Three weeks into the 2024-25 NHL season, the Los Angeles Kings finally played their first home game on Thursday night. After a seven-game road trip to open the campaign, the Kings finally played in front of their fans at Crypto.com Arena, sneaking past the San Jose Sharks 3-2.
Head coach Jim Hiller has been preaching about good starts since training camp, and last night, the start was great – the first period was great. The Kings came out dominant, as they should have against a team like the Sharks. However, the other two periods were concerning, with the Kings holding on and not controlling any of the play. San Jose came out with strong pushes in the last two periods, and it’s mind-blowing that they didn’t tie up the game.
There have been more than a few stretches of sub-par play from the Kings through eight games, but it’s a little more worrisome when a team like the Sharks can hem them in their zone.
Kings Cannot Stop Taking Penalties
Surprise, surprise. Once again, the Kings got into major penalty trouble. They have taken way too many penalties, and at inopportune times. Being down a man drains momentum and hurts them on the scoreboard.
The Kings found themselves shorthanded six times against the Sharks, going 4/6 on the penalty kill. San Jose scored both of their goals on the power play, all thanks to Mikael Granlund, who scored both from the same spot. The Kings were lucky they played the Sharks on a night they decided to spend most of the game in the box because even though San Jose’s power play percentage isn’t awful, it’s still in the bottom half of the league. Give any playoff team like the Vegas Golden Knights (that we saw the other night) this many opportunities, and the Kings probably don’t go home with a win.
This season, particularly last night, careless sticks have resulted in tripping, high-sticking, and slashing calls. Those are avoidable mistakes most of the time if players are a little more aware and careful with their sticks. Sometimes, it’s tiredness and laziness that lead to stick infractions, but regardless, the Kings cannot continue to end up in the box as much as they have, or wins will be scarce. It also doesn’t help that they can’t score goals when they have a power play opportunity.
“Tried to get through it, as far as, you know, just being more responsible and stuff with our sticks. But, clearly, it’s a problem. They’re all stick penalties. We have to address it. Sometimes, you talk about it too much, and it gets worse […] It’s time to address it,” said Hiller.
Foegele-Turcotte-Laferriere Line Exceptional
There isn’t a bad thing to say about the Warren Foegele, Alex Turcotte, and Alex Laferriere line that was put together a few games ago. They have easily been the Kings’ best and were again against the Sharks. Foegele scored two of the Kings’ three goals, and that line generated most of their offensive opportunities. They also led the Kings in shot attempts with 13, led all lines in ice time with 9:58, and were second in on-ice expected goals for with 0.705.
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“When I’m moving my feet and trying to attack the net, that’s kinda when I’m playing my game, and tonight, I got rewarded a couple times. Couldn’t have done it without the linemates. I thought the last couple games we’ve really been buzzing, and good cycle, good job moving our feet, and good things happen when you go to the net,” said Foegele.
Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Quinton Byfield also have shown chemistry, as they should – they have been playing together for over a year. What’s interesting is the chemistry the Turcotte line has shown after only playing a few games together. They seem to know where each other is on the ice, and they use that to their advantage when working the puck in the offensive zone. They play to each other’s strengths and put each other in the right position to succeed. That’s why they have been so dynamic for the Kings.
“I think our games kind of complement each other. We’re all hardworking guys who like to forecheck and get pucks back […] Two really easy players to play with,” said Laferriere.
The Kings play one more game at home before hitting the road again. They host the Utah Hockey Club for the first time on Saturday in an afternoon matinee.
