Jason Lewis: Why the Kings Have Been Bad on the Road

Jason Lewis: Why the Kings Have Been Bad on the Road
- Jason_Lewis

Nice write up Jason. If my memory serves, the Kings on the road tend to take a lot of penalties in the first period. Not sure if you could find out how many first period goals have been PP goals. When you're trying to kill off penalties it's has to be tough for your top penalty killers, having a wear down effect towards the end of the game. Also I've noticed Quick hasn't been as sharp at the beginning of games. I noticed yesterdays goal fest that the forwards were really bad at times coming back to defend. Not sure if it's fatigue or players weak because of the flu that's been running through the locker room. As bad as they've played at times they're still tied for second in their division.

I know you said this towards the end of the article, but what's losing them games is not nescissarly how well they have played overall in their road games but it's how they've played in the first period. It's just unbelieveable how many first period goals they have given up this year. To make it worse these goals are coming within the first 5-8 shots put on net/early on in games. Luckily for the Kings they get down in games very early on which gives them plenty of time to mount a comeback which they have done several times this year. Hopefully they can start to figure these problems out within the next month or so, but not so sure it'll happen because it's been a problem ever since about the 12 game mark of the season.

Hey Jason, that's some impressive analysis. But it could have been summed up in three words, Stanley Cup hangover.

Still, the idea coming out of the Kings camp that starts are of the utmost concern are 100% correct. At the current state of things, the Kings are probably one of the worst first period road teams in hockey. Some of it is bad luck. Some of it is just poor play.

When the Kings won it all in 2012, they were (on average) one of the younger teams in the league. From 2011 to the present, they've played more games (regular season and post season) than any other team in the league. True, some of the current regulars (particularly AMart and Muzzin) don't have this volume of play over the same period. Still, some of the regulars (particularly Brown and Richards) have seen their play noticeably fall off. Others are simply 3 years older.

Age waits for no man. This is an older team with a lot of mileage. Add travel to that, and I'm guessing that MIGHT be a factor to their slow road starts.

RIP Capgeek.com
RIP Stuart Scott

Hey Jason, that's some impressive analysis. But it could have been summed up in three words, Stanley Cup hangover.
- duxcup07

Not really, if you want to say it's that then you should go as far as to say they've played the most games of any team since 2011. It's not necessarily because they went to and won the cup last year. It's the road starts that are hurting them this year, not the overall play even though the "hangover" is possibly a contributor to some of these starts... Still not worried too much though

Mike Green for Mike Richards? Any truth to that rumor?

Mike Green for Mike Richards? Any truth to that rumor?
- MikeOxbyg

doesn't green carry a huge ass cap hit, at least 1MM more than richards? how would the kings be able to handle that, knowing they have to keep some breathing room for voynov in the event his case gets finalized by year end?

if the math works, i'd be game. except green's contract has no term on it beyond this year and the price of defensemen (esp right handed top 4) keeps rising...

doesn't green carry a huge ass cap hit, at least 1MM more than richards? how would the kings be able to handle that, knowing they have to keep some breathing room for voynov in the event his case gets finalized by year end?

if the math works, i'd be game. except green's contract has no term on it beyond this year and the price of defensemen (esp right handed top 4) keeps rising...
- hiway39

I think Green is a UFA.

doesn't green carry a huge ass cap hit, at least 1MM more than richards? how would the kings be able to handle that, knowing they have to keep some breathing room for voynov in the event his case gets finalized by year end?

if the math works, i'd be game. except green's contract has no term on it beyond this year and the price of defensemen (esp right handed top 4) keeps rising...
- hiway39

Kings definitely need a top 4 right shooting defenseman. In their current state they have one: Drew Doughty.

doesn't green carry a huge ass cap hit, at least 1MM more than richards? how would the kings be able to handle that, knowing they have to keep some breathing room for voynov in the event his case gets finalized by year end?

if the math works, i'd be game. except green's contract has no term on it beyond this year and the price of defensemen (esp right handed top 4) keeps rising...
- hiway39

I like the idea of this deal: get rid of Richards' contract and rent Green for the remainder of the season, get him off the books, and have a bunch more to re-sign guys in the off-season (specifically Kopi and 70 and 73). But who fills up the 3c/4c position? Shore is smoking at Manchester. Is he ready? If not, you'd have Kopi-Carter-Stoll-Lewis as your centers. That would work but leaves little margin for error in case of an injury. Depth is our strength at center but I'd gladly see that depleted to get a 20 minute a night vet in at the blue line for the last half of the season.

If I'm the Caps, I'm not sure I'd do this deal without a kicker like a mid-level prospect or a 2nd or 3rd round pick. They aren't dying for the cap relief. They're playing well enough (same points as the Kings with 2 games in hand) and the worst case scenario is that they lose Green at the end of the year without compensation but get him through the playoffs.

Kings definitely need a top 4 right shooting defenseman. In their current state they have one: Drew Doughty.
- Jason_Lewis

true, but after this year then they'd have to re-sign him at likely more than what they were paying voynov...not an easy task considering all the other RFA's that need to be retained, UFA's like Williams, and Kopi's lingering contract up next year that will be significant. not much wiggle room.

true, but after this year then they'd have to re-sign him at likely more than what they were paying voynov...not an easy task considering all the other RFA's that need to be retained, UFA's like Williams, and Kopi's lingering contract up next year that will be significant. not much wiggle room.
- hiway39

Expect a vet or two to be gone next season, as several of the kids will likely make the big club. If Green sucks for us, then he's gone, too.