Referees should never be game difference makers. I suspect in last night’s Wild game, Mick McGeough’s whistle happy second is not how the Kings lost the game. Nonetheless, it is impossible to believe the NHL’s least penalized team suddenly forgot to play within the rules. Rather, is it perhaps as Jim Fox said in Kings Live that all were earned except perhaps the Cammalleri goalie interference penalty in the 3rd and that both teams were unfamiliar with a game being called that ticky tack?
There are two (2) reasons I chalk up to the loss on Saturday. First, Frolov put it best in his post game interview, “We played hard, but not hard enough”. Sure, the Kings had 36 shots on goal, but let’s get real; quantity is not the same as quality. Los Angeles rarely crowded or screened Harding. He could see most of those pucks that went his way. The home team made Harding,
the Wild’s back-up netminder, look like a world beater and maybe he is, but not based upon Saturday’s game.
The Wild players and Harding were sick with the flu and their play never reflected it. This offensively challenged team won the Ducks 5-0 on Friday and the Kings 2-1 on Saturday. How did they pull this off?
That can be explained by the second reason for the loss; Los Angeles has to start playing their game rather than allow the other team’s style dictate what the Kings do. If you look at the game’s statistics, it sure seems like offensive chances must have happened everywhere, right? It didn’t look that way on the ice.
Shots came in bursts and generally from specialty teams, not even strength play. There were endless periods of time when neither team got a shot on goal. The fans made their presence known on more than one occasion where the volume of the home crowd was near deafening. Seriously.
When the dust settles, this game ultimately was won and lost from a few isolated moments which I define as the following:
• The Kings give up a long pass and defensive coverage due to a line change and Gaborik scores on the Wild’s first shot on goal in the first.
• Harding stops Handzus’ break-away on the penalty kill in the first
• O’Sullivan hits the post on the power play
• Frolov charges to the net on the power play and shoots high
• A five on three goal against
• Cammalleri’s questionable penalty for goalie interference
Expounding on this a bit, despite taking an inordinate amount of penalties, the team kills each one except one of the five on three. Perhaps one of the reasons for some of these results is when Crawford made an atypical choice on the penalty kill using three defenseman and Handzus. I wondered if this was a fluke, but no. On the initial experiment of three defenseman, there was near game changing results where Handzus won the draw and headed off on a sweet breakaway, better shot and greater save by Harding.
Imagine how different the game plays out if Harding and his glove hand miss... The next line change had Johnson go off and be replaced by Blake. I am familiar with Oilers’ coach, Craig MacTavish, who uses four forwards and one defenseman on the power play. This was my first taste of having the kill be handled by three defenseman and one forward.
This also begs the question that why on earth not try to have 3 defenseman on the ice when the team is killing a 5 on 3 advantage which surrendered the last goal against and proved to be the game winner. I get that is a nonsensical suggestion as a forward needs to be there to take the face-off. However, imagine if the team and defensemen in particular practiced this very skill. Opponents would potentially be thrown off by this defensive assignment. I am all for creative solutions to challenges, and this is one that I hope Crawford considers in light of the fact Los Angeles’ penalty kill has been a team weakness for awhile now.
In fairness, the Kings outshot the Wild in every period and often outplayed them as well. What Los Angeles did not do is many of the little things that turn losses into wins. The fact that the Kings never stopped playing as evidenced by Blake’s tip in goal from a Cammalleri point shot proved just that.
Here is the coach’s take on the game overall in a Kings’ Live post game interview:
“Their goaltender was extremely good. That was the adversity that we faced tonight along with a few too many penalties. I thought our penalty killing was great; the only thing we gave them was a 5 on 3 goal. We did a terrific job of killing penalties. Unfortunately, we killed too many tonight. Our power play didn’t capitalize on the opportunities we had so special teams ended up being the difference in the game. As far as work ethic, there is no problem with our work ethic. The biggest problem for our team is that they have to have a recognition, we all have to have a recognition of just how miniscule, and I mean miniscule, is the difference between winning and losing is in the National Hockey League. We’ve got to take onus and ownership of games like these and recognize that each and every shift that you are out there can be a difference maker. The one thing I am disappointed about, and maybe our team is disappointed about, is that we haven’t got that through our thick skulls right now. There is a fine line between winning and losing in the National Hockey League. There is no doubt we outplayed this team. There is no doubt we were better than this team tonight. Where we failed, we didn’t do absolutely everything that we could to win the game. That is what we are gonna have to be committed to do. This team will be a very good club when it learns that it has to put absolutely every ounce of preparation, every ounce of energy, every ounce of difference making, that they can muster up. When they get that, they are going to change these frustrating losses, and they are frustrating for everybody, especially our fan base, they will change those into very energetic and rewarding wins.”
As fans, what did everyone find most frustrating? The lack of quality shots, the endless penalty parade, the slow pace of the game, Aubin, or what? We all watched this frustrating loss, what does each of you think might have changed the outcome?
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net 
Carla Muller
Mr. McGeough Special or 3D Plus Zeus 
