Now that the second largest road trip is behind the Kings, time to reassess the strengths and weaknesses that led up to Los Angeles being the third best team in the NHL since Christmas. (On a side note, apologies in advance that this week’s blogging was less than my normal. Work commitments and an exciting new job came my way. Things have now quieted down… *yeah* ) On to the topic at hand:
Rebound Control
One of the key reasons the Blues’ loss took place and other losses before that, I attribute to this recurring issue. As I have written in other blogs, I am a LaBarbera proponent. I have been for three seasons. Nonetheless, this is one of his biggest weaknesses. To make matters worse, the differences between some wins and some losses can be pegged on two things which start with this:
1. LaBarbera’s failure to control rebounds and/or to throw rebounds closer to the boards or the blue line, in other words out of harm’s way.
2. The Kings’ D’s regular failure to clear rebounds left by LaBarbera.
Face-Offs
At this point, I probably sound like a broken record on this one. There is truth to that sentiment. The problem is that this weakness shows up with enough regularity and until this team shows more consistency, goals and games will be lost absent these players and this coaching staff doing something about it.
As an example, prior to the last Western Canadian road trip, I wanted to attribute Kopitar’s weaker face-off games to an isolated player or two getting the upper hand against him. (Ryan Kesler comes to mind.) In contrast, Handzus consistently loses draws to such an extent I would bench him on this part of his game until frankly I see ANY improvement. Him being less than 50% and regularly being much worse than that now just makes it Tuesday. (This is Handzus’ norm not an exception.)
During this road trip, face-off losses became the trend and the norm with enough regularity that it is time to stop being in denial. That just is. My speculation that Crawford omits this particular problem in team practices has to be blamed on him and the largest coaching staff in the league – not just the players.
Penalty Kill
I concede that from January 13, 2008 to February 7, 2008, the Kings appeared to have this weakness part of their past. The last three games tell me this problem is still an issue and has been since the end of Murray’s tenure. There has to be a way to take one of Giuliano’s strengths and get him to play this way every time, and the other players on the penalty kill to do it regularly.
How tough is it really for players to get in the way of passing lanes and keep their feet moving? If it is that hard, that begs the question what are the coaches doing about it, and is it being regularly addressed in practice?
Finally, if the current players aren’t getting the job done, why on earth are other players not given a shot on this specialty team task? Right now, the PK units are on the forward end: (1) Giuliano and Handzus; and (2) Brown and Kopitar. The defensive pairing generally is any combination of Blake, Stuart, Modry and Johnson and on occasion Preissing. Crawford also sometimes puts out 3 defensemen and one forward.
No matter who is out there, the players’ tendency to get frozen in place has to be contributing to the Kings’ less successful nights on the kill.
Power Play
Towards the end of the road trip, failure to connect here has contributed to losses. How many more Blues’ power plays did St. Louis have to take before the Kings made them pay on the scoreboard? The lack of success to connect combined with the Blues less disciplined play had a lot to do with the loss and other games before that.
Admittedly I have never played the game. This notwithstanding, some of the problems occur when the players fail to stay in the zone, the inability to maintain control and the hesitation to move the puck and the players’ feet being frozen place are part of the problem. Some of the recent games failure to connect stems from two things:
1. Hesitancy to play the puck (I get there are reasons to not shoot on command. I do not get why players wait a second or two to do anything with the puck which then allows opponents to eliminate options precluding the Kings from capitalizing on the man advantage.);
2. The players’ tendency to not keep their feet moving. (Consider this, if the opponents are mobile and the Kings are not, how easy do they make the other team’s job by being stuck in place like the ice is some kind of quick sand.)
Physical Play
I am starting to see a trend that when Brown hits less, he shoots and scores less too. Before anyone says this, I acknowledge he is the league’s elite in checking. I also see a trend that when Brown stops playing *his game* -- as in hitting early and often, his offensive opportunities decrease.
For those who saw Brown in the television special, “In his own words”, Brown explained that one reason he hits is due in part to his belief that even if he isn’t scoring, if he is hitting, he figures he is contributing to his team. When he checks less, he often also shoots less. Time to start doing both Brown. (And for those who predictably acknowledge that he is having a career year, I agree. However, I also see that his statistics would be even better than that if he stuck to the play that earned him the six year contract extension Lombardi wisely gave him this year.)
As to the rest of the team, follow Brown’s lead. If the remainder of the Kings checked opponents with consistency, the team overall would be far harder to play against. That just is.
Shot Blocking
Stuart recently mentioned to Fox and Miller that one of the reasons the Kings are in the upper echelon of the league is that when one player starts blocking shots, it becomes contagious. That tells me that players need to consider starting the trend not waiting for a teammate to take the lead. Stop waiting for someone else to get it done. (Some of the losses in the last road trip statistically showed that in games the Kings lost, they also blocked less shots.)
Shooting
The Kings better games offensively is when players shoot, shoot again, keep shooting. When in doubt, throw the puck at the net again and again and again. Time to seize the day and make this part of the Kings’ game regularly not sporadically. There is no downside to shooting from every angle, not the best or prettiest ways.
Last I checked, the ugly goals count just as much as pretty ones. See the Wings’ Holmstrom’s game when in doubt.
What to Do
Step up. Leave everything on the ice and consider that if every player took responsibility and ownership for what they did, the effect of 20 skaters individually stepping up would result in regular team success. The players need to stop waiting for theire teammates to take the lead. Rather, they should act on what is in their control – what they can personally do. I contend that it is precisely that simple.
Question of the Day
If everyone else was Lombardi between now and the end of the trade deadline day, who would you go after and what would you give up to make those trades happen? (I suspect most agree on whom might go, I wonder what others think the Kings could legitimately get back in return.)
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net
CarlaMuller
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