You know how we talk about the Boston Bruins and teams that have tried to emulate their formula for success? Well, the Los Angeles Kings, with two Cups in three years, are without question what the Black and Gold wish they were.
Like Boston, the Kings are deep down the middle.
Like Boston, the Kings rely on a strong two-way game that begins with clean exits out of their own end and even cleaner entries into the attacking zone.
Like Boston, the Kings rely on an all-world goaltender to lead the way every spring.
The biggest difference between these two, at least in my eyes, comes on the back end. Whereas the Bruins are top-loaded with Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, the Kings’ postseason lineups have boasted a deep defensive unit with numerous talents capable of absolutely blasting a puck through traffic (or a net).
And again, like Boston, the Kings have struggled to find their game in 2014-15.
Entering tonight’s game with 12 wins and 29 points in 24 contests this year (good for fourth in the Pacific Division), the Kings have just one win in their last four contests and four goals in their last three games.
A major problem for the Kings has come from their problems with their projected one-two punch up front with Anze Kopitar and the ultra-talented Marian Gaborik. Kopitar has been held off the scoresheet in five straight games, while Gaborik is back on the shelf with an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old Gaborik has already missed nine games this year, and though the Kings have assured the masses that Gaborik’s newest ailment isn’t considered serious, you can’t help but raise an eyebrow given Gaborik’s storied injury history. Los Angeles has struggled to get consistent scoring across the board, too, especially from guys like Dustin Brown (four goals in 24 games), Justin Williams (five goals in 24 games), and Mike Richards (four goals in 24 games), just to name a few.
Hey, this sounds familiar.
In Boston, Brad Marchand’s sixth goal of the season (scored in last night’s 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks), put him in sole position of tops among B’s goal scorers this year. A friendly reminder that the season is now 25 games old, by the way. And like Darryl Sutter has with his club, Boston coach Claude Julien has asked more of his team’s skilled players. He’s, well, kinda getting it.
Milan Lucic has gelled with Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson on the Bruins’ top line. 2014 first-rounder David Pastrnak, skating with Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, is three games into his NHL career and already has the first assist of his career. Reilly Smith gave the Bruins’ third line a spark in his 13-minute night on Monday, finishing the game with four shots on goal. Heck, Simon Gagne got the board last night, too, striking with the B’s second goal of the game.
But, even with the aforementioned progression, the Bruins need more. It sounds weird to say, especially given the mix-and-match look of the lineup on a nightly basis, but the Black and Gold need more. In the now, they’re simply stumbling over their own skates and sticks on a nightly basis. So, it comes back to a simple-yet-crucial though for the Bruins-- capitalize. Boston needs to capitalize on the opposition’s mistakes and take advantage of their power plays, matchups, and any other gifts they get on the road. (So long as they’re not the mumps. Again, nobody wants the mumps.)
Still no word out of B’s camp as to who gets the nod in the crease tonight. Goaltender Tuukka Rask got the start last and the loss last night, stopping 25-of-28, and has one win and a .949 save percentage in two career games against the Kings. But given his struggles against on the second leg of a back-to-back this season (0-2 and seven goals allowed on 47 shots against), the numbers would indicate that the B’s are best served giving this start to Niklas Svedberg. The 25-year-old has served as the backup for the last four games, and made 25 saves in his last outing, a 4-3 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 21.
The Kings are likely to counter with Jonathan Quick. The Connecticut native stopped 21 of 24 in his last outing, a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last Saturday, and has been downright dominant at home this season, with nine wins and a .946 save percentage in 12 games at Staples Center. In nine career games against the Bruins, Quick has six wins and a 2.26 goals against average.
- The Bruins are 8-1-0 when Brad Marchand has at least one point. (Last night was the first loss.)
- Loui Eriksson has just one goal in his last 19 games played.
- Mike Richards has seven goals and 17 points in 24 career games against the Bruins.
- Dustin Brown has two goals and five points in his last six contests.
Others news and notes
If defenseman Kevan Miller is unable to go once again, you can expect another heavy dose of Zach Trotman on the ice for the Black and Gold. It was interesting to see Trotman get such a heavy workload last night in Anaheim, especially in the final moments of the game with the Bruins in search of the game-tying goal. All that said, unless it’s something major and they’re just keeping it under wraps, the Hollywood-born Miller is skating his backyard, and that’s motivation enough for most of these guys.
On a Crown note, the Kings were fined $100,000 by the league today as suspended defenseman Slava Voynov participated in the team’s practice this morning. This entire Voynov saga is still weird, too, as he’s currently on the long-term injury reserve for.. uhh.. assaulting his wife? That’s not an injury.