First November Practice! Andersson w/ Kopitar & Athanasiou Update + Power-Play Roles & Vocal Defensemen

After a full off day yesterday, the Kings got back on the ice this morning at Toyota Sports Performance Center.

In terms of changes, the Kings were without forwads Viktor Arvidsson and Gabe Vilardi, who were both placed in COVID-19 Protocol shortly before Sunday’s game against Buffalo. Arvidsson took warmups with the team, while Vilardi was a designated scratch, and both were ruled out at that time, with Todd McLellan confirming after the win over the Sabres.

Forward Andreas Athanasiou skated in a regular jersey this morning for the first time during the regular season. After he suffered an upper-body injury early in training camp, Athanasiou worked his way back into a non-contact red jersey last week and today he skated as a part of the team’s bottom six, rotating in with the fourth line in select drills, though he was not a permanent fixture.

From speaking with Todd McLellan today, Athanasiou needs at least another day of practice time and will not feature tomorrow against the St. Louis Blues, per the player’s own evaluation. The likelihood is that we’ll see the same 12 forwards that played against Buffalo on Sunday, though there are a couple of balls in the air here, as McLellan spoke to this morning.

“The issue we have is obviously COVID, and the risk of having more individuals go into that, but that’s not changing all season,” McLellan said. “Just because we’re in it right now, doesn’t mean it’s a one-time thing, it’s going to be that way all the way through. Over and above that, you have to manage cap, you have to manage roster spots, you have to think about where your farm team is and they’re not here right now. They’re not far away, so if we need players, we can get them.”

On defense, Austin Strand was back with the big club, after he was assigned to the AHL yesterday, only to be recalled this morning. Strand rotated in with the other six defensemen that featured on Sunday, giving the Kings an extra on the blueline. No further word at this time on whether or not Strand checks in tomorrow, though off of two consecutive victories, McLellan may opt to keep things consistent on the backend.

The groupings today were as follows –

Andersson – Kopitar – Brown
Kempe – Danault – Iafallo
Grundstrom – Kupari – Moore
Lemieux – Lizotte – Kaliyev – Athanasiou

Great to see Andreas Athanasiou in a regular jersey today. Still on injured reserve as of this time, had previously skated in a non-contact red jersey. pic.twitter.com/S5RtDytwOg

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 2, 2021

To start Sunday’s game against Buffalo, after Arvidsson was ruled out, Arthur Kaliyev was used on the top line. McLellan discussed today how Kaliyev slotted in with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, and why a move was made during the game to move Lias Andersson into that role for the third period.

“We tried Arthur there, and Arty gave us as much as he could, but it’s a real good example of youth,” McLellan said. “Arty may be ready to play in the league, but is he ready to play in the league, on that line, against top-end checkers, heavy players. The night before, Arty had [around] 14 minutes of ice and we had him at 11 minutes through two periods [on Sunday] and the engine just wasn’t good enough in back-to-back games, I think it was obvious and he knew that too. It’s a great learning experience for him and I think it gives you a good appreciation for how Kopi and some of these veteran, star players, haul around players for 20 minutes a night, back-to-back. They know when to hit the gas pedal when to hit the brake. Younger players may be there skill-wise, or even size wise, but they’re learning how to play in the game and that’s where Arthur is right now.”

The Kings are hopeful to have that line’s usual third member, Viktor Arvidsson, back in a timely fashion, but with the situation being dictated by protocols, we’ll keep an eye on how things progress, day-by-day.

Power Play
Let’s analyze two areas of the man advantage, stemming form the two players we spoke with after practice today.

– Arthur Right vs. Kaliyev Left.
We’ve seen Arthur Kaliyev stationed on both sides of the umbrella in his time with the Kings this season. Typilcally, it’s been a defenseman manning the “center point”, distributing pucks to both sides and running the power play. More on that below.

Being on the left side versus the right side presents unique and different opportunities for Kaliyev. On the right naturally creates one-timer possibilities, with the left-hand shooting Kaliyev able to open up and set himself up for one-timers. Which is obviously good, but it’s not the only factor at play here. Kaliyev has a heck of a wrist shot, which is a more viable option when Kaliyev plays on the left side of the umbrella.

“Left side is more of wrist shots, and you can change the angle on the shots too,” Kaliyev explained. “Right side is more of a power side and you just try to shoot it as hard as you can with a slap shot.”

In terms of preference for the young winger, he’s comfortable playing on either side. He said that as long as he’s getting his looks, and that the power-play is functioning well as a whole, he’s willing to do whatever role is asked of him to help the team find success.

“Wherever they put me, I just try to shoot the puck, get open and make plays,” Kaliyev said. “Wherever it makes [sense] for me to play, I’ll play there. It really doesn’t matter to me as long as I’m getting looks, shots, chances and making plays, and that the power play is looking good.”

– Matt Roy, Power-Play Quarterback
Speaking with Matt Roy today, he was asked about being the lone defenseman on an NHL power-play unit for, really, the first time in his professional career.

“It’s stressful, it’s fun, it’s a good opportunity for me personally,” he said. “Guys need to step up and start producing from the backend, so I approach every power play with an aggressive mindset. I’m just hoping to get a goal, or a point, and help the team out.”

When asked to clarify, Roy called it a “good stress” for him. When on the power play, everyone wants to score, everyone wants to produce points each time out. The power-play is a very “goals versus attempts” driven business, and having success on that unit is almost always dictated by the overall numbers. From an outside perspective, converting at a certain rate is considered good, and converting below that certain rate is not.

It’s hard to measure power-play effectiveness beyond points in the way that we do at even strength. There are attempts, measured by danger level and other factors, to help us evaluate puck possession at 5-on-5. That’s different 5-on-4, when the game is played almost exclusively at one end. Roy has one assist so far and has done an effective job of keeping his unit functioning through a few opportunities.

Vocal Leadership
It’s not a secret that Drew Doughty is a vocal leader. Doughty is talkative in the locker room, on the bench and on the ice, providing a level of conversation and accountability on the backend.

With Doughty out of the lineup for an extended absence, that burden falls to other skaters.

“Mikey Anderson has become quite vocal, I think that playing with Drew and sitting on the bench with him has helped,” McLellan said. “Over and above that, Edler isn’t a loud guy, but he isn’t afraid to speak up. The rest of them, when they feel comfortable, they’re sharing their thoughts and ideas, even if it’s just amongst the six of them. When the play starts, they seem to be more vocal, and a lot of that is confidence. When things are going a little bit better, you’re more apt to talk. They’re showing signs of maturing there.”

Speaking with Matt Roy today, an individual who has become more and more a part of the team’s secondary core, he said that while he won’t be the guy standing up in the locker room and getting the group going, he has tried to take it upon himself a bit more amongst his fellow defensemen to say what needs to be said.

That speaks to what McLellan referenced above. Perhaps not at a team-wide level, but a once labeled “quiet” group is getting more confident and comfortable, and is talking more amongst itself.

“With the [defensemen], I try to be vocal and encourage everyone, help everyone out,” Roy said. “I won’t be the rah-rah guy in the locker room, but with the d-core specifically, I try to lead by example and make sure that everyone is going and ready to go.”

The full interview with Roy is available below –

It’s November 2nd, and we’re wrapping up a three-game season series, feels weird, doesn’t it, Insiders? As noted above, the Kings currently have 12 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders at their disposal for tomorrow night against St. Louis. Game preview to follow in the morning, in advance of the final Kings – Blues game of the season.