Angeles Analysis – Feeling Different

Insiders, that was one hell of a win last night.

If you happened to miss it, the Kings were down entering the final minute of play and found a way with the goaltender pulled to force overtime against a really good team. As Todd McLellan put it after the game, it took having an extra man on the ice to find a way to get on the right end of a second opportunity and the Kings made no mistake in burying it. One Andreas Athanasiou breakaway later and it’s a sweep of the back-to-back set in Buffalo and Boston, and a road trip that saw the Kings take 6 of a possible 8 points.

Over the course of the two games versus the Sabres and Bruins, the Kings attacked several of the well-told narratives that have plagued the franchise for some time. Some true in the past, sure, but not true with the 2021-22 LA Kings. Because the 2021-22 LA Kings are different.

Let’s start with the constants between the two games –

Back-To-Backs
I’ll start with this one because I’ve probably pushed this narrative as aggressively as anyone. At one point in time, it almost felt as if a back-to-back was a synonym for a scheduled loss on the second half, especially when that game also came on the back end of a 3-in-4 set. Frequently, the team in that situation is on the road, with travel involved, and is therefore at a disadvantage.

To date, no team in the NHL has played more back-to-backs this season than the Kings (12). Just three teams in the NHL have earned more points-per-game on the second half of back-to-backs than the Kings and those three teams are comprised of two division leaders (COL and CGY) and the defending Stanley Cup champs (TBL). At 1.33 points-per-game in those situations, the Kings have amassed a 7-3-2 record in the second half of back-to-backs this season.

Perhaps no win was bigger than last night’s, as the Kings grinded through a taxing game against a challenging to play against opponent. The Bruins are, in many ways, a mirror image of the Kings in terms of approach, and that brought out a physical element to both teams. To play that style of game, after playing the day before, is impressive, as the victory could be described.

Kings On The Road
Let’s face it, the Kings have been one of the NHL’s worst road teams over the past few seasons. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, the Kings have posted a 36-57-12 record, good for just 84 points, the fourth-lowest total in the league in that span.

This season, after a 0-3-1 start to the season, the Kings have turned it around in a major way. Since the end of that early, four-game roadtrip, the Kings have gone 18-4-4 in their last 26 games away from home. Even with those first four in there, the Kings have the second-best road record in the NHL this season. Two more victories over Buffalo and Boston extended that number, with the trip opener against Dallas the team’s only game without a point in the last 14 the Kings have played on the road (11-1-2). The Kings have also amassed points in 10 straight road games versus Eastern Conference opposition, a streak that will now carry into next season.

Winning The Ones You Should
I’ve seen this one perhaps as frequently as any other, if not more, which is that the Kings don’t take care of business against the teams they should beat. And there might be some truth to that from seasons past, but I don’t care to go back and look up the numbers from seasons past. And, with the Kings a below .500 team over the last few seasons themselves, it was less applicable. What I can share are the numbers from the 2021-22 season.

The Kings are 16-1-2 against teams currently under .500 this season, a record that grew one in the win column against Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Now that record actually got worse, overall, than it was a week or so ago, with San Jose dropping below the .500 line and therefore adding a regulation loss onto a mark that previously had a zero in that slot. However, the point still remains that the Kings have taken care of their business in those games.

34 of a possible 40 points? Not too shabby. Winning those “should wins” are a good recipe for success in making the postseason and in that area, the Kings have taken care of business.

Afternoon Snoozers
This one was my favorite, personally.

But, to clear the air, the Kings are now 4-2-1 in afternoon starts this season, 5-2-1 if you include a 4 PM local puck drop, a mark which includes a 2-0-1 record in 1 PM games played on the East Coast. I’m not saying it was wrong in the past and I mean, I was certainly pretty sleepy during the Buffalo game, but whatever the rationale was, the Kings have turned it around in those situations this season.

In summary – The LA Kings are a team that has played well on the second half of back-to-backs. They’re a team that takes care of business on the road. They’re a team that wins the games it should win, against teams below .500. And they’re a team that, yes, can get results in afternoon games.

What was the point of writing this?

Perhaps just a different way to say that this team is different. During live games, we see how this team is different. Day-to-day, on smaller runs of games, we see how this team is different. A way to show it in the larger picture is to display how the Kings have improved in certain areas, they’ve reversed certain trends and eliminated others.

Whoever these LA Kings are, they’re turning into something quite special. 24 games to go, Insiders. Here’s to hoping it keeps rolling.

Insiders, the caffeination process from our arrival back in Los Angeles at approximately 3 AM this morning is ongoing. I’ll pull together a formal post on our LAKI Suite Night, scheduled for April 4 versus Calgary. Things keep down the path they are now, that could be a pretty exciting game in Downtown Los Angeles!