Angeles Analysis – One More

One more win, Insiders!

I don’t know why, but I can’t say the phrase one more without thinking about Rookie Of The Year. It brings me to this clip every time……give me ONE more.

The Kings are now in full Chet Stedman mode. One more win and the LA Kings are postseason bound. It might not even take one more win – the Vegas Golden Knights play two games in between now and when the Kings next hit the ice and will be halfway through a third game earlier in the day on Wednesday before that point. The Kings could clinch as soon as tomorrow, with a little bit of help from that team up in Northern California. Ever rooted harder for San Jose? Probably not.

The best part, though, is that the Kings don’t need to root for anyone, because they are firmly in control of their own destiny. They could get no help whatsoever surrounding games with Vegas, Dallas or Nashville – all teams now behind them in the standings – and still get in on their own merit. With a win on Wednesday in Seattle, or a win on Thursday in Vancouver, the Kings would clinch a playoff berth independent of what else happens in other games. And that, right there, is the best place they could possibly be.

Over the last month, Todd McLellan has been asked ad nauseum about the postseason. He’s been asked if he’s been watching the scores around him, if he finds himself rooting for certain teams to beat other teams, if he’s got a total number of points in mind to make the playoffs. His answer was always the same – control what we can control.

McLellan stated each time that his goal was for the Kings to win the next game in front of them. They didn’t always do that. There were certainly ups and downs. But through it all, the message was the same. Don’t worry about what goes on around you, just try and win the game in front of you.

Now, those two viewpoints have finally become one. The next game in front of the Kings is Wednesday against Seattle. If the Kings win that game, they will be playoff-bound. The long-term questions and focus meet the short-term “one game at a time” focus. They’re on a collision course for the Pacific Northwest, should they not take a pitstop along the way.

How we got here was a four-game winning streak over the last eight days. The Kings defeated Columbus and Anaheim by identical 2-1 margins, Chicago by a 4-1 final and Anaheim again yesterday 4-2. For all of the talk about these final six games against teams currently outside of the playoff picture, it was just that – talk – without the Kings taking care of business. It wasn’t always pretty, it was never the same way, but the Kings took care of their own business over the last eight days. Where it’s left them in the aforementioned position of controlling their own destiny to return to the playoffs.

Each game along the way has been unique. The Columbus win was an early 2-1 advantage that turned into an extended “hold on” moment with a one-goal lead. The first win against the Ducks was a Jonathan Quick masterclass, followed by a more complete win over a Chicago team that didn’t offer much resistance on Thursday. Yesterday’s win over the Ducks saw some adversity, as the Kings trailed for the first time this week, but the comeback was quick and smooth to make it four straight wins.

Take the second period(s) against Anaheim as the perfect example. On Tuesday, it was Jonathan Quick who picked up the 18 skaters. The Kings were outmatched over those 20 minutes at Honda Center and anything less than what Quick gave on that night would have seen that game go South. Last night, it was the skaters who picked up Quick after a fluke of a goal against. The Kings bounced back within three minutes of conceding, righting the ship after what could have been a momentum shift. From that point on, Quick and the team shut the door defensively, conceding few high-quality opportunities in the second half of the game. Quick has been so good over the last couple of weeks, that it was good to see a goal like that not hurt him or the team. Of all the players that could have been affected by a play like that, the playoff-tested netminder has the be among those you concern yourself with least.

It was also great to see different contributors, throughout the lineup, impact the win. The center of the first line and the center of the fourth line each had two assists. Arthur Kaliyev scored for the first time since March 28, as a part of a multi-point night. Dennis Bernstein pointed out after the game that the Kings got two goals from a defenseman in a single game just twice before last night. In the biggest of moments, both Alex Edler and Matt Roy both scored, the game-tying and game-winning goals nonetheless. If you takeaway Drew Doughty’s totals, the Kings have just 14 goals from their backend this season but you couldn’t ask for two of them to come at a bigger or better time than yesterday.

Looking ahead, it’s the best type of scoreboard watching you could ask for. In a situation of needing another team to lose, it’s tormenting. When it’s helpful, but you can take care of your own business in a few days’ time, it’s exciting. Laden with controversy, the Vegas Golden Knights can expect a larger-than-usual audience from Southern California, rooting against them as you can imagine. It should be an optimistic watch for Kings fans though, because the Kings have, to this point, handled their own business.

At the end of the day, as McLellan has said for weeks, that game doesn’t matter. Sure, he admitted he’ll likely be watching, but with 80 games in the past, and two games to go of the scheduled 82, everything is in the Kings hands. And there’s no place you’d rather your own fate lie.