LA AT 10: LACKING SOMETHING SPECIAL

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Ten regular-season games into the LA-Toddfather regime and the results are as I expected.

Head Coach Todd McLellan has reinvigorated a moribund roster that routinely mailed-in games in last season’s second half with an attacking forechecking style, one that has excited both veterans with Stanley Cup rings as well as first-year players getting their initial taste of NHL life. He has publicly put veteran players on notice when the effort or the results aren’t there. The notice has yet to expire as the lineup has remained steady as the team alternates between wins and losses on the way to a 4-6-0 record, a fair representation of where this franchise presently sits.

They are not the 24-win disaster that USA Today predicted them to be nor are they ready to make a claim for a post-season berth. As I wrote in my season-opening piece, LA appears to be in the same range of 71 points they achieved last season, but there is far more hope, far more positivity than when last season ended. There is no grousing about practice habits, no talking about shooting in bad luck, the attitude adjustment so badly needed has been achieved in a little over a month.

The most noticeable on-ice manifestation of this change is how this team comes out of the gate. With few exceptions, there are ready to play from the opening faceoff and at times dominate the opposition in the opening 20 minutes, a shock to most Kings observer’s system. The first period shot differential is a whopping +57, a far cry from their lackadaisical approach to the opening period that has been a negative signature even in the championship seasons. The aggression on the road has helped them to get out to early leads, a primary factor in the road wins registered in Calgary and Winnipeg.

Individually, the bright spots in the early going are:

With little proven quality depth on the blueline, Sean Walker has seen his time elevated over three minutes a night from his half-season 2018-19 debut. The college free agent from Bowling Green has been a solid placeholder as the organization waits for their deep defensive prospect pool to mature. Walker utilizes his speed to overcome his lack of stature and has provided offense for a group that has no threats outside of Drew Doughty.

Similarly, Ben Hutton has given exactly what was I believed he would deliver when he was signed after training camp started – 20 minutes a night of steady work that has earned him first pairing duties with Drew Doughty. Don’t count on any offense from the former Canuck, but do expect continuing honest efforts from him nightly.

Blake Lizotte is already a fan favorite, an against-the- odds waterbug type who has supplanted Adrian Kempe at 2C (more on this fade later) and has given renewed vigor to two guys who desperately needed it, Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter. Lizotte is another version of Alex Iafallo, a tenacious first-man-in forechecker whose intensity makes me feel that he’s playing every shift like it’s his last. The Lizard is still in pursuit of his first NHL goal, but in the meritocracy the Toddfather has created, he will continue to work towards and achieve what will be a significant achievement for him.

If you asked Anze Kopitar how to bet the 65.5 season point total the online books established for him, you would be well on your way to cashing that ticket in April (I might know a guy who made that wager). He’s back on the point-a-game pace I expect to continue throughout the season and is one the key veterans who both like and play hard for McLellan.

And that’s a key point for McLellan, who has been criticized for never been able to put his talented team over in San Jose and was shown the door despite being the only coach to have made the post-season with the Edmonton Oilers in the past decade. It is possible for a coach to be respected and liked by his players; I’ve not seen a faster buy-in to a new coach than I’ve seen with McLellan and the Kings. And yes, the coaching standard was set by Darryl Sutter on the corner of 11th and Figueroa and I believe that had Darryl had toned it down after wining the 2014 Cup, he would still be behind the bench. The irony is thick; as the man he earned some reverse-hockey sweep history over is attempting to re-establish the level of success Sutter created.

So that’s the good news... but there’s a dark lining in those bright spots. When the names are Walker, Lizotte and Hutton, and not Toffoli, Carter and Kempe, unless things reverse quickly, it’s another sign this season will be one of peaks and valleys.

Referring to the first period shot differential, it’s a muted achievement given the Kings and their opponents have scored 11 goals in the first frame this season. Despite their sizeable territorial advantage and long stretches of dominance, they have not been able to separate themselves from their opponents and when they’ve created some space, they have not been able to hold leads (at Calgary, home to Nashville), a part of the growing pains process.

Carter and Toffoli have combined for five goals in 10 games as they attempt to stay Kings after this season. Carter had his best scoring sequence in the St. Louis loss – a pretty, patient backhander to beat Jordan Binnington – and though he’s been a demon in the faceoff circle (56.8% FO win), he continues to show he is not the dangerous goal-scoring threat he once was. The explosiveness of his skating isn’t there and he is far easier to defend despite his willingness to shoot (5 attempts per game).

Toffoli, a pending unrestricted free agent, started well but has lapsed again into a trough of unproductive play (one goal, one point in six games). While the next statistic I offer will show they are not the only culprits, these established players must give more.

At his first media availability, McLellan said a signature of his past teams was a shot mentality and it’s no different with this one. The Kings are at the top of the table in shots per game – a stunning 37.7 per game and a shot differential of 9 per match and have not been outshot in any game this season.

When you’re 4-6-0 there’s always a ‘but”...

Los Angeles is presently 26th in shooting percentage in the NHL at 7.9 with the league-average hovering around 9.4.

The positive spin is that over time the percentage will improve and should approach the league average, so... keep shooting boys! Or...

Maybe the wrong boys are shooting, maybe there is simply not enough offensive talent on the team to raise that percentage much north of the neighborhood that includes friends like Ottawa, Minnesota and Detroit. As I witness the anything-but-special powerplay unit struggle to find both execution and rhythm, I prefer the negative spin.

Kempe is a non-entity in his point role on the first unit powerplay; his shot doesn’t scare anyone and he is not the facilitator to give others time and space to execute chances in the danger spots on the ice. The fact the Toddfather continues to utilize him on the first unit alongside Doughty crystallizes the need for more offensively-gifted players on the blueline. At some point, the patience will wear out and another option next to Doughty will be chosen.

And though the penalty kill has made strides over the past couple of games, the champs wearing Blue showed on Thursday that a patient team with skilled players can tear apart a penalty kill that is still figuring out a new system.

And that’s the lesson learned today – the good news is that with few exceptions, Los Angeles will not be overmatched team some predicted. Its aggressive style will ward off the more talented teams and keep them in games unlike last season when a 0-2 deficit in the first 10 minutes was curtains. The special teams play needs to vastly improve and the limited practice time that comes along with an 82-game schedule must be its central focus. Special teams success is vital as it wards off the long losing streaks that adversely affect this team’s reborn positive mental approach.

KING OF KINGS OF THE PODCAST

If you haven’t listened to an episode of our Kings Of The Podcast project, take the time to sample Episode 8 with our very special guest, former King Dustin Penner.