So, it probably comes as no surprise to you, but the Kings dump the puck in a lot.
They are big, they are strong, fairly able skaters, and they play to that strength by dumping the puck in and forechecking the bejesus out of opponents. However, we live in a day and age of analysis where possession is considered paramount, and dumping is considered ceding possession. While the latter remains true in most cases, if teams play it right, they can successfully navigate a dump in play while not ceding possession, and/or forcing the opponent into a mental and physically stressful environment.
That is where the Kings, on their best nights, fall in.
The Kings forwards are built for the forecheck. Big, physical players who close on you very quickly. Defenders have to be able to read and react so fast against a Kings forecheck that it can make them prone to mistakes, turnovers, and eventually (Presumably) a nervousness and apprehension in playing the puck. Plays will be rushed, forced, or negated, leading to a sort of snowballing effect of puck management.
While dumping the puck is often considered a second strategy to carrying the puck in with control, the Kings have managed to work around this in a way.
Let's roll a GIF clip of a sequence at the start of a Kings/Coyotes game on February 2nd of this past season. What you will see here is a variation of a pretty common Kings dump in strategy. We will slow it down for you and break it down a little as we go. Here is the play:
Let's get to breaking down why this is so effective.
The play, like most things with the Kings, starts with the defensemen. In this instance, it is unique to the game against Arizona, as the Coyotes are in a 1-3-1 forecheck, something that can give teams problems because it does not allow them to traverse the neutral zone very well with any kind of speed to gain entry.
The Kings work around this in a very clever way. Seeing that making outlets across center red would be somewhat risky, this play starts with an almost faint like D to D reset between Doughty and Muzzin. Shown here.
What this achieves is space. Space for Doughty to operate with the reset from Muzzin. Arizona's lone forechecker's job is to pursue the puck, and when Muzzin steps up to attempt a zone exit he draws the forechecker with him, and also draws everything further away from Drew Doughty.
When that happens, everything just seriously bunches up for Arizona and there is little to no pressure on the puck carrier.
Unless your team is super structured and can read plays at a high level, lanes will appear because of this. With time and space, a good player will execute a play. In this case it is Doughty quarterbacking the play and the forwards reading it perfectly.
But this still does not solve the idea of entry, or neutral zone speed. The Kings have to basically generate their own speed through the neutral zone because things have bogged down. So watch Carter and Toffoli, carefully in the GIF.
They are timing their entries.
Arizona is in trouble on this play potentially. The puck is beyond all three forwards in the neutral zone AND all three Kings forwards are behind them as well. This is going to lead to a pretty hairy end zone scramble. The Kings have generated their own speed by timing their dump in play AND on top of that the element of retrieval may be that much easier because Arizona defensemen have been standing stationary if they don't read the play right.
This is why the Kings can seemingly dump pucks in without necessarily ceding possession. The idea is if the opponent is not allowing them speed, they are going to manufacture it with timing. Now sometimes it looks ugly, because the timing is off, the defenders read the play well, or the Kings just simply aren't on the same page. It can be a small thing like losing a battle on the wall or the forward not stopping the rim around. A lot of things could go wrong in this play but with the Kings they really do an excellent job at limiting all options for the opponents. That's our next step.
It is not just the simple dump entry that is successful. Quite frequently the Kings DO actually cede possession on these plays, but they gain it right back via pressure.
The options are so incredibly limited for the Arizona defenseman. With a high pressure forechecker that is on the puck quick, there is no way for the opponent to turn and hit a forward, and his only options seem to be a dangerously close teammate and or a hope and a prayer up the boards. In this play Toffoli cuts off one side, Muzzin cuts off the point, Pearson cuts off the rim around, and Doughty is behind Pearson in case anything else happens. Arizona, quite frankly, is in a situation where their best option is to flip a coin and hope it works.
In this case, the rim around play is cut off by Pearson, and it leads to an Arizona turnover and a really good Toffoli chance.
On the surface this seems like a very simple play, but the timing element, the fact that all players need to be executing is what makes it a pretty great all around play. The Kings will try these timing dump in plays over a dozen or so times a game. Sometimes they come directly from a defenseman gaining red, but a lot of times they do come from winger chip in plays in order to offset the timing of their opponents.
When you hammer it down in an X and O pattern you realize how much goes into such a small, seemingly minor play in a game.
This is efficient heavy hockey that plays to the Kings strengths, and helps them maintain a high number of shots, zone time, and possession stats while not always having the puck when entering the zone. This strategy can change based on what the opponents are doing, and what set up they run through the neutral zone. Look for this next time the Kings play, and see if you can spot the timing and set-up of this dump in play.
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