has been due to things that we’ve done. Guys have been willing to get to the puck and get to the net. You want to see that happen from the start of our hockey game. I think you remove a little bit of the pressure when you’re down, so you just go out and play. You want to be able to have that attitude when the score is even and the game has just started.’’