Waking up with the Kings: May 4

The Kings were 3-2 overtime winners in a thrilling game improbable not only for a comeback in the last 10 seconds of the third period, but because they went over 17 minutes without a shot on goal, relied on Jonathan Quick and some luck around their own net, and survived waves of early second period Ducks pressure in maintaining a tied score long enough to help them regain their footing in what eventually developed into a mostly even affair. The final shot totals would indicate that both teams were able to possess the puck relatively proportionally, though given Robyn Regehr’s absence, the run of play in overtime and Los Angeles’ shot on goal drought, the Kings were fortunate to be in position to eke out a win and claim a 1-0 series lead.

With Willie Mitchell and Regehr battling injuries, opportunities have arisen for other players on the team’s roster. In his career-high 28:13 of ice time, Alec Martinez seized the opportunity with perhaps his finest game as a King as he notched a power play goal to open the scoring and prolonged overtime by making a spectacular kick save / block on Corey Perry’s attempt early in the extra session. Matt Greene played his role well by leading the team in blocked shots with five and tied for the team lead with six hits. But of all the defensemen, Drew Doughty clearly had a game worth recognizing. Los Angeles owned 31 of 48 even strength shot attempts while Doughty was on the ice for a remarkable, game-best 64.6% Corsi-for percentage. Jeff Carter, who was on the ice while 63.0% of even strength shot attempts were directed towards the attacking net, and Trevor Lewis (62.5%) also graded well in possession metrics.

Speaking of opportunities, Jeff Schultz, come on down. The experienced defenseman who played under Bruce Boudreau over several dominant Washington Capitals regular seasons also has 29 games of NHL postseason experience. His last playoff performance in 2011-12 was not the most memorable one; despite starting 10.9% more shifts in the offensive zone than the defensive zone, 60.4% of all shot attempts while he was on the ice were directed at his own net. The basic stats tell a similar story: he was a minus-7 in 10 games and did not make it onto the lineup sheet for four of the 14 games during Washington’s venture into the second round of the playoffs under then-head coach Dale Hunter. Of course, these stats depict a wildly different set of circumstances on a team without the defensive and puck possession wherewithal the Kings have built up, but it’s still worth acknowledging as he could be on the verge of making his Los Angeles debut in Game 2 of a second round series. More to come on this from practice.

Jonathan Quick is Los Angeles’ best penalty killer. By stopping all of Anaheim’s six shots with the man advantage last night, he has now stopped 61 of 65 shots while shorthanded for a .938 save percentage.

What is there to say about Marian Gaborik that hasn’t already been said over the last 12 hours? Since joining the Kings, he has added an appreciated element of speed and skill, and appears to have struck a tone with center Anze Kopitar. After being held scoreless in his first three games with Los Angeles, he has potted 25 points (10-15=25) in the last 24 regular season and playoff games and has been a major influence in Los Angeles’ 3.62 goals per game this postseason.