Angeles Analysis – Tale Of Two Periods

Last night was a weird one to assess.

As I thought of questions to ask, storylines to try and unearth from those who played and coaches in Colorado, all roads kept pointing back to the same question – what happened?

In some ways, I guess that’s the question you have to ask after any game. You played, or you coached, so what happened? Last night, though, it just felt like a question that needed to be asked outright. Like, seriously, what happened?

Because, in the first 20 minutes, man were the Kings good. They scored on the first shift of the game and connected later in the period on a great passing play, with Adrian Kempe the finisher on both occasions. The Kings took two minor penalties in the first period but the penalty kill was outstanding, against the NHL’s second-best power-play unit coming in. On two first-period penalty kills, the Kings allowed just one shot on goal and two shot attempts. Their lone kill in the second period did not allow a single attempt. The kill has been quite effective as of late – more on that here – but last night was a true statement in that area.

The successful kills seemed to drive the Kings forward at 5-on-5, too. With Trevor Moore skating up alongside Kempe and Anze Kopitar, that line led the way in a terrific opening period. I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. I didn’t think Moore always clicked in that spot when tried there in the past, even though on paper I think it should work. He fit like a glove last night, delivering the complementary things that have always elevated Kopitar and Kempe. I’d love to see them keep it going. The Kings skated well, they were connected in all three zones when moving the puck and they enforced their style of play, even against Colorado’s big boys, who had to defend at times early.

And then……it just stopped.

Colorado had the first 13 shots on goal in the second period, the only shots on goal that were had in that period. Suddenly, passes stopped connecting. Suddenly, those same Avalanche stars weren’t defending, but attacking time and time again, hemming the Kings in their own zone. Gone were the sustained offensive-zone shifts, replaced with shifts that felt like simply escaping into the neutral zone was a small win. You obviously have to give some credit to elite players playing the way they can. Mikko Rantanen has long been a King killer and had a say on all four goals last night. When Rantanen’s line is out there with the Toews/Makar pairing, it can be an absolute freight train.

Games have ebbs and flows, no doubt, and playing in Colorado, you expected the push back. But I can’t think of a night recently when there was such a full, 180-degree turn between the first period and the second. The start was almost exactly what the script of a strong road period looked like and then, all of a sudden, that connected Kings game that looked so promising was gone. And it begs the only question that really could be asked – what happened?

Warren Foegele thought the Kings got away from their game by showing a bit too much respect to Colorado’s big guns. They’ve obviously earned some respect, no doubt about it, but Foegele thought the Kings stopped playing their own game in the process of Colorado’s stars playing theirs. Maybe there’s a little bit of a Herb Brooks in Miracle situation – “you don’t defend them, you attack them.” Easier said than done when them is Rantanen, MacKinnon and Makar, but that was exactly what the Kings did in the first period. Just couldn’t keep it going.

In the second, the Kings had zero shots on goal in the period, which marked the first time they went a full period without a SOG since 2011. The only King in the lineup for both games was forward Trevor Lewis, who logged 18:11 in that one, fourth highest total among forwards. That game came just a couple games after Anze Kopitar broke his ankle, which cost him the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. In 2024, it was not a Kopitar-less Kings team, though, as the captain made a big difference in the first period. No player had a higher on-ice expected goals for than Kopitar last night. The Kings are a team that yes, while not at full strength, isn’t leaning on injuries as an excuse as the 2010-11 team could. More than enough firepower to break through.

What made the second period that much stranger is that while the Kings didn’t record a shot on net, they had the most dangerous chance in the entire period. Kevin Fiala got in alone on a breakaway and beat Colorado netminder Alexandar Georgiev clean. Just couldn’t beat the post. It’s a fine line at times and it’s crazy that with an inch inside, the Kings could have somehow come out of that period ahead.

Ultimately, we’re left with questions to ask as the team returns home, instead of answers.

While last night’s game looked to be another one of those strong bouncebacks off a defeat, it now sends the Kings back home with 0-of-4 points, looking at a big one against Detroit on Saturday, in hopes of avoiding three straight regulation defeats for the first time this season. They’ve generally been pretty good at home and will look to lean into that this weekend.

There’s also the status of Darcy Kuemper and Caleb Jones, neither of whom finished the game in Colorado. Jones left with an upper-body injury, though Kuemper’s status was murkier. Not necessarily in terms of severity, but Jim Hiller didn’t have any further update in post-game media. Feels like Jones was shortchanged, as he finally got his opportunity to check back in and doesn’t make it through the game due to an injury, on a night too when he might’ve gotten a little more time with the team trailing. Tough break. With Kuemper, we now wait and see. There was a good sequence on the broadcast, I’m told, where the TNT crew walked through the couple of minutes leading to Kuemper’s eventual departure. Didn’t seem like the play immediately before he left the game. With no practice today, it’s speculation as far as what comes next. Kings are back on the ice tomorrow at 11 AM and we’ll see where Kuemper is at.

Today is a day for rest and recovery. Tomorrow is a day to do what Adrian Kempe spoke about after the game and that’s go through the tape. Kempe didn’t claim to have all the answers speaking in the aftermath of yesterday’s defeat. He cited the need to watch it back and search from there. There are definitely answers to be found. The Kings entered last night’s game 5-1-1 this season coming off a loss. With that middle 1 becoming a 2, they’ll get another chance at the same situation on Saturday. If the answers are in the video, Kings will have to work quickly tomorrow in dissecting, applying and correcting, with Cam Talbot and the Red Wings in town this weekend. Back to it in the morning.