Angeles Analysis – A Look From All Angles

It was interesting to go back through all of the reactions to last night’s game from all parties involved.

Speaking with players within the room, most felt that the Kings generally executed as intended. Goals against came off of weird plays or individual breakdowns and on the back end of a 3-in-4, the Kings had enough in the tank to see out the game. Todd McLellan did say he didn’t necessarily feel the team had their “A” game, but felt the team stuck with it and it says something to come back from being down a goal three separate times. He also said that sometimes in games like that, we don’t credit the opposition enough and he was quick to do that, noting that the Flyers gave up nothing for free, with open ice at a premium all night long.

Listening to the post game remarks from Philadelphia Head Coach John Tortorella, he was extremely pleased with his own team’s effort. He spoke about how fast the Kings were out of the gates, which was reflective in the flow of play early, and how his team matched it, highlighting several positives as opposed to the negatives of missing out on a point. Playing on the road, against a team that’s played well as of late, at a time in the season when points are critical, you’re going to get stern tests and you have to find a way through them. The Kings were able to do that last night for a variety of reasons.

Speaking with Anze Kopitar after the game, he said the Kings weren’t fazed in any of the situations in which they gave up a goal. It happened twice in the first period and the Kings answered in quick succession on both occasions. After another exchange in the second, the Kings faced another tight third period. In Nashville, a 3-2 lead soured into a 5-3 defeat, while a lead was managed better in Chicago on Sunday. Forward Quinton Byfield credited the team’s leadership for helping to steer the group though the third period yesterday, even when things got dicey at times, especially towards the end. The game eventually reached the extra session and from there, Kevin Fiala did his thing to earn the second point.

There’s also the notion of secondary scoring. Yesterday morning, Todd McLellan dropped the stat that 25 percent of the team’s scoring is currently on injured reserve. As of now, none of the four currently injured players appear likely to factor in on this trip and as such, McLellan said that others will need to step up and help fill the void. Enter Sammy Fagemo, who bounced back from a play he’d like to have back on the third Flyers goal to bury a heavy……HEAVY shot from the slot and tie the game at three. Fagemo is known for that shot from his time in the AHL and he simply beat a good goaltender clean from the slot. Nothing fancy to it, just a good shooter doing what a good shooter does. When you’re without players like Vilardi, Moore, Kaliyev and Grundstrom, you need guys playing lower in the lineup to help carry the load from time to time. Fagemo did his part last night.

I think Pheonix Copley’s contributions also merit a mention. He was exceptionally hard on himself after he was pulled for the first times as a King during defeats against Dallas and Nashville. Copley felt he didn’t give the Kings a chance to win on those nights, as he had done in every start leading in. Personally, I think it’s a bit tough to pin it on him the way he did, but Copley has now done exactly what he’s needed to in wins over Chicago and Philadelphia, including a few key saves late in the game to preserve the first point and then the second. A scrambling, sliding effort that saw the Alaskan use both pads to keep the puck out of the net was the standout. Seconds later, the Kings won the game. Sometimes, it’s about when you get the save above all else and the Kings needed that bailout when they got it. Important stuff from Copley.

Putting points in the ATM is always a good thing and when you look at what’s ahead, it’s a heck of a lot better to enter into those games with a pair of wins behind you as opposed to chasing them on the backend. While the Kings have found some success in Florida in past seasons, with a 4-2-0 record over their last six, the final two stops of the trip have been houses of horror in past years. The Kings have dropped six straight in Tampa Bay (0-3-3) and six of their last seven in Carolina (1-6-0). That being said, the Kings snapped a ten-game losing streak in all cities back in October and how much are we really looking at results from 2016 to define today’s team, beyond just for purposes of a statistic. It’s 2-1-0 with three games remaining before the All-Star break, with the Kings wanting to go in on a high note with a bit of momentum. This was the trip last year that seemed to gel the group together and there was a couple of big wins in there. They’ll have to go through the defending Presidents Trophy winners, the defending Eastern Conference champions and the current Metropolitan Division leaders in order to do so. Game on, baby.

The Kings opted for an off-ice workout today at the beach, with some photos, videos and reactions to follow tomorrow. Back on the ice tomorrow afternoon, with a practice scheuduled here in Florida. Full report to follow on LAKI!