In a microcosm, it was almost fitting that the Kings went down the way they did.
It wasn't with whimper, it was swinging. However, the most fitting thing is that it was from a position the Kings themselves in. Nevertheless, the Sharks did their part in twisting the knives repeatedly to the tune of a 6-3 victory to send the Kings crashing out in the first round.
Before anything else, proper credit has to be given to the San Jose Sharks. They simply were the better, more prepared, and much to the surprise of many pundits, the deeper team in this series. They got better play from their top nine, their defensive pairings, and their powerplay. Peter DeBoer managed the games in the first round extremely well. Finally, Martin Jones, although maybe not tested a whole lot with difficult saves, made the ones he needed to make.
Game 5 presented all the highs and lows of the Kings season. They came out flat, allowed the Sharks to score first four the fourth time in the series, and also score in the first five minutes for the fourth time in the series. The 3-0 deficit was then erased with spirited possession play and bruising route one hockey. With the game locked at 3-3, the Sharks were able to break through late, large in part to a defensive miscue and mix up between Rob Scuderi and Drew Doughty. The Sharks young forward Joonas Donskoi, who ironically was not a part of the dreaded "it was 3-0" series, tucked away his second of the game. The game was further put in jeopardy after a stoppable puck found its way between Jonathan Quick's pads from the right circle.
An extended empty net period, which lasted almost four minutes, did the Kings no good. They went down, fighting, but inconsistency, a lack of discipline, and a lack of quality depth, may be the sticking points in what must be a gut wrenching series for most Kings fans. In the end, the Sharks proved to be the much better team, and thus they will move on to face the winner of the Nashville-Anaheim series which is currently locked at 2-2.
We will have plenty of time over the coming weeks to pick up the pieces of what was ultimately a season that looked much like this first round series. The moments of brilliance weren't consistent enough to sustain them, the discipline played a part, as did the tumultuous roster decisions that Sutter felt he had to make.
The Kings are officially the second team eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, after the Detroit Red Wings who went out to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their series.
Turning Points:
The 4-3 goal by Joonas Donskoi proved to ultimately be the thread that unraveled the Kings 3-0 comeback. The young Sharks forward did as Sharks players did all series and buried the opportunities presented to them with extreme prejudice.
If you want to point to a series turning point, it begins and ends with losing Alec Martinez and forcing upheaval on the Kings blueline. We will talk more in detail about the series as a whole in the coming days, but losing Martinez was massive.
Key Stats:
29 and 22
29 is the number of shots the San Jose Sharks blocked. Martin Jones only faced 22 shots on goal, turning away 19. The players in front of him, however, laid out for a total of 29 blocked shots. You simply cannot score if the puck never gets on net. Simple as that. This was a heavy trend within the series, and the Sharks were consistently good at collapsing in, blocking shots, and allowing the Kings space to the outside to toil away at a sea of bodies. The result was a massive amount of chances missed, chances blocked, and ultimately a low number of 5v5 goals.
The Kings low output at even strength really put a stamp on this series. The Kings needed to make their pay dirt at evens and it simply did not happen in the series. This game was a departure from the norm, because Los Angeles actually scored three even strength goals. Up until tonight they had just two in the preceding four games. Nevertheless it was too little, too late.
5:00
Whatever speech Peter DeBoer made before each game should be taped and given out as motivational material. The Sharks came out firing in Every. Single. Game. Tonight they scored 1:08 into the game, which marked the 4th time in the series they scored before the five minute mark of the 1st period. Playing from behind, especially when the air is taken out of your sails that early, is an added difficulty when you are already facing a difficult team. Sharks had their foot on the gas pedal from puck drop, every game. Kings? Not so much.
Moving Forward
That is a wrap folks. While the Kings returned to the post-season, it did not go exactly as planned. They ran into a very good San Jose team that deserved the series, but ultimately do walk away with a lot of questions to answer. There is still a lot in this series, and in this second half that needs to be broken down. This includes analysis of the trade acquisitions, the management of the roster, and yes of course, the zone entry tracking project we have had running all year. While the season may be over, there is still plenty to talk about and plenty to cover here on the blog. We aren't going anywhere!
For those also interested, the Ontario Reign are just starting their playoff run and hold a 1-0 series advantage in the first round of the San Jose Barracuda. Coverage of that will continue on here as well.
I would like to take a moment to thank all of the fans and commenters on the blog that have gone through the 2015-16 ride, and made Hockeybuzz a part of your Kings news and analysis. Without you readers there would be little reason for me to do what I do. So, truly, thank you.
Coverage will continue long into the summer months folks, so stick around.
Kings are officially out of the 2015-16 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Take a deep breath everyone. It is the offseason now.
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