The Kings are back in action tonight after the all-star break, and their welcome back could not be more difficult.
They face the Arizona Coyotes for the fifth and final time this season. Pay no mind to the standings (Although Arizona has done surprisingly well this year), the Kings have really had their problems against the Yotes.
In the previous four games, the Kings are 1-3-0, with the lone win coming in overtime on December 26th at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes have managed to pot 3.25 goals per game against the Kings this year. The Kings have given up just 2.25 on average this season, while the Coyotes have scored 2.65 per game on the year. They have also been altogether strange and counterintuitive games from a possession standpoint as well. The Kings have not just won the possession battle, they have obliterated it.
October 9, Coyotes 4 - Kings 1
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November 10, Coyotes 3 - Kings 2
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December 26, Kings 4 - Coyotes 3 (OT)
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January 23, Coyotes 3 - Kings 2
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The Kings have yet to lose a single game in the possession battle with the Coyotes, yet they are holding just a 1-3-0 record. Context is key, so let's see if we can figure out what has happened in those games, and why the Kings have struggled so terribly against them this year. Today we are going to focus on one key aspect, which you can carry on to other games and other teams the Kings play. The Kings penalty kill versus the Arizona powerplay.
You could spit the overplayed narrative of "These two teams don't like each other" all day about any two teams that play on NBC Sports rivalry night (Florida Panthers - New York Rangers amirite??). The honest truth with the Kings and the Coyotes though is that these two teams REALLY don't like each other.
There have been five roughing calls, one fight, a game misconduct, and plenty of stick fouls to go along with the others in these four games. The Kings have given the Coyotes 16 powerplay opportunities over the four games, and they have converted on four of them. That's 25% from the Coyotes standpoint, which beats their season average of 17%. From the Kings standpoint that's killing 75% of the powerplays, below their season average of 82.3. If you want to be simple with the math, if you are affording the Coyotes four powerplays a game they have been scoring on at least one of them. It is not just about the special teams portion of it either, the Kings have racked up a whopping 59 minutes in penalties over the four games. That means they have been playing with at least one guy in the box for almost 15 minutes a game against Arizona on average. That can be incredibly tiring. Arizona is a quick team, which draw plenty of stick fouls from the Kings. Combined with the fact that they do not like each other has led to a lot of special teams opportunities in these games. Look for that to continue, and potentially be a factor.
But why, in general, has their powerplay been able to click so well against the Kings?
There are a couple of key factors here but a major one is the actual set up and execution of the Arizona PP.
The Coyotes have excellent point men on their powerplay. Stone, Ekman-Larsson, Connor Murphy and the occasional forward back there like Mikael Boedker do a wonderful job at quarterbacking play. We say this alot about different defensemen, that they can "Quarterback" a powerplay, but what does that mean? It simply means that they are capable of driving and directing the whole play from the middle of the point. Arizona's powerplay runs like a bit of a diamond, called a 1-3-1.
It looks like this:
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This is why some teams will run with four forwards, because it is NOT a traditional double point man set up. It puts two forwards on the half wall, one in the high slot, one in the low slot, two wingers, and a point man, normally a defenseman. This is a pretty new look to some NHL powerplays and we have only seen it come in to prominence in the last couple of seasons. Reason being is that it is an effective way of pulling apart and jumbling a collapsing penalty kill, like the LA Kings. However, the downside is that it leaves you susceptible defensively. It is a risk teams have been willing to take with an extra man if you have the skilled wingers and defensemen to pull it off. While Arizona's 17th ranked powerplay in the league makes you question overall how effective they are, their set up is one that gives the Kings fits by design.
Penalty kill strategies are pretty much divided in two or three camps these days, either a box or a diamond. The Kings run a box, that sometimes borders on a wedge/Triangle +1. Mainly they run a box though. This can be difficult against a 1-3-1, which is why at times it can look like a wedge +1 (Which acts as a triangle set up with one winger who aggressively pursues the puck carrier)
Here is what a standard box PK will set up like.
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Pretty self explanatory right?
Where the Kings have had issues with Arizona, is that their point men are extremely good at moving the puck to the halfwall winger, who are in turn, very good at drawing defenders and moving it back to the point. This idea opens shooting lanes for the point man, with two options in front for redirects. It thrives on traffic and tips. Also, by design against a box set up, the winger on the halfwall has to almost stay awkwardly uncovered in this scheme unless he decides to step in and shoot. This can draw defenders out of position. The overall goal of the box penalty kill is to shift the box from side to side in order to A) Keep the middle and point covered, while B) Keeping pressure on the halfwall players up high and down low. With the 1-3-1, the box is a much more difficult coverage. You have to keep your shape moving side to side. Discipline is key. For standard, older, powerplay set ups, this box formation is very nice. Take a look.
Here is an in game example against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks run a traditional overload, which tries to execute cycling the puck and rotating forwards and defensemen on one side of the ice in order to mix up D-zone coverage. They went 0-3 against the Kings this night.
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Notice how the Kings box keeps shape, and also keeps most of the chances from a Ducks overload to the outside. This is a standard practice. They shift aggressively, expand on puck carriers, and collapse on shots to basically box out forwards.
A defensive of an overload PP will look like this most the time from the Kings perspective:
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The dotted lines show the shifts to the other side that offensive teams will try in order to open lanes. The box simply moves in place, and tries to keep all plays to the outside (Highlighted by the red dotted circle). It works out well if you are disciplined and structured. Those are two things the Kings pride themselves on. When this becomes a difficult kill is when teams rotate forwards. It can mix up defenders and get them to go with a guy they shouldn't be covering instead of staying true to the structure. Penalty killing truly is a test of mental discipline as much as anything for a defender.
Now when it gets to playing a box, like Arizona's PP, it becomes much more...fuzzy...in coverage.
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The set up from the start is difficult. Why? Because one of the forwards feels they have to cover the puck carrier, and the other defender feels he has to push up and cover the high slot man. It gets very jumbled, understandably, because there are basically too many options available for coverage and passes.
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There are simply way too many options for the forwards. Add in the puck movement, from half-wall to point, and you can see where it instantly becomes a "Who's my man?" Situation. With so many players possibly converging on one player and one lane. This is what happens:
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Check this out:
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That's a 5-man freaking screen. Good luck Jonathan Quick.
This is almost perfectly executed from Arizona. They got Toffoli and Shore converging on the same man they also got Doughty and McNabb leaving the lane open in front due to the awkward set up.
This wasn't a one off thing either. See if you can see the 1-3-1 develop on each of these goals.
Arizona did it again
and again,
and again, this time in a way that saw wingers drop down low and hit a weak side one timer.
Toronto, a team notorious for this kind of powerplay ALSO scored on it on the Kings this season.
So why don't more teams utilize this against the Kings if it is successful? For one it is very dependent on skilled wingers and a good point man. Otherwise it can look like a stagnant mess where shots never get through. It also isn't always effective. Tampa Bay is another team notorious for this powerplay set up and they failed to score on the powerplay against the Kings this season in the two games they played.
Nevertheless, the Coyotes have made it work against the Kings for whatever reason. Be it luck, or be it execution, they have really nailed the set up and the goal scoring plays with the extra man this year against L.A.
As the two teams meet for the final time on the year tonight, let us see for one if the Kings can stay out of the box, but also if they can deal with the highly skilled and effective 1-3-1 set up that has troubled them this year.
Be sure to check out the always enjoyable James Tanner for a views from the Coyotes side of things
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