Waking up with the Kings: December 23

For all the statistics that indicate that the Kings should be finding their course, there have been a few recent episodes similar to last night’s 4-3 home overtime loss to the Flames in which the club has surrendered goals in quick bursts, and on Monday the visiting comeback sullied what otherwise would have been a thorough performance. Despite their recent losing streak, Calgary has more or less done this all season long: they’ve now outscored their opponents 45-23 in third periods, where they’re shooting an unsustainable team-wide 15.1%, and they’ve scored a league-high eight goals in four-on-four play. But this game seemed so secure for the Kings despite Darryl Sutter’s postgame observance that as the game wore on “I think they had a lot more desperation than our team.” Until the final two minutes, at no point felt did the game feel as if it was slipping away, and the run of play appeared to be mostly even from late in the second period onward. The team had set a goal of winning its final three games before the Christmas break, and to lose in the fashion that it did with nearly a week to think about it will challenge the boundaries of Parking and Riding.

The fertilizer sprouting Calgary’s comeback came in the form of Brandon Bollig’s unpenalized, borderline-late hit on Anze Kopitar in open space just a shade outside of what would be considered a dangerous area near the boards. The Kings retaliated, and I doubt anyone within the organization would have the slightest iota of disapproval of such engagement, given the circumstances of the game. On the ensuing power play, Jarret Stoll, minus a broken stick, blocked a Dennis Wideman point shot, sending the puck coolly to Johnny Gaudreau on the most opportune of caroms. Given Calgary’s propensity to come from behind in third periods, the final three minutes of the second period represented a game-changing turn of events that built a base for the comeback.

There are Lots Of Goals being scored during Kings games. Not including shootout game-winners, over the last seven games the Kings and their opponents have posted goal totals of 8, 8, 6, 7, 10, 6 and 7. Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy had an interesting (and accurate) take on why the Kings have been, in his words, “just okay.” He calls to attention the team’s penalty killing rate away from Staples Center, the penalty killing save percentage away from Staples Center, and (though it has stabilized through the recent hot streak) the team’s power play shooting percentage at home. They’re numbers that should stabilize over time, but as of today they’re leading to a surge in special teams scoring. From the 4-0 win at Arizona on December 4 onward, the Kings (11-40) and their opponents (10-30) have combined to score 21 goals on 70 opportunities, good for a 30% success rate. There were four power plays in last night’s game, leading to three goals.

These Brayden McNabb hits are becoming a regular part of watching the Kings. Surely there’s a better name than MCSLAM for these collisions inside the Kings’ blue line. What do we call them?