The tremendous 10 days of watching the most elite hockey as players represented their respective countries is over. The National Hockey League’s regular season resumed yesterday.
For players who are always going at it in some form almost every day of the week, 10 days off is a lot. A break like that can take you out of a groove, or it might take a bit to get back to the same level of intensity. The Los Angeles Kings didn’t seem to have that problem, knocking off the Utah Hockey Club 5-3.
It wasn’t a flawless game, but the Kings had their legs, and after all those days off, the energy and intensity remained high. Chances seemed to be taken in turns, with both teams finding ways to generate. Still, three goals in a row from the Kings, including an important insurance marker from Utah native Trevor Lewis, was enough for the Kings to hold on and take a step forward to closing their gap on second place in the Pacific Division.
“We skated really well early, then we were kind of hanging on a little bit,” Kings head coach Jim Hiller said. “But listen, we’ll take it […]. We weren’t bad, but we just always want more.”
It’s going to take a few games for everyone to get back up into that groove, but Hiller’s message to the group is to try and get ahead of that.
“I think it’s going to take four or five games and everybody will get back up to speed and the league’s going to get tight, just like we left off. There’s an opportunity for some teams to try and get ahead of that four or five games, and if we can tighten it up a little quicker than other teams, then I think we give ourselves an advantage […] the message is over this next four or five, let’s put extra focus, let’s spend more time, let’s do it together, and try and just get a little jump on the league.”
The Kings have two games in hand over the Edmonton Oilers, who sit in second place in the Pacific Division, and have three games in hand over the Vegas Golden Knights, who sit in first. Building on last night’s win and capitalizing on their games in hand will allow the Kings to close that five-point gap with the Oilers and seven-point gap with the Golden Knights.
Doughty Is Indeed Back
Before the season started and before his injury in the preseason, Drew Doughty was essentially a lock for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. With the help of Alex Pietrangelo withdrawing from the tournament, he was able to wear the maple leaf and help bring Canada a championship.
For someone who had just returned to the lineup, the tournament was the best thing for Doughty and the Kings. It couldn’t have happened at a better time.
During the six games Doughty played before the break, it was clear he wasn’t fully up to speed, and that was expected. Doughty was a step behind with a combination of rushing plays, poor conditioning, and trying to do too much, and it didn’t help that he was playing around 25 minutes a night right off the bat.
“I expected to be myself that first game in Florida, and it did not work out that way at all,” Doughty said. “When I first came back, I’m not going to lie, I was lacking a bit of confidence because I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to play, and, you know, making that team (Team Canada) gave it to me, and then when I proved to myself I could still play with those big boys, it made me feel really good about myself.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off allowed Doughty to get more reps in and get back to being comfortable with the pace of the NHL. Those games were faster and more elite, which was something Doughty pointed out after Canada’s overtime win over Sweden.
“I look at it like this. It was really good for Drew, I think it certainly looked like it worked out well for Team Canada, but I think in the end, we are probably the biggest benefactors, just getting him back in the rhythm that he is in,” Hiller said.
That tournament brought Doughty back up to the level that the Kings need him to be at. After his performance against Utah, it was the first time we could really say that Doughty is back.
“It was clearly his best game. I thought (it was) the first game where he really looked like himself,” Hiller said. “Tonight, he really looked comfortable.”
Doughty finished the night with three points, including his first goal of the season. It was a vintage blast from the point.
Defensive Zone Coverage Was Shaky
Mistakes were bound to happen with all the circumstances, but one continued to happen. The Kings, who are usually terrific with their defensive zone coverage, had trouble containing Utah forward Barrett Hayton all game.
Utah scored three goals, all of which were courtesy of Hayton, and all of them came from right in front of the net where he was left unmarked with tons of space. Two of them came on the power play. A penalty kill that has been really good for the Kings went 0-for-2 last night and just seemed to be lost.
It’s uncharacteristic for the Kings to allow one goal like that in a game. For it to happen three times was very odd. The Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the league, and it’s hard to play like that day in and day out. It takes discipline. A 10-day break can make it hard for everyone to buy into that effort right away and be that precise and aware in the defensive zone. It goes back to Hiller’s comments about wanting to tighten up as quickly as possible, because the way the Kings got scored on over and over again against Utah was out of the ordinary.
“You kind of just want to try and limit mistakes, and I think we definitely had a little too many mistakes, so I think (we’re) just trying to clean that up for the future,” forward Alex Laferriere said.
Fiala and Laferriere Stood Out
Two Kings forwards seemed to have that extra jump all game, and they just so happened to be linemates. Kevin Fiala and Laferriere didn’t miss a beat. From the start, they were skating, and they had this extra level of energy that the rest of the players didn’t seem to quite have.
Fiala, who was putting the offense on his back before the break, picked up where he left off with that confidence. He was making creative plays, creating space, and most importantly, utilizing that wicked shot he has, especially near the circles. Once again, it was one of those bullets that Fiala released from the right circle that found the back of the net on the power play to tie the game up at two. It was Fiala who also teed up Doughty for the first goal of the game. Finishing, distributing, and creating, Fiala was doing it all just like he had two weeks ago.
Related: 4 Nations Face-Off and Revived Rivalry Between Canada & USA Has Put Hockey in the Spotlight
Laferriere had that extra hustle and was winning 50/50 battles because of it. Doughty flipped a puck out past center ice, which Laferriere recognized. He skated into a breakaway before tucking one backhand against the grain. The awareness he showed to gain that opportunity and the confidence he displayed with the move to finish are two things we have seen on a more regular basis with Laferriere. That hustle and effort he was playing with also forced Utah goaltender Connor Ingram to panic and take a delay of game penalty, which gave the Kings their second power play of the game.
Their line was dangerous all night, and it has been for quite some time.
A huge game for the standings is up next for the Kings as they get ready to host the Golden Knights on Monday. The Kings have a chance to bring themselves within five points of the Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division while remaining with three games in hand. If the Kings have shown us anything this season, it’s been their dominance at home, so striving to finish first in the division is important.
