Three games into the season, the Kings have one point and they have to go on the road. Kings vs Golden Knights is Saturday, October 10, at 7 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Kings are 0-2-1, and Vegas is 3-1-0 and coming off a 6-2 win in Seattle. The Kings practiced Wednesday in El Segundo, and the focus since Tuesday’s 2-1 home-opener loss to Florida has been clear: puck management.
Here is where things stand: the numbers behind the loss, the message from the room, the goalie situation, the injury list and what Vegas brings.
The Numbers Behind the Problem
Peter Laviolette said after Tuesday’s loss that the Kings “turned it over too much in our end, we turned it over too much in the neutral zone.” The numbers back him up. LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley noted that the Kings had 27 turnovers per NHL.com, tied for the highest total by any team in a game this season. He also counted these:
- 47 shot attempts: a season low, 15 fewer than in Colorado, despite a season high in power-play time.
- Seven high-danger chances per Natural Stat Trick: four at 5-on-5, two shorthanded and only one on the power play.
- One clean zone entry during the 1:21 of 5-on-3 time, by Dooley’s review of the video.
Shorthanded, the Kings created more than they did on the power play. Erik Haula got to the net twice while killing penalties. As Dooley put it, the Kings “defended well but didn’t execute with the puck.”
The Message: Execute, Don’t Overhaul
Drew Doughty does not want a system change. “I don’t think we need to adjust anything on systems,” the captain said Tuesday. “I just think we need to do them better and when we do get our chances, we’ve got to capitalize.” Dooley wrote that he agreed, arguing that apart from the Colorado game the problems have been execution, and calling for “urgency,” not “panic.”
Laviolette also made clear that a close loss was not good enough. “We are in the business of winning hockey games,” he said. “If it was a 6-5 win tonight then we did our job and won a game, so I don’t think that there’s any consolation in a 2-1 loss and a quieter game.” Dooley expected two or three practices before Vegas to work on the cleanup. Brandt Clarke, whose neutral-zone turnover led to Matthew Tkachuk’s winner, and Laviolette both spoke to reporters after Wednesday’s practice. The video is on the Kings’ official channel.
Two of the three losses were by one goal. The Kings lost 8-4 in Colorado, 5-4 in overtime in San Jose (our Sharks recap) and 2-1 to Florida. When Dooley asked whether the team was playing like an 0-3 team, Doughty said that was true in Colorado but disagreed about the San Jose and Florida games.
Kings vs Golden Knights: The Goalie Question
The Kings have not named a starter for Saturday. Here is what the pattern suggests.
Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg have alternated starts: Kuemper in Colorado, Forsberg in San Jose, Kuemper against Florida. Before the home opener, Laviolette said: “This was exactly the plan, coming in, for right now. I think when you get down the road, if you ask me the plan for November, I can’t give you that quite yet, but right now, this was the plan.” If the rotation holds, Forsberg is projected to start in Vegas. Puckfeed’s projection model also lists Forsberg. That is a projection, not a confirmed start.
Neither goalie has played well yet. Kuemper is .831 with a 5.11 goals-against average in two starts. Forsberg allowed five goals in San Jose, an .800 save percentage. Kuemper was steadier against Florida, making 26 saves.
Injuries and Lineup
Kevin Fiala remains the main absence. He broke his left leg in February at the Olympics with Team Switzerland, needed a follow-up procedure before camp and returned to skating last week. Barring setbacks, the Kings’ pre-camp timeline still points to about November 1. Laviolette has described a step-by-step progression: skating alone, then skating with others, then practicing in a red no-contact jersey before full drills.
Mats Zuccarello played Tuesday after Monday’s maintenance day. The Kings have used 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their last two games. The top line of Artemi Panarin, Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe has carried the offense: Panarin has two goals and three points, and with that line on the ice at 5-on-5 in San Jose, the Kings out-attempted the Sharks 20-4. Alex Laferriere and Haula have three points each, and Laferriere scored the only goal against Florida.
What Vegas Brings
The Golden Knights, the defending Western Conference champions, have won three of four. They beat Chicago 5-2, lost 4-3 to Anaheim, won 3-2 in Vancouver and won 6-2 in Seattle on Tuesday, when they led 5-0 after two periods.
- Jack Eichel: two goals and eight assists for 10 points in four games.
- Victor Olofsson: four goals, including two in Seattle.
- Tomas Hertl: three goals, including two on the power play in Seattle.
- Mark Stone: four points, including a shorthanded goal Tuesday.
- Goaltending: Carter Hart has started three games and Adin Hill one.
Vegas hosts Toronto on Thursday and has no game Friday, so both teams will be rested. The Golden Knights also beat the Kings 4-2 in a preseason game in Los Angeles on September 19. After Vegas, the Kings host Edmonton on Tuesday, October 13, which makes this a tough two-game stretch.
Watch: Alex Laferriere on Infanity TV
Laferriere on adjusting to a new coaching staff: “This is my fourth year and my fourth coach.”
The full home-opener postgame with Doughty, Laferriere and Laviolette is also on Infanity TV.
Schedule
- Saturday, Oct. 10: at Vegas, T-Mobile Arena, 7 p.m. PT
- Tuesday, Oct. 13: vs. Edmonton, Crypto.com Arena, 7:30 p.m. PT
- Saturday, Oct. 17: vs. Boston, Crypto.com Arena, 6 p.m. PT
The Kings defended well against Florida. What they need in Vegas is cleaner exits and better entries, and a power play that can gain the zone.
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