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Adjustments need to be made as the losing streak grows to four

November 17, 2017, 11:29 PM ET [2 Comments]
Adam Kirshenblatt
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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Different script, same story for the Kings.

In a game that could have gone either way, L.A. failed to put the puck in the net as they went on to lose to the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday.

Though the Kings had every opportunity to take control, it seemed as if they were trying to catch up to the Bruins for the entire game.

It started specifically with Charlie McAvoy’s goal. Patrice Bergeron won the faceoff in the Kings zone right to McAvoy at the point and the entire Kings team seemed to forget about the puck carrier. This lapse in judgement allowed McAvoy to walk right into the slot and backhand a shot past Jonathan Quick rather easily.



From there, the Kings had to fight tooth and nail to tie the game, which they did very well through their puck possession. Eventually Drew Doughty scored in the second period to tie it but in the ebbs and flow of a game, it is a lot more tiring to have to come back than it is to hold a lead.

Later in the period, the Bruins were able to swarm Quick’s net where it only seemed inevitable that Zdeno Chara would score to put the Bruins back on top. After that Los Angeles didn't have the strength to come back again.

The Kings spent much of the energy trying to come back in the game and this can even be seen in the shot totals. The Kings out shot the Bruins 18-11 in the second period as they were desperate to even the score, however in the third they ran out of gas and were out shot 11-5.

There was no reason for the Kings to run out of gas to the Bruins. The game against Boston was the eighth game this season where the Kings faced a team on the back end of a back-to-back. In those games where L.A. should have an advantage, they have lost their last four and have a 4-4 record.

It’s a mental game that both head coach John Stevens and the rest of the team have been harping on for the last week to continue their pace of play for the full 60 minutes.

Just look at the quotes from some of the last few games.

“I thought we got off to a really good start… IT was probably midway, maybe two-thirds of the way through the first period where we started turning some pucks over… and for about 30 minutes there, one team wanted to forecheck and one team didn’t.” – Stevens after Nov. 9 loss to Vancouver


“I thought we had a really good first period. I thought we really had a sense of urgency in our game to get pucks moving quickly, to get pucks deep behind them… but in the second period things got off track in my opinion. We talked about the need to play 60 minutes tonight. I thought we played 20 really well and then 40 the way they wanted to play.” Stevens after Sunday’s loss to San Jose.


“I think first and foremost it just seemed like we pulled back a bit and we weren’t attacking as much as we did in the first two periods.”- Anze Kopitar after Sunday’s loss to San Jose


Stevens has suggested this is something that can be rectified through the preparation and work each individual puts in prior to game day to ensure that they are ready, but it has to be a team effort.

“There were guys on our team that played 60 minutes last night,” said Stevens at practice on Friday. “I thought [Kopitar] was outstanding last night with the work he put in.”

“You can’t win against good teams, especially with a schedule the way it is, unless you’re getting that type of effort from everybody. You just need individuals, in terms of their preparation, to be ready to go from the get-go and not wade into a hockey game to see what the other team’s going to do.”

Adjustments need to be made and Stevens and the Kings management are doing what they can. Friday’s practice saw Tyler Toffoli moved to the third line in an effort to get balanced scoring and the acquisition of Jussi Jokinen allows more flexibility with his roster spot than Mike Cammalleri allowed.

However, until the Kings start dictating the play on the ice from start to finish, they will have a hard time winning.

Coming up next, the Florida Panthers make a visit to the Staples Center on Saturday. They have won three of their last four games, including a 2-0 shutout over the Sharks on Thursday. After that it’s the Kings turn to play back-to-back as they make their first visit to Las Vegas on Sunday.
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