Angeles Analysis – Three Out Of Four Aint Bad

“I thought after the Buffalo game this trip, we had everybody on board. Everybody recommitted. There wasn’t a guy that we could point to that didn’t do the job and we got that. It makes you tough to beat when you get that.”

That was Jim Hiller’s closing remark from yesterday’s game in Pittsburgh, after the Kings completed another one-goal victory on the road, capping off the trip with a record of 3-1-0. The Kings came from behind the get the win, as they did twice the day before in Boston. The result was a trip with six of a possible eight points, with three consecutive victories following the most lopsided loss of the season. Since Rob Blake said that the remainder of the season would be judged by wins and losses, the Kings have now won four of the five games they’ve played. Goal differential not a part of the formula. Decent start to Jim Hiller’s career as an NHL head coach.

The roadtrip as a whole saw several trends either continued or reversed.

First things first, the Kings won three tight games. It’s an area that has plagued them all season long. Entering the week, the Kings were 6-5-10 in games decided by a single goal. Over the last two seasons, one of the team’s calling cards was finding success in those tight games, typically of the tight-checking variety. While the Boston game was higher scoring, the Kings also won a pair of 2-1 games. Perhaps they were due a bit in those situations. Perhaps it was actually beneficial to play from behind and staying aggressive as opposed to protecting a lead. Perhaps it’s just a group that’s rediscovered its confidence again in those situations. However you want to shake it, three one-goal wins came home last night on the plane and that’s a real positive for this group.

“We came back as a team and played like we wanted to,” forward Adrian Kempe said after the Pittsburgh game. “Every line is working so hard out there, every d-pair, I think we’re doing a lot better of a job playing defense, tracking and it makes us play more aggressive. Now, we’re winning the tight games. Before the break, we were losing the OT games, losing the tight games. It’s bouncing our way right now, but I think everybody’s doing a good job.”

The victory in Pittsburgh was just the second time this season the Kings won on the second half of a back-to-back, after the Kings entered the game sixth-to-last in the NHL in points on zero days rest with 0.571 points-per-game in those situations. Last night’s game also saw Kempe continue his dominance in jersey retirements against the Penguins. After the Kings retired Dustin Brown’s number 23 last season, Kempe buried four goals in the win. Following the raising of number 68 to the rafters in Pittsburgh for Jaromir Jagr, Kempe scored both Kings goals in a 2-1 win. In total, he’s buried in three straight games versus the Penguins. Maybe they can retire Sidney Crosby’s number 87 prematurely when the Kings visit next season……nonetheless, Kempe firing is a good sign and one they’ll want to continue to see going forward.

The game in Boston was an instant classic, though we should come to expect instant classics when those teams meet at TD Garden. Take a look at the last four matchups in Boston between the Kings and Bruins –

Last 4 LAK @ BOS games

2023-24: Kings Tie Game w/ 1:35 left in regulation
2022-23: Kings Tie Game w/ 2:10 left in regulation
2021-22: Kings Tie Game w/ 0:36 left in regulation
2019-20: Kings Tie Game w/ 2:01 left in regulation

Insane. Last 6 games at TD Garden have gone to OT

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) February 17, 2024

The last six games in total between the teams in Boston have gone into overtime, with the Kings victorious in five of them. Remember that goal from Tyler Toffoli with 0.1 seconds remaining? That started quite the trend in Massachusetts. This season’s game was arguably the best of the bunch. Playoff-type atmosphere and energy, complete with a late comeback and an overtime thriller that drew leaguewide headlines.

One thing that I’ve found from Jim Hiller’s media availabilities is that when things go poorly, he prefers not to single out individuals. After the Buffalo game, he was twice asked about individual performances and deferred to the group as a whole – coaches included – as not being up to standard. After the wins on the trip, he’ll speak highly of players when directly asked, but he generally took a similar approach, noting how there were very few passengers in those wins, compared to a ton of guys contributing. It’s not a perfect supporting statistic, but on any given night on the trip, the Kings had four or fewer players on the wrong side of 50 percent in terms of shot attempts controlled. No player was on the ice for more than two 5-on-5 goals in the final three games. Generally speaking, the Kings got full-team buy-in following the Buffalo game. The quote at the top reflects that and the result was six points.

With those points, the Kings have moved to within one of the Edmonton Oilers and four of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. They’ve put a bit of space between themselves and the wild-card race as well, sitting four points clear of St. Louis and six points ahead of Nashville. Too early to be tracking standings like that, but it’s important to build that ground now.

Moving ahead, the scene shifts back to Los Angeles for three quick games before a Western Canada trip commences seven days from today. The Kings will host Columbus, Nashville and Anaheim at Crypto.com Arena before visiting Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver to close out the month of January. While the Kings have only played once at home under Hiller, they’ve been one of the league’s worst performing home teams this season. Tuesday’s game against Columbus is a tricky one with the travel. Typically, teams get two days off after returning from the East Coast but the Kings will only get the one. Tricky game to get the body right and the legs going, but there are no points to spare. Same goes for the Nashville and Anaheim games, as the Kings look to continue to bank wins and points.

Day off today across the board and then the Kings get back on the ice tomorrow morning. Expecting a full-team skate in El Segundo, before the Kings host Vladislav Gavrikov’s former club later that evening.