Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Tyler Toffoli.
2-8 in shootouts.
Take that a step further, 5-for-35 in shootout attempts.
With a roster that sports a number of skilled players you would expect the results to be a little better when it comes down to the skills competition. Alas, the Kings dropped another valuable point in the shootout last night. This time to division rivals the Vancouver Canucks.
It is just the latest in a season that has seen the Kings drop a number of valuable points when the clock runs past 60 minutes.
The Kings are, by a large margin, the worst overtime team in the league. While the Kings have received the loser point on 18 occasions this season, they have dropped the second point 15 times. They have won only three games this year that have gone into overtime. It is easy to know what everyone is thinking at this point: That is 15 points the Kings have squandered. It is even more painful when you look at who the Kings have dropped those extra points to. Many of them have been division rivals ala Vancouver, Calgary and Anaheim.
Also disappointing is the fact that the Kings have lost a league leading nine games in overtime after having scored first. Holding leads has not been an easy this year as last season.
They have also lost a league leading nine games in overtime after having outshot opponents.
Between the Kings four most skilled and frequently used shooters of Kopitar, Gaborik, Toffoli, and Carter, there has been a total of 28 shots taken. Only five goals have been scored. Kopitar is 1-for-9, Toffoli 0-for-4, with Carter and Gaborik going 2-for-9 and 2-for-6 respectively. Sutter has used a combination of nine other players, none of which have scored.
Those singular points may not seem like much when they are dropped in November or December, but the Kings could desperately need them right now. The extra one or two points at this juncture could mean the difference between making it and missing it.
There is really nothing Sutter can do. He is putting out the four most skilled players on the roster the most. Jonathan Quick, however, has been one of the worst goaltenders in the league in the shootout. Amongst goalies who have faced 15 or more attempts, he is ahead of only Jimmy Howard and Michael Neuvirth with .593 save percentage.
It is hard to really put these loses on the goaltender though considering the shootout arguably favors the shooter. That being said, the top 20 goaltenders in the shootout have save percentages over .700.
Regardless of where you want to lay the blame on the Kings extra time woes, it is safe to say they have been bad all around. Come two weeks will the Kings be lamenting the fact that they dropped so many decisions in the extra period? Who knows.
As it currently stands, with the points dropped to the Canucks, the Kings' season may hinge on Thursday night's game against Calgary. Winnipeg still looks to be the odd team out, but they picked up a huge win against Minnesota in their last game to keep the pressure on.
Every point counts, every game is essentially a game seven as of right now.
With the Kings rolling into Edmonton tonight they cannot afford to take anything lightly. Their season may depend on it.
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