Angeles Analysis Winning on Steams

Angeles Analysis – Winning on Steams

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A few games back, Todd McLellan said in a post-game media availability that the playoffs for the LA Kings had already started.

I’ve never attended an NHL postseason game. The Kings haven’t played in one since 2018…that is officially. However, if you go by intensity, there was something in the last 48 hours that felt like two postseason-level competitions to me.

The games in Edmonton and Calgary had playoff-like intensity for them, even if the reality – both games ended in a shootout, which obviously does not exist in the postseason – suggests otherwise. The sense of something bigger, however, could hardly have been clearer.

In Wednesday’s game against the Oilers, the hosts came out hard, hot and heavy, applying pressure with speed and physicality after the first puck was dropped. The Kings had to weather the storm for a while and stayed in the game long enough for two goals in 14 seconds to swing the tide from a 3-1 deficit to a tie. The Kings really played their game in a third period that could have gone either way but went neither way on a night when both teams deserved a point.

“It did [feel like a playoff atmosphere] and I thought our guys did a good job,” McLellan said. “They were prepared for it, it will stay that way until the end of the season. Our group, the group we’re playing in right now, did a really good job tonight. We had to scrape and scrape to get back.”

Last night’s game in Calgary was different, but the intensity was the same. Space was tight and two of the NHL’s best checking teams faced off. When the Kings took a 1-0 lead, you knew the checking was only going to get more intense from the Kings’ perspective. The same could be said for Calgary at 2-1 the other way. Coming back to tie that game at two, the Kings showed courage. They showed courage. They demonstrated a commitment to never quitting when a task was too big to handle. And that’s a hallmark of a great team.

“Yeah, a little, sure,” said Viktor Arvidsson last night when he commented on whether it’s felt like a playoff atmosphere in the last two games. “It’s so tight in the west, it’s really tight, you have to earn everything [inch] There’s ice out there. It’s fun to play in.”

However, don’t let words like courage and perseverance distract you from a good team effort. The Kings had that too and were a perfect match for the leaders of the Pacific Division on their ice. However, it’s the combination that made this team special and keeps them thriving in big games, even on nights when they weren’t fueled up. With gas prices today and a 16-game stretch in March, the second most in the NHL, it might take a little while to fill that tank anyway.

Todd McLellan said the Kings burst into flames last night and the team put a lot into the 65 minutes (+) in Edmonton. Going up against a team like Calgary tends to tire you out quickly, with their physical playstyle combined with skill and aggression. That increased the need to involve everyone involved, especially on the second night, and everyone was.

The Kings scored four goals from forwards, one from each line, in the Alberta games. When you’re playing back-to-back, with travel in between, and your big guns played minutes toward the top of their season highs on the first night, depth and balance are important. The Kings got that last night. You couldn’t possibly wish for a more important Crucible for this group of players. Every point matters for the Kings right now and every move could be the one that turns zero points into one or one point into two. Or the other way around.

The Kings have done a lot to put themselves in a position to create the atmosphere that we have witnessed over the last two nights. They picked up points early, especially on the road mid-season. They played .500-plus hockey with several regulars missing from the lineup, including a 6-4-3 mark since Drew Doughty suffered his last injury. Now they’re getting games that matter for the group that’s available to them right now, with veteran players who’ve been there before, with those who haven’t experienced the grind of an 82-game season, not to mention the significant, Stretch run games in April.

Now they are.

Insider, no training today, well-deserved rest day for the boys. We’re in Winnipeg for the day today ahead of tomorrow night’s road trip final against the Jets. Another big two on the line as the kings keep shrinking their magic number!

Also of note – The Kings recalled AHL Ontario forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan this morning, again on an emergency basis. McLellan shared yesterday that lineup decisions were made after warm-up, meaning at least one person will go forward as a game-time decision. To receive an emergency recall, a team must demonstrate an injury or illness where the team has fewer than 12 healthy forwards at any given time. As you saw yesterday, with all 12 forwards ready, the Kings immediately reassigned Anderson-Dolan to government. We’ll see how everything develops tomorrow.