Game 1 Notes, Reactions and What Comes Next

The LA Kings dropped Game 1 in Colorado 2-1, but vibes were higher than you might think after a playoff loss.

It’s important to remember where the expectations are in this series. The Kings were heavy underdogs (+340 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the series before Game 1), so even just showing that they can hang with Colorado is enough to allow some positive thoughts to creep into everyone’s mind.

After some time to process, here are some thoughts on Game 1 and what LA needs to do in Game 2 to try and send this series back to Los Angeles knotted at one.

• Anton Forsberg was great, again. While it’s not much of a surprise, considering his play in the second half of the season won him the job heading into the playoffs, it was very much needed. The Avalanche are a threat every time they’re in the offensive zone, so when things got a little hairy in the LA zone, Forsberg was there to answer the bell. In all, he made 30 saves.
• Brandt Clarke was one of the bright spots for the Kings. In just over 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, the Kings held a 21-14 edge in shot attempts, a 7-3 edge in shots on goal, and a 68.1% xGF%. Not bad considering the three most common opponents Clarke saw were Devon Toews, Brock Nelson, and Cale Makar.
• The top line of Anze Kopitar, Artemi Panarin, and Adrian Kempe created problems for Colorado. The trio had the bulk of possession when they were on the ice, unfortunately it didn’t lead to any goals. Panarin did find the back of the net on a late power play, but it was good to see this line be effective.
• Speaking of lines, it’s another year where the Kings have no idea what to do with the fourth line. Part of this is due to injury (Kevin Fiala is out, and Andrei Kuzmenko was just activated off of Injured Reserve before Game 1). Still, there’s no reason we should be seeing the likes of Jeff Malott and Mathieu Joseph in NHL playoff games. That line, centered by Samuel Helenius, just isn’t good enough in this series. The group played 5:31 at 5-on-5 and were out-attempted 10-1, outshot 4-0, and were on the ice for Colorado’s second goal. Frankly, that’s on D.J. Smith.
• So who should come in? Well, for starters, Taylor Ward has been playing pretty regularly the home stretch of the season and offers more on the offensive side of the game than Malott or Joseph (or Wright, for that matter).
• If Andrei Kuzmenko was activated off of IR, why is he not playing? I get it, he hasn’t played in a while, he may not be 100%, fine. Then why is he active? If he’s active, he has to play. That’s not to suggest the Kuzmenko is any sort of savior, but he’s an NHL winger. The bottom six of the Kings currently have one NHL-caliber winger. You need depth in the postseason.
• I don’t know what’s going on with Alex Turcotte, but like Kuzmenko, he offers something different on that fourth line.
• After the game, Smith said that the team needed to be a little “meaner” offensively and get more pucks to the net. Usually, I prefer quality over quantity, so I don’t subscribe to “pucks on net”, but in this series, LA’s best chances aren’t going to come off of sustained pressure. They’re likely to come off the rush, so getting a puck to the net and crashing just might be the recipe.
• I can appreciate the desire to try to physically beat down the Colorado defensemen. I just don’t think that’s going to lead to goals and wins. While you’re not going to outskate them necessarily either, you need as many players who can potentially find the back of the net as you can in a series where you need to score to win.
• It certainly sounds like Smith prefers the Quinton Byfield line against the Nathan MacKinnon line, noting on Tuesday, “if I can get my matchup, yeah, but if (Kopitar’s line) is out there, then play against them.” Byfield did see just under five minutes of 5-on-5 time against MacKinnon in Game 1, holding a 9-7 edge in shot attempts, but was outshot 4-2, and MacKinnon set up Colorado’s first goal.
• The LA Kings won the Special Teams battle in Game 1. Haven’t been able to say that too often in the postseason!
• To even this series up, the Kings are going to have to capitalize better on their chances and continue to be strong on Special Teams. It wouldn’t hurt to see a change in personnel, either.

At the end of the day, the Kings are down 1-0 in a series they have no business winning, but there were signs of life. Hopefully, we see a couple of new faces in the lineup for Game 2.

Stats via Natural Stat Trick

Main Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images