It’s often said in hockey that if both teams don’t make mistakes, the entire game would be played in the neutral zone.
In last night’s Arizona Coyotes 4-3 shootout victory over the LA Kings, the Coyotes essentially limited LA to the neutral zone until the halfway point of the third period.
This was a game that most people penciled the Kings for a victory, as they went up against the league worst Coyotes. However, the Kings have been playing to the level of their opposition lately. This means when they have been going up against strong teams, their play rises to that occasion but against teams lower in the standings it falls to their level.
It is one of the most frustrating thing for sports fans when this happens because fans know the talent is there but there’s something between the ears stopping them.
In the Kings case, the last couple of weeks saw them beat the Vegas Golden Knights twice, Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks. However, they lost to non-playoff teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, a free falling St. Louis Blues, and Arizona Coyotes.
Tuesday’s loss the Coyotes illustrated the issues that the Kings have had all season, they are not always ready to play when the puck drops.
Arizona has to be given some credit as well for their victory. They have been in the role of spoiler for a long time and have continually improved all season despite staying in last place.
The Coyotes last night were able to dictate the pace of the game into the third period, forcing the Kings to react to them rather than push the play themselves. The Arizona defense forced the Kings to only have fast break chances where they would get their shot on goal and it would immediately leave the zone.
Extra time in the defensive zone hurt the Kings as it forced them to make mistakes they may not ordinarily make. Clayton Keller’s goal was directly caused by the Kings inability to clear the puck from their zone and defensive zone turnovers.
Meanwhile, Nick Cousins’ goal was a fluke that it went it, but it was a reward for the Coyotes based on the continuous pressure they put on the Kings. The Coyotes third goal was a result of Anze Kopitar’s inability to clear the zone and Jake Muzzin’s pass getting picked off in the slot.
The three Kings goals didn’t really come from any sustained pressure in the offensive zone either. The goals were created by getting the puck on net and having someone in front to tip. It also was a factor that Coyotes goaltender Aiden Hill was playing in his fourth career game. It was important to throw pucks on net just to test the young goalie, which is what happened on Tanner Pearson’s goal.
Despite the fact that the Kings showed up late to this game, they managed to get it into overtime where it appeared they had scored the winner. Jeff Carter drove to the net and fired the puck on Hill and the puck went off Doughty’s foot and in as he was driving into Hill as well.
The refs first missed that the puck went in the net and after the reviewed they acknowledged it went in. However, on the second review it showed that Doughty’s right foot made contact with Hill’s pad, impeding him from making the save.
Goaltending interference has been such a hot button issue recently with no one really knowing what it is anymore. In this case, I believe the refs got it right as the puck crossed the line where Hill’s pad would have been.
Speaking of Hill, he got the start last night because former King, Darcy Kuemper couldn’t play due to illness. The 21-year-old stopped 34 of 37 shots in his first victory of his young career. Jack Campbell started his third game for the Kings where he stopped 26 shots in the loss.
The point the Kings got in the loss maintained their spot in third place of the Pacific Division. However both the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames are a mere two points behind them so it will be a race to the finish. As of right now, the Kings have the tie break for most non-shootout wins over both teams so they have the advantage.
The Detroit Red Wings are next on the schedule for the Kings as they make their annual trip to Staples Center. The Wings are not what fans remember when they were in the Western Conference as time has finally caught up with them. The Wings sit sixth in the Atlantic Division and appear to be falling as they have lost their last seven games. However, the Kings can’t take them lightly because of the reputation they’ve been gaining lately of playing to their opponent’s level.
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»