Playing at home is something the Los Angeles Kings have loved to do this season, now 5-1-1 at Crypto.com Arena. A dominant full 60-minute performance propelled the Kings to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
“You want to have the advantage at home and play well in front of your fans and get to use all the perks of being at home to your advantage. And so, I think everyone’s happy with the way we’ve been so far at home,” said defenseman Mikey Anderson.
All signs were pointing to a Kings win. They were at home, they hadn’t played in a couple of days, and the Red Wings just finished a game down the Interstate 5 the night before, losing to the Anaheim Ducks 6-4.
From goaltending to the forwards, the Kings played a complete game on both sides of the puck. Defensively, they limited the number of quality looks the Red Wings had, breaking up plays in the neutral zone. They were able to transition quickly with their speed to go on the attack. Puck movement and retrieval were on full display as they worked the puck to open areas, got shots off, and regained possession. It was a constant cycle on repeat and everything you would have liked to see a team do in the offensive zone, the Kings did.
Kings Controlled the Entire First Period
Starts are important in every game but it’s even better when you can get going right away against a team that played the night before. That’s exactly what the Kings did, and for the first three minutes of the game, they spent almost the entirety of it in the offensive zone. The Kings were able to keep the puck alive as each line cycled through, something we haven’t seen a whole lot of so far this season.
Related: Kings Have Great Opportunity to Climb Standings With Remaining November Schedule
They outshot the Red Wings 15-5, had eight high-danger chances while giving up none, and most importantly, their strong efforts in the first reflected on the scoreboard as they scored two goals within 22 seconds of each other. Anderson caught former teammate Cam Talbot cheating toward the pass and snuck one through his legs to give the Kings the 1-0 lead. A great defensive play from Samuel Helenius led to an odd-man rush. Trevor Lewis outwaited Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry as he slid one cross-crease to Tanner Jeannot who gave the Kings a 2-0 lead in his return to the lineup following his three-game suspension.
TANNER MAKES IT TWO pic.twitter.com/UrLRpYVyH6
— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 17, 2024
“What was important, I thought, was that we jump on them quick, we were the fresher team […] I really liked the start […] that first period was our best period,” said head coach Jim Hiller.
Turcotte’s Play Was Limited
Alex Turcotte returned to the lineup after missing the last five contests with an upper-body injury. Turcotte’s start to the season has been nothing but excellent and he picked up right where he left off, not skipping a beat. Placed back on that first line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, the same smart, hard-working Turcotte showed up.
Turcotte only played 9:24 in his first game back. With about a third left in the second period, he didn’t touch the ice for the rest of the night. He had a bad turnover in the neutral zone which sparked a conversation of whether or not that was the reason he was stapled to the bench. Was Hiller really keeping that tight of a leash on a player who made one mistake that didn’t end up costing the team in a game they were not only dominating but leading 2-0? Did one mistake in his first game back from injury outweigh the rest of the good he showed in the nine minutes that he played?
Hiller clarified post-game that limiting Turcotte’s ice time was a part of the plan because he was just coming off an injury. Considering the injury history Turcotte has had, it’s not surprising Hiller wanted to be cautious with his return. But the plan was knowledge no one had, not even Turcotte, which left people wondering why he wasn’t playing.
“I didn’t talk to him before the game, but we had talked as coaches. We were just going to try to get him through about halfway through the game […] actually played him more a little bit more than halfway through ’cause I thought he was playing well, but I just didn’t want to push it too far […] not based on his play at all, just getting him back up to speed,” said Hiller.
New Power Play Formation and No Penalties Taken?
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the 2024-25 Kings finished a game without taking a single penalty. Really, it was a tribute to how they were playing. Controlling the puck as much as they did, there weren’t many times the Kings scrambled on their heels to regain possession of the puck or fight to get it out of the zone.
Even in games where the Kings have been the stronger team, taking penalties, especially in the early stages of games, has been a common theme. Whether it be an undisciplined offensive zone penalty or a stick infraction, at some point during every game this season, the Kings have gotten caught and ended up in the box.
On the flip side, the Kings were only given one power-play opportunity. The Kings’ power play so far this season has been nothing short of terrible and something needed to change. The Kings switched up their power-play units with the first unit consisting of five forwards and Kempe playing the point. It was something the Kings had practiced with before last night’s game. With only one opportunity, it was a very small sample size but both units looked solid.
“I thought it was good, it was really dangerous, they looked comfortable out there […] I know they did not score but that was probably the best it looked out there,” said Hiller.
There’s no doubt the power play looked better than it has in the past, in terms of spending most of it in the offensive zone and generating chances, but the team was dialed in. So, how much of how dangerous it looked was because of the changes to the units and how much was it because of how well the team was playing and the continuous momentum they were able to build? The only way to find out is to see it in action again.
Regardless of whether or not these new units are the answer to the Kings’ power-play struggles, props to Hiller for changing it up because absolutely nothing was going for them with the old units.
The Kings have a nice three-day break before they go right back at it again at Crypto.com Arena to face off against the team they started their season against. The Kings will look to string a couple of wins together next Wednesday (Nov. 20) as they host the Buffalo Sabres.
