Kings Dignity Restored With Win Against Winnipeg

Winnipeg sits at the top of the Central Division, one of the stronger ones this season, and the Kings are… well… the Kings this season. So obviously we didn’t have high expectations for it. After a relatively slow start – it took 90 seconds for the Jets first shot then 90 more for the Kings, they did manage to keep the puck in their offensive zone for almost 2 full minutes with the Kopitar-Brown-Iafallo line. They couldn’t seem to get any traction but at this point, I’ll take any time near the other goalie. Of course, it couldn’t last and the Jets proceeded to rack up 7 more shots before the Kings could get any more. Quick seemed up to the task, something I haven’t been able to say as much as I’d like lately. The Kings finally broke through exactly 13 minutes in, though to give any King credit would be misleading. Sure Wagner would be the one credited, and Brinkley would get his first NHL point on the assist, but really it was Hellebuyck who mishandled the puck. And even that isn’t exactly accurate – he blocked the shot, then the puck bounced strangely off his blocker and somehow knuckled itself into the back of the net. However it happened, a King’s goal is one worth celebrating. We’ll take it. The followed up with a penalty, though again not something I would have really credited them with. Muzzin was called for charging on a questionable call, looked like a clean hit, but what can ya do? They killed the penalty and turned around to draw a penalty almost immediately, but while their penalty kill has improved, their other special team needs serious work. Really any neutral zone coverage did, and I worried it would come back and bite them in the second with the long change.

Instead, the Kings actually came to play in the second period. Gosh that’s a refreshing change isn’t it? We first had to endure a tying goal that was just as ridiculous as our first goal, so I suppose that’s fair. But it didn’t deter the Kings, at least it didn’t deter Doughty who was forced to play goalie more than a few times when Quick overextended himself out of the blue paint and no King on the ice could seem to handle the puck. Literally no one, Winnipeg was smoking everyone out there but Doughty, who’s been known to take the team responsibility on his shoulders, seemed to do just that all period. Defensemen stepping up all around – Jake Muzzin scored the King’s second goal of the game on the power play, with a wickedly sweet shot from the point. That didn’t last too long, however, when Winnipeg’s offside challenge proved to be accurate. (You can see my slight rant on offside calls here.) While I raged over having two goals waved off for such an infraction, the Kings kept at it, specifically Doughty who we thought supplied the Kings next goal. He picked up Kopitar’s rebound and shot at an almost parallel angle, sneaking it past Hellebuyck in a sneaky ninja fashion. Iafallo was later credited with getting his stick on it but the goal was going in regardless. That goal counted;  miraculously, the King’s were winning! Somehow they weren’t winning by more, after several ‘HOW DID THAT NOT GO IN?’ moments in rapid succession. Doughty kept the score in the Kings favor – not with another goal but with some more goaltending. (Once again I’m reminded of how Quick should never be allowed to play the puck.) It would be Wagner on the breakaway who would provide the Kings next goal, and what a stunning one it was, beating Hellebuyck glove side with 1:52 remaining in the period. That dude is fast – not a single person in the zone with him. Kempe followed up by taking a penalty (facepalm) that only lasted 16 seconds because Wheeler took one too, leaving a 4-on-4 situation to start the third.

The score by the end of the third looked more convincing than it felt, as the first and almost only note I took about the third was how many chances the Jets were getting in their offensive zone because of bad puck handling by Kings forwards. So many giveaways! And sadly not just by new players who are maybe still getting the feel of how fast-paced the NHL is, but also by veterans who should really be able to place a pass better than that. Thankfully, they were not taking dumb penalties, they were being much more controlled with their stick placement there. In fact, they only took three penalties the whole game, showing much more consistency and discipline than in the past. Of course, the one penalty they took in the third was too many men on the ice (I actually facepalmed at that – it’s so amateur and with 6:34 remaining could really turn the tide of the game.) But the Kings didn’t slump. They played a full 60 minutes and most of it with sass. Toffoli had a shorthanded bid, as did Thompson almost. Carter spent a good 20 seconds tying up the puck and three Jets along the boards, just because he could. Winnipeg’s best power play in the league was the one to look amateur. An empty net with a little more than 2 minutes remaining wouldn’t be enough for Winnipeg; Thompson was the King who finally potted the empty net goal, with a mere 7 seconds remaining. It wasn’t just a win – it was a well-played win. “Not only did we play well defensively and Quickie played well,” Doughty said after the game, “but I thought we did well on all ends of the ice. We really controlled that game start to finish.” The youngsters stepped up, as usual, proving that the Kings future may be brighter than the standings show.