Angeles Analysis – Buffalo To Buffalo

Buffalo to Buffalo feels like the title of a children’s book about two Buffaloes who overcome their differences to become friends. I’m not a children’s book author, but I personally think that book would do well. Here though, it’s a look at a span of exactly two months – December 13 through February 13 – where the Kings played the Buffalo Sabres on both days.

I shared this statistic yesterday, but sharing again to reflect last night’s victory. Since the game in Buffalo back in December, the LA Kings were 15-12-5 coming out of that game and are now 15-6-2 since that game. That was .547 hockey exiting Buffalo and .696 hockey since, updating the latter figure to account for the win yesterday evening against the Sabres. 15 wins on both sides of that date.

Speaking yesterday with Todd McLellan, we all agreed that the December game in Western New York has been the most discussed game of the season in the media circle. He added that it’s not a game that is referenced that regualrly in the locker room, but more so outside of the room. In that setting, we’ve talked about it more than any other throughout interview settings, with McLellan frequently referencing that Buffalo game as a turning point of sorts on the season. From that game on, the Kings have played not just playoff hockey but top of the standings hockey in the Western Conference. They’ve won playing their “A” game, they’ve picked up points with the “B” game and looking at last night specifically, they’ve won when playing a game that McLellan wasn’t even all that pleased with. It’s a sign of growth and it can all be measured from Buffalo to Buffalo.

By winning percentage, just three teams in the NHL have a higher mark than the Kings do in that span. Those three teams are Boston, Carolina and New York, making the Kings the best team in the Western Conference over those two months, by 50 percentage points at that. For all the talk about goal differential, the Kings are +9 in that stretch, allowing the sixth-fewest goals (66) in the NHL over those two months. On a per-game basis, the Kings rank 11th in the NHL in both goals scored and goals allowed. Just one power-play unit has been better than the Kings during that stretch – the Edmonton Oilers – who the Kings scored four PPG’s against back in January. For all the flack the penalty kill has gotten this season, it’s been right above league average at 81.3 percent over those two months and when you factor in shorthanded goals as well, it’s a top-ten unit in net PK%.

Individuals have soared in that span as well. Adrian Kempe has seven goals over his last three games, but when you look over the course of those two months, only Jack Hughes and David Pastrnak have more goals than Kempe’s 17. 17 goals from 23 games in that span and suddenly Kempe is now on pace for just over 40 goals this season. As a part of that aforementioned power-play unit, three Kings have 10+ points over that span – Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Drew Doughty. Just three defensemen in the NHL have more power-play points than Doughty over those two months and Doughty’s 16 assists in total are tied for ninth in that span amongst blueliners.

Between the pipes, no goaltender has won more games in that timespan than Pheonix Copley, who has 15 wins compared to just three losses, with just two of those coming in regulation. Copley’s .906 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average aren’t league-leading numbers, but they’re right around league average in that span. Per Natural Stat Trick, Copley sits at almost a dead zero for goals saved above average in those two months, coming in at a total of -0.1. McLellan was complementary of the timely saves and “quiet work” that Copley has put in since he’s joined the club and he’s getting the job done for the Kings, winning plenty of games in the process.

Since that Buffalo game, we’ve used words like identity and inconsistency much less than we did earlier in the season. Things aren’t perfect right now, but they’re improving. The stretch from Buffalo to Buffalo shows that and demonstrates the improvement that the Kings have shown in that span. Individually and as a team, it’s been more of what we expected to see and that’s reflective in the standings.

No practice today, Insiders, as the Kings opted for an off-ice team workout. While it may be played up to be more than that, this was something that was always probable on one of the three days in between games this week. Without an off day in there, it would be 10 consecutive days with a practice or a game. So, as much as some might want the headline, nothing more than the team working in a day off the ice, as teams tend to do. Back at it tomorrow morning at your regularly scheduled hour, with a practice report to follow!