Angeles Analysis – Seventh Heaven, but no Great Eight

Well Insiders, all great things have to come to an end.

The LA Kings finally saw their extended winning streak snapped, a run that had them within two games of a franchise record, following a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg. It didn’t end with a car slamming into a wall, however, but rather a slow, glided stop. The Kings picked up a point by reaching overtime against the Jets, finishing their four-game trip at 3-0-1, as they extended the lesser-decorated points streak to eight games.

If you said, as we boarded the plane from sunny Southern California to the Great White North, that the Kings would pick up 7 of 8 points on the trip, I think we’d all have taken that. As we now return to sunny, Southern California, from the Great White North, we certainly will take it, even if it means seeing the winning streak halted in the process. Have I mentioned that it’s sunny here in California, and it was not sunny in Winnipeg? Okay then.

What’s interesting enough about last night’s game is that the Kings played as well against the Jets as they did in any other stop on the road trip. They checked well, they created turnovers and had offensive opportunities, generated by skating, passing and teamwork. Their goals both came in transition, with Carl Grundstrom’s effort a superb shot and Brendan Lemieux’s goal an example of keeping things simple and doing so effectively.

That’s the quirky thing about hockey. You can play a disjointed game and win, you can play a pretty darn good game and lose. What’s important right now for the Kings, however, is that they’re starting to develop an identity – and play to it – and that’s a really good thing.

Blake Lizotte said the other day that the mantra in the room right now is that good teams find a way to win games, and that’s what the Kings did here on their trip to Canada. The fact that the game in Winnipeg could have been the best of the bunch only speaks to that. The game in Ottawa was far from pretty, but the Kings found a way to win. There were moments in Montreal that certainly could have seen a 3-2 victory become a 3-2 loss but again the Kings found a way to win. Good teams find ways to win hockey games and right now the Kings look the part of a good team.

When I look at the Kings right now, I see a team that is committed to playing a brand of hockey that is resulting in victories. I think that during training camp and early in the regular season, the preaching of an “aggressive” style of play was received as a notion that meant offensive play, and maybe I thought that too. When the Kings were 1-5-1, the aggressive term was mocked. Same old Kings right? Can’t score enough to win.

I think now we’re seeing what Todd McLellan and his team have been talking about. Yes, the Kings are playing 3-2 hockey games right now. They’re 7-1-0 this season when they score three or more goals and 1-3-2 when they don’t. But this isn’t the same old style of play and I think that’s quite evident as you watch the games. The Kings are checking efficiently, they’re defending well and they’re getting good goaltending, but they’re also ramping up the intensity, forechecking more aggressively and efficiently and forcing turnovers at a higher rate than we saw last season.

We’re clearly seeing the more aggressive mindset, and frequently it’s turning into goals. It hasn’t turned the Kings into the high-octane, offensive juggernaut that perhaps we thought might’ve been coming, but it’s turned into a winning hockey team. The Kings are committed right now to playing that brand of hockey, and they’re doing it well.

As we now return home from the trip, change, in some form, is coming. McLellan indicated that forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Gabe Vilardi will re-join the team back in Los Angeles, returning two members of the opening night Top 9 to the fray. Lias Andersson is also close to a return, after he transitioned from a non-contact jersey to a regular one during Friday’s practice, a welcomed sight for the Kings.

Even in good times, change can be good. Players like Arvidsson can help the Kings as they continue to grow and develop. There’s also the element to it, however, that the return of regulars means that others will transition out of the lineup, and that means players who have helped this team win games during their seven-game winning streak. That creates a tough decision and speaks to the depth that the Kings have built, and the success that the bottom six has had.

Over the last couple of years, when a player stepped back into the lineup, there might have been a selection of guys who could come out. That doesn’t exist right now. You could make the case for each of the 12 forwards to retain their spot in the lineup and that’s perhaps the biggest sign of organizational growth we’ve seen from the Kings. Individuals have stepped up and stepped into larger spots in the lineup, showing no intention of giving those spots up. The internal growth and competition we’re seeing is a terrific step forward here for the organiztaion.

The team has a well-deserved off day today to recharge the batteries before a seven-game homestand kicks off on Wednesday. We’ll see more challenges to come on the homestand, including the first taste of divisional action since Opening Night against Vegas. We’re just getting started here, Insiders, and the next seven games will continue to help tell the story of just how far the Kings have come, and just how far they might have to go.

Excited to be along for the process.