The Kings practice lines changed again on Thursday, and this time the top line was broken up. With the Los Angeles Kings (0-3-2) scoring one goal in each of their last three games, Peter Laviolette moved Quinton Byfield off the line with Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe and put Alex Laferriere in the middle. Mats Zuccarello practiced in a full-contact jersey, though he was not a full participant. The Kings practice again Friday before hosting the Boston Bruins on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT at Crypto.com Arena.
Our Kings shot problem piece covered the data behind the scoring slump. This piece covers Thursday’s practice and what Drew Doughty told his teammates.
Kings Practice Lines: Thursday’s Alignment
LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley and The Mayor’s Manor’s Alexander Legget reported the same lines:
- Artemi Panarin – Alex Laferriere – Adrian Kempe
- Trevor Moore – Quinton Byfield – Erik Haula
- Joel Armia – Scott Laughton – Jared Wright
- Andre Lee – Samuel Helenius – Corey Perry
The defense pairs were Erik Gustafsson with Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson with Doughty, and Mikey Anderson with Brian Dumoulin. Cody Ceci was the extra defenseman, and Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg were in goal. Legget reports the top power-play unit was Panarin, Byfield, Kempe, Clarke and Perry, with Perry moving in near the net in place of Laferriere.
Wright, who was sent to the Ontario Reign on Monday, was back in the practice group. We have not seen a team announcement of his recall. PuckPedia, via Sportsnaut, projects Kuemper to start Saturday, but that is a projection.
Source Note: Conflicting Line Reports
One outlet, Kodo Hockey’s morning skate report, listed different lines for Thursday, with Byfield still centering Panarin and Kempe. That does not match the reports from Dooley and Legget, who were both at practice, so we are going with their lines.
Laviolette’s shot total is also slightly off. He said “We put up 41 shots” against Edmonton, but the official count from the AP, ESPN and NHL.com is 40.
Laviolette: “We’re Not Scoring Enough”
Laviolette said the change was not a punishment for Byfield’s line. “First of all, it was just practice today. There’s another practice tomorrow, that doesn’t mean that the line will be the same,” he said, per LA Kings Insider. “I thought that they were in the offensive zone really the entire night and I thought that they did an excellent job offensively inside the game, but we still find ourselves not producing the way we want to… It’s more for me that we need to continue to look at it because we’re not scoring enough.”
Dooley adds that the Kings rank last in the NHL in five-on-five goals. “Gotta produce, or changes happen,” he wrote.
On how to practice scoring, Laviolette listed small-area games, tip drills, traffic and screen drills. “I have a lot of belief that the players in the room they have scored 20 goals, 25 goals, 30 goals, 35 goals, 40 goals in their past,” he said. “I think once it does, I think you start to gain a little bit of confidence from that as well.”
Laferriere at Center
Laferriere said playing with Panarin and Kempe should feel natural. “We got a little bit of time together last year and played really well together,” he told The Mayor’s Manor. Because Kempe shoots left and Laferriere shoots right, they can split faceoffs. “If faceoffs are not going our way, we can always kind of switch off on each other’s strong side,” he said.
Laferriere said he plays best when he’s forechecking hard and winning the puck back: “Where I thrive is when I’m getting on forechecks and getting pucks back for my linemates. So if I can keep doing that and keep getting pucks to them and then just try and find empty space — they’re going to be able to find me.”
Doughty: “I’m Seeing It From Our Top Players”
Doughty did not blame the injuries. Asked whether the mistakes come from a lineup missing Kevin Fiala, Zuccarello and Alex Turcotte, he said: “No, I have not even seen it from our fourth-line type players. I’m seeing it from our top players. So that’s why we’re losing games. Your top players have to be your best players every night and not just have flashes of brilliance.”
He also said it isn’t bad luck. “It’s not the puck luck… they’re just blatant mistakes that we’re making that are causing goals,” he said. And he called Saturday “obviously the biggest game of the year, without a doubt. We need two points. We’re going to get it.”
Laviolette did not fully agree that the problem is only the top players. “It’s hard just to paint a brush with one stroke and cover it,” he said. “The one thing I agree with is that we can all work to be better.”
The Kings’ official channel posted Thursday’s availability with Doughty, Laferriere and Laviolette:
Injury Updates
- Mats Zuccarello: on the ice in a full-contact jersey and in most drills, including small-area games, but not all of them, per Dooley. He was not on a line and took defensive shifts with Ceci in odd-man drills. “Getting close, maybe he’s not there quite yet,” Dooley wrote. He is eligible to come off injured reserve Saturday, but his status is unconfirmed.
- Alex Turcotte: also eligible Saturday, but there has been no practice update on him.
- Kevin Fiala: seen in the locker room. “He’s still working his way back,” Laviolette said. “He’s obviously not out with us yet.”
Gustafsson and Clarke
Laviolette praised his offensive defense pair. “Gus right now has taken steps to solidify a spot because of the way he skates and moves the puck. He and Clarke have been a very good pair,” he said, per The Mayor’s Manor. On Clarke, who scored against Edmonton: “I thought he had an excellent game last game.”
Unconfirmed
- Saturday’s lines and starting goalie. Laviolette said Friday’s practice could look different.
- Whether Zuccarello or Turcotte comes off injured reserve.
- Whether Wright’s return to practice is an official recall.
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