Angeles Analysis – A Unified Message

After the loss in Vancouver earlier this season, Todd McLellan believed that certain individuals had come up short in that game, as opposed to it being a full-group letdown.

Midway through a question last night, asking if last night was one of those nights as well, McLellan interjected – respectfully – to leave no doubt that it was not the case.

“We lost this one as a team.”

It was a fitting ending to the press conference and a fitting follow-up to the penultimate question, which was what does Step 1 look like in the morning. To pin last night’s loss on one player, one position group or any combination of 19-of-20 on the roster would be selling it short. I mean, the Kings gave up nine goals and no one was -9, or -6 if you account for the three goals given up on the power play.

“We have to look at each of the positions, starting with goal and then the D and then the forwards,” McLellan said. “We’ll break down the opportunities that we gave up. We gave up 30 shots on goal and nine goals, so where were they getting the Grade-A chances, what was causing them? We’ll try to get our group to recognize those situations and play them better.”

We’ll get a better breakdown of what the Kings look like today in a bit, as they take the ice for practice in El Segundo. Under McLellan’s direction, changes and moves have been meticulous and calculated, rather than reactive or emotional. Just once this season – following the 6-4 loss against Winnipeg – has there been a more drastic reshuffling when it comes to personnel. The Kings have just two healthy options when it comes to the current roster in which to make changes with and both players play on the blueline. That doesn’t take into account Alex Iafallo, who is making strides but yet to skate in a full-contact jersey. The alignment, though, is perhaps less important than the buy-in from everyone as it comes to a unified effort when it comes to how the team wants to play moving forward.

If things are not unified throughout the group as it pertains to the play on the ice, I suppose a first step forward was a unification in the message coming out of last night’s game. Phil Danault called the Kings “poor” defensively and focused on the mistakes that seemingly end up in the back of the Kings net every time one is made. Adrian Kempe said that the play in the defensive zone was “not good enough” and emphasized the need to correct the turnovers in that area of the ice. Finally, McLellan spoke about the disappointment in conceding nine goals in a game, which somehow came on a night when the Kings picked up a point.

“It’s a very, very confusing night for all of us,” McLellan added. “I’m really disappointed that we gave up nine goals, absolutely. On the other side of the coin, I’m glad that we fought back, got a point and scored eight. It’s mass confusion right now for all of us and we better figure it out quickly.”

There was no beating around the bush, no dodging the issue at hand and no skirting the questions when it came to improvements that are needed on the defensive side of the game. The areas in need of improvement are evident when the scoreboard shows 9 in the goals against column and it starts there moving forward.

Last night was a record-setting night. No team entering last night scored more goals in a game than the Kings did last night. No game overall saw more goals than last night’s game. No game in more than 25 years had more goals scored than last night’s Kings – Kraken showdown. The Kings came from behind to tie the game five times, including twice from two goals down. They entered the third period down by two goals but came back to force overtime and pick up a point. So why, then, are we talking about that game with such desperation for change?

Naturally it’s the other side of the coin, the nine goals against, that have sounded the alarm bells. A season ago, points in three straight games, with comebacks to force overtime in the two games that weren’t wins, those games would have been looked at favorably. After a 9-8 game, I think there would have been a lot more laughs than were had last night. That’s the thing about expectations though, isn’t it? With expectations comes a new way of looking at things and as such, those results are looked at quite differently. Sometimes, expectations lead to overreactions. I got a tweet last night saying that things are as bad today as they’ve been under Rob Blake’s time as General Manager…..a team in a playoff spot is as bad as a team that won 31 games in 2018-19? If that’s the case than external expectations no longer match internal ones.

Through 25 games a season ago, the Kings had 26 points and sat in sixth position in the Pacific Division. This season, those numbers are 28 and third position, but we’re hearing phrases like “mass confusion” and talking about the need to figure things out and quickly. Because the internal expectations of the group are much higher and as such, everyone knows that the consistency, the level and the style of play can be higher, can be greater. And that’s why games like Ottawa and Seattle, games when the Kings picked up 2-of-4 points despite not having their “A” game, are viewed right now the way that they are. We know that this group is capable of more, and that’s why the frustration exists.

Last season’s team had many trademarks, but among the best of them was the ability to bounce back after disappointing performances. We won’t know today how this version of the Kings bounces back until they hit the ice against Arizona on Thursday. We’ll see how or if the message has shifted today, from different voices around the room, as the group looks to do what it did so well last season and right the ship after a tough night.

*On a roster note, forward Samuel Fagemo has been loaned to AHL-Ontario and will not practice today with the Kings. The team is on the ice in 30 minutes, we’ll see where it shakes out from there.