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What Happens Now as the Kings Edge Towards Elimination?

April 23, 2014, 7:32 PM ET [53 Comments]
Jason Lewis
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
This is unfamiliar territory for the Los Angeles Kings of recent years.

The Kings are dangerously close to being swept out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their task is to overcome a deficit that has only been overcome three times before in the NHL, most recently in 2010 by the Philadelphia Flyers.

While it's not impossible, the odds are incredibly stacked against them.

You could tell in the post-game interviews that the Kings were just as frustrated as many of their fans. They did not play well at all in games 1 and 2, and the bounces that went against them in game 3 are just part of hockey. Sometimes they go for you and sometimes they go against you.

At the end of the day, although the Kings outplayed San Jose in Game 3, it wasn't good enough for a third straight time.

The Sharks, like they have done all series, converted on their chances. They don't seem to get many grade A opportunities, but when they do they bury them. When you look at the Kings you notice quite the opposite, and it has been like this all year.

You think about the Gaborik post in the slot, and the 4-on-2 led by Dustin Brown which resulted in a poor chance. These are the plays which later on you think, "If only..."

That is hockey though, and all credit to the Sharks who have been incredibly opportunistic in the series.

What do you do now if you are the Kings?

Do you start Jones like Ken Campbell said on TSN and on twitter? No. Quick is THE guy. You do not take the game away from him at this point. Jones fairs no better than Quick, and will not give you a better chance to win.

Do you change the game plan? Honestly, no.

I said it yesterday afternoon on KNBR with Ted Ramey, and it sounds stupid still, but you don't change a thing stylistically. The Kings game has proven to be successful in a lot of ways. It has beaten the Sharks, the Blackhawks, the Penguins, and numerous other teams in the past. You don't change a thing stylistically. Strong defense, limit the chances, and score on the ones you get. Simple right?

What you do have to change is the sharpness of play. If anything, this series can be narrowed down to one thing: Mental mistakes. One team has been making them and the other has not.

From bad changes, to bad penalties, to turnovers, and poor decisions with the puck, it seems like the Kings have been beating themselves to a certain degree. The Sharks have been their to help bury their casket by being crisp, decisive, and precise when coming to puck management and finishing chances.

Finish, finish, finish.

So you change nothing. Okay, so how do the Kings win then?

Dustin Brown put it best:

We’re just giving them too many opportunities, and when you’re playing a team like that, they’re going to capitalize. That’s our focus going into Game four, eliminating their opportunities.


Let's not jump the gun yet either here. There is still a series to finish. It's first to four games, not first to three. There is lots of hockey left to play and a lot that could transpire in this series. Are the Kings out? No. Are they in a hole? The biggest kind. They aren't buried yet though.

Isolate the games. Play one game at a time. Maybe this team has some magic left in them. Who knows what could happen. Was anyone expecting the Kings to give up 13 goals in the first two games? Not likely. Is anyone expecting them to come back?

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Watching this series, some things have become incredibly obvious with the current Kings team.

Granted, you are playing one of the best teams in hockey in San Jose, but there are still some undeniable things that have cropped up.

Here are a few of my questions and concerns moving forward and for the remainder of this series:

1. Team speed

Fairly obvious for several seasons now, the Kings are slow. However, I've never ever seen Matt Greene, Robyn Regehr, or Willie Mitchell look slower than in these three games. Heck, even Slava Voynov has looked like a pylon compared to some of the speedsters on the Sharks. Sharks forwards have been aggressively attacking the wings against the Kings causing lanes down the center of the ice you could drive not one, not two, but probably three zamboni's down. It's like in international football, if a team clogs the middle you play out wide and stretch the defenders out to open the middle. The wings of the Sharks have been exploiting a lack of speed that has been obvious on the Kings team for years. Usually, the saving grace for the Kings is there slow and methodical possession game. It's hard to play with a speedy offense when you don't control the puck. It feels like the Sharks have been content with clogging the neutral zone up and waiting for the Kings to cough it up or fail on entry so they can turn on the jets on the counter. Seems like classic counter attack hockey.

The Kings have three aging defenders who have been exposed by the foot speed and counter attacking style of the Sharks. Is this something to be concerned about in the future? I certainly think so.

2. Defensive depth

It plays hand in hand with the first concern, but what is the current status of the Kings defensive depth? I think it's fair to say that both Muzzin and Martinez have had strong years overall, and Doughty has been up and down but has ultimately been a positive factor for the team. Everyone talked about increasing scoring at the trade deadline, but when three of your defenseman are a -4.7, -9.6, and -10.5% in corsi ratings for the series...it makes you wonder.

Changes are going to come next season for sure. When you look at the money, the numbers, and the prospects in the system there are definitely going to be a few moves posturing for the future happening very soon. Where it goes? Well that's for the armchair GM's to discuss, but I think a changing of the guard is going to happen very soon.

3. Big players playing up to stature

I think it's fair to say that there have been some disappointing years and a disappointing series from several of the Kings' most important players. How this plays out will be interesting. With the new age of hockey and compliance buyouts it seems like anything is possible. I just figure there are more than a few players with big names and big paychecks that the upper management isn't all that pleased with. The series isn't over, the season isn't over, and heroics are still at hand possibly. However, where is that clutch playoff tested Kings team we've seen in the past?

Lots of questions remain. For the sake of the Kings they best make the series competitive, otherwise those question might become incredibly more pressing in the offseason.

4. Doughty is playing hurt

After watching No. 8 double over in pain from a pretty harmless shoulder to shoulder collision last night and leave the game in the first period (he did return) it's obvious he isn't 100%. Doughty missed the last 4 games of the season after suffering a shoulder injury whilst checking Sharks forward Tyler Kennedy back on April 4th. It's the playoffs, and guys play hurt all the time. Doughty knows how important the series is and how important a player he is to the team. No way was he not playing. You have to wonder how bad it really is though. That seemingly harmless play caused some extreme discomfort to him, and if the Kings plan on winning this thing in 7 and and moving on...at what cost will it come to the player? This is a question that can be posed of any team with players playing hurt. We know the warrior mentality of this sport, but sometimes it can be an extremely difficult thing to manage.
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