Angeles Analysis – Playing With The Lead

A lot of talk about playing with the lead.

About halfway through Todd McLellan’s first answer in last night’s press conference, as he discussed his team’s inability to play with the lead as of late, I thought to follow up on my original question to ask how exactly you improve upon it. That it needs to be improved was stated obviously by McLellan, but it’s not a skill you can practice, there aren’t drills you can run to work on not stepping off the gas when leading 5-1 after 20 minutes. You just have to execute it in games.

McLellan’s answer took care of the notion that you can’t practice it and admittedly you cannot. He used the word “casual” to describe the team’s play after scoring five goals in the first period for the first time since 2005 and said that improvements have to come within the locker room. Forward Phillip Danault said the team was “caught again” by their play in that situation. Certainly wasn’t dodging it. After the game in Anaheim 24 hours prior, defenseman Drew Doughty expressed his displeasure with the second period in a game that the Kings thoroughly dominated in the opening 20 minutes. Viktor Arvidsson said the same. In the opinions of the players, the Kings backed off and didn’t play a full 60 minutes, which created a more competitive game than a first period of dominance suggested it should have been.

The last 10 games or so have taken my thoughts back to a phrase used by forward Alex Iafallo on the first day of training camp last season – “Step On The Throat”. The Kings picked up four of a possible four points from this weekend’s back-to-back and that’s a great thing. Points in the ATM you can’t give back, as they kept pace and even gained traction within the Pacific Division. Had the Kings stepped on the throat, it could have been a lot more comfortable than it was though and the team knows that. Perhaps in some ways it’s a sign of growth. Last season, we’d have chuckled a bit and moved on, content with the points towards a return to the playoffs. This year, however, the expectations are higher and everyone wants more, from the players to the coaches to the Insiders. The win was good and important. The win also highlighted a problem that’s been present and ongoing.

Over the last 10 games, the Kings are 7-2-1, so it’s not like they’re losing games regularly as a result of not playing a full 60 minutes. In that span, they’ve held a lead for more than 295 minutes, the fourth-most time in that category across the NHL. Looking at the 226 of those minutes played 5-on-5, they’ve conceded 12 goals when leading, the third most in the NHL. Eight of those goals were high-danger tallies against, tied for the second most in the league. The stats are the stats, but none are substantially of the Leonardo DiCaprio aggressively pointing at the TV variety to describe how the team is playing. Sixth most time……third most goals allowed…..that’s a rounding error. When you’re playing with a lead more than most, logic would have it that you’d both create and concede more than most. Both of those statements are true and none are disproportionate either positively or negatively.

It doesn’t account for certain elements of the game, though, with last night the perfect example.

In the grander picture of 82 games, last night’s game is a win that picked up two points in the standings. Ultimately, from a wins and losses standpoint, giving up four unanswered goals didn’t hurt the Kings as the point given up to Arizona is unlikely to be a standings determiner, for teams separated by 24 points. The goals against in Anaheim that narrowed the LA lead didn’t hurt them either, nor did a couple of late, third-period goals against versus Buffalo. On the most recent road trip, a late goal against in Chicago and a late onslaught against in Florida made games tighter, but ultimately another four points in the bank. A few points likely lost versus Carolina and Nashville, when the Kings led in the third period, but they’ve overcome third-period deficits to steal points this season as well.

The important takeaway though is that just because it hasn’t hurt the Kings as of late, doesn’t mean that it won’t hurt the Kings moving forward. Danault perhaps put it best, as he talked about how fickle momentum can be when you get to the playoffs and how important managing leads and situations like last night’s can be at that time of the year.

Twice in victories against Edmonton in last year’s series, the Kings lost a two-goal lead and eventually came back to win. They also overturned a two-goal deficit in a game they eventually lost. In an 82-game season, there is ample time to correct and overcome things like this. In a seven-game series, you never know which two-goal lead might be your last. The Kings still have work to do to reach the postseason but are currently on course to do so. They also have ambitions beyond just qualification. To achieve the latter, they’ll need to deliver more when playing with the leads they’ve played so well to earn. We’ve seen how suffocating of a group the Kings can be to play against when they’re playing to their style. It’s a damn good team when they do. A point of focus to see that team over the course of 60 minutes is a point of emphasis as we hit the final 25 games in the regular season.

No practice today, Insiders, as you know by now. A short skate tomorrow before taking off for Minnesota.