The cliche in sports goes, you’re only as good as your next game, so the Kings have to be good again in a hurry. Last night’s impressive victory over Chicago left little time to celebrate, as the Kings must face the Winnipeg Jets tonight. The Jets have been a strong-than-expected group, particularly at home, where they are 12-6-1. Still, there are some positive signs for the Kings, who have now recorded at least one point in five consecutive games (4-0-1) for just the second time this season. Asked about building some momentum, Justin Williams said he’s encouraged, but not satisfied.
WILLIAMS: “A little momentum, definitely. We have played well, the last handful of games here, so we don’t want to take a step backward. Coach Sutter is really focusing on that. He said, `Good win, but we can always be better.’ So, next game, we don’t have a day in between like we have been having, it’s back-to-back, but I know we’re going to be ready, especially in front of the pops.’’
For whatever reason — or reasons — the Kings seem to have more life, more attack on offense in recent games. They’ve been above 30 shots on goal in eight of their last 11 games, but Dustin Brown said it’s about more than just shooting the puck.
BROWN: “You talk about a shot mentality, but I think that since the start of that road trip, it wasn’t really about a shot mentality but about a scoring mentality. Part of that is getting shots, but more importantly, it’s getting guys around the net, ready to score. I think that’s probably been the biggest difference for us. Again, having a shot mentality is one thing, but having a scoring mentality is a whole other. I think we’re starting to have more score mentality, of having guys around the net and getting in position to score goals, as opposed to settling for shots.’’
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