Angeles Analysis – A Clinch On The Horizon

Didn’t look this promising a week ago, did it?

Kings were coming off a 1-3-0 roadtrip to Western Canada, with the three losses coming consecutively against Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg to close out the trip. The Calgary performance was simply “not good enough” in Jim Hiller’s words and the Edmonton/Winnipeg games were better, but not the required level the Kings needed to get results.

Amazing what a few days can do for the outlook.

Games against Seattle and San Jose had one desired outcome – win the games. The Kings did that on back-to-back nights to secure four points, extending their lead and strengthening their grip on a playoff berth. Trevor Moore said that the Seattle win “wasn’t a masterpiece”. Jim Hiller said after San Jose that you’re always in search of the “Picasso” and the win over the Sharks was not that. As he added, though “all anybody cares about the next day is did you get the two points.” In both cases, the Kings did that.

Brings us to last night, when the Kings had their final opportunity to test themselves against a playoff team, the Vancouver Canucks. Again, in Hiller’s mind, he did not feel the game was perfect, but against a quality opponent, the Kings did a lot of things really well. Three goals on special teams, a commitment to defending, solid goaltending and productive performances from a number of big-game players and the result was six goals in total. There were letdowns in the game, especially when leading by three goals, along with a shorthanded goal against and zone time that generally favored the Canucks at 5-on-5. Still though, not really the time to dissect a three-goal win all that much.

After last night’s win, I loved this quote from Jim Hiller about his team.

“It’s easy to be confident when you’re winning, but to me, the sign of character and the sign of a good team is when you’re not winning. It was only a week ago we had lost three in a row and I don’t think people were feeling very good about us, outside of the players that get out there and play. So, was their confidence down a little bit, I’m not sure, but we came and played, so they brought that back. It’s easy when you’re flying high, it’s great, but it’s who can get out when it’s not going as well as it should and we did that. I give those guys a lot of credit.”

The highs and lows within a team are always much less than we might feel they are. Kings aren’t walking around Los Angeles like they own the place today, after three consecutive wins. They were never as down as the outside vibes might have been five days ago, when it was three straight losses. Through the entirety, the Kings have displayed an approach that presented itself as confidence and calmness, whether it was three up or three down.

Their head coach has picked up on the way this team carries itself.

“I just feel there’s a belief and a strength,” Hiller added. “Is that confidence? I don’t know. There’s no panic. You look around the room. We’ve got Kopi, we’ve got Drew, we’ve got Lewie, we’ve got Juice, we’ve got Phil Danault, these are our leaders, our veteran leadership, Talbs has been around for a long time. There was just no panic, just calm. I don’t know if that’s confidence, but it’s a good feeling to have those kinds of people.”

What they did this week was go out and get the job done. Now, they’re on the verge of completing objective number one – clinch a playoff spot.

That could come as soon as today, pending two results around the NHL. The Wild and Blackhawks are already underway here this afternoon and for the clinch to be possible tonight, the Kings need any result other than a Minnesota regulation victory. Should they get that, it would come down to St. Louis at Anaheim, in which the Blues would need to lose in regulation. Should that combination not happen, the math is simple. Win on Tuesday against the Ducks and the Kings would lock in their position in the field of 16. It certainly feels a position of if and not when at this stage, which is what three straight wins following three straight losses will do for you. To be honest, it didn’t feel quite that simple when writing Tuesday’s story. The Kings had just a three-point cushion as recently as Wednesday afternoon. All of a sudden, that number is up to eight, with two teams passed in the process. Good week for points accumulation.

I am sure we can all agree that when the Kings do formally clinch a playoff spot, it’s not mission accomplished. It’ll be a nice moment and it merits some celebration, but we all know that the true evaluation of this team begin with Game 83. In 2022, simply getting in felt like the season was a win. Last year, getting in was less in question and though the playoff series went one game shorter, it was far more competitive. It felt like a step forward. This season, expectations were certainly defined differently. It’ll be exciting when the team officially gets in, because when you grind through 82 games, something to celebrate is always welcomed. Then, we’ll get to see the games that will ultimately define how this season is reflected upon and analyzed, because we all know that once you’re in, the first 82 don’t matter all that much. Wins and losses, but now amplified.

That’s not to say the final five games aren’t important though, because there is something to be said for building confidence, momentum and good habits heading into the postseason. One win will cement the clinch and from that point on, it could potentially provide an opportunity to manage minutes for veteran players who have played every game, in larger roles. Phillip Danault recently missed four games due to injury, but Hiller spun it in a way that suggested it’s not the worst thing for a high-usage player to get a few games off. The Kings are powered by a 36-year-old 1C, 1 33-year-old 1D and a 36-year-old goaltender. All of whom log difficult minutes. Players like Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore have played in every game, while a guy like Viktor Arvidsson has obviously had his share of injuries this season. We don’t know what Hiller’s approach will be once the team does clinch. At the very least, the schedule doesn’t have another flight and the team will be able to spare some mileage over the next 11 days.

For today, we can scoreboard watch as the team takes the day off. Back on the ice tomorrow for practice before Tuesday’s trip to Anaheim.