Los Angeles Kings Come Up Short in Shootout with Toronto Maple Leafs

Sunday afternoon the Los Angeles Kings came back from a 2-0 deficit to the Toronto Maple Leafs, only to be denied victory in a shootout.  Unable to score in any of the three shootout rounds, the Kings lost 4-3.

It’s such a familiar trend, it’s sickening.

Los Angeles got down early, outshot their opponents, started a rally and couldn’t pull out a win.

The opening period was all Toronto.

“We’ve played as well as we can.  We’re a different team than we were last year,  . . . We need great goaltending and we need guys to score big goals.  Usually that comes out of your top guys.” -Darryl Sutter

Passing was quick and precise. If not for the play of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, the game could have turned into a blowout, fast.  57-seconds into the game Mike Richards took a slashing penalty, putting the Kings down a man.  Toronto was buzzing early and after a scrambling save Quick recovered and stuffed Tyler Bozak at the top of the crease on a one-timer from Phil Kessel.

Quick couldn’t hold the Leafs off forever.  Six-minutes into the period, in the Kings defensive zone, Richards coughed the puck up along the boards.  Daniel Winnik cycled the puck behind the net with Mike Santorelli.  Santorelli brought the puck around the net to the front, fighting off and beating Anze Kopitar, turned and fired a wrist-shot high over Quick’s glove hand.

The Kings pushed back on two power-play opportunities, but couldn’t score.  Then, with 30-seconds left in the period a breakdown in discipline cost L.A. again.

Toronto threw a harmless looking dump-in around the boards in the Kings zone.  Swinging back around the puck came to Jake Muzzin behind the Kings net.  Muzzin, forechecked by the Maple Leafs, coughed up a forced pass to Nazem Kadri.  Kadri turned, skated toward the half-boards, and passed it to Cody Franson.  Franson one-timed a slapshot through traffic and past Quick.

The second period was all Kings.

The Kings gained ground in the second period, but only a few inches.  L.A. controlled the flow of play while limiting Toronto, but the Kings couldn’t generate any substantial chances.  Then, with 3:58 left in the second period Justin Williams swatted life back into the Kings.

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Breaking out of the Kings zone Kyle Clifford threw a long pass up to Williams in the neutral zone.  The puck bounced off Leafs defensemen Jake Gardiner and into the Leafs zone.  Williams chased the puck down, fighting with Toronto’s Gardiner every step of the way.  Gardiner and Williams took turns swatting at the puck as they moved closer toward the net.  Near the top of the crease Williams hard-fought body-position, heart, and hard work gave him the upper-hand, as he managed to slap the bouncing puck through Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier.

The last four-minutes of the period was a fortuitous time for the Kings.

Getting a little last-minute payback, Dwight King tied the game with 14-seconds left in the second.  King stole the puck from Franson along the half-boards in the Leafs zone.  King carried the puck low, along the Leafs goal line.  Using his body to gain separation between the puck and a Leaf defender, King cut to the net and flipped a shot up at Bernier’s shoulder.  King didn’t quit there, he followed up his own rebound swatting the loose puck between Bernier’s legs.

Carrying the momentum from the second period the Kings banged home another one early in the third.

One-minute and two-seconds into the third period Marian Gaborik gave the Kings their first lead of the game.

Jarret Stoll had the puck along the boards in the Toronto zone.  Stoll dropped a backhand pass past two Leaf defenders to Williams in the corner.  Williams cut towards the net, forming a 2-on-1 setup with Gaborik.  Williams faked a shot, made a snap-pass over to Gaborik, and Gaborik slapped a one-timer that was stopped.  Gaborik slapped at the puck again and scored.

After acquiring their first lead of the game, the Kings put themselves in jeopardy when Trevor Lewis took a penalty for high-sticking David Booth.  8-seconds after the penalty was called, the Leafs made the Kings pay.

Strangely enough, with 11:11 left in the third, James Van Riemsdyk tipped the puck home on a beautifully worked, textbook passing play.  Unfortunate for the Kings, but a beautiful goal that words can’t do justice describing.

Beauty.

Yuck.

The goaltenders at both ends shut the door after that.  The rest of the period and ensuing overtime period were scoreless, requiring a shootout.

In the shootout only one goal was scored between the two teams.

The first shot was the first goal, coming on Joffrey Lupal’s attempt.

Marian Gaborik shot first for the Kings, but his attempt was saved by Reimer.

Tyler Bozak was stopped by Quick on the Maple Leafs second attempt.

Dustin Brown had played well throughout the game, and was selected to shoot second for the Kings.  Brown’s attempt was also saved by Reimer.

Mike Santorelli started the third round for the Leafs, missing the net, failing to end the game.

Anze Kopitar went out for the L.A.’s last attempt and missed the net, ending the game.

Here’s the shootout in its entirety:

1-0 Toronto in the shootout.  Toronto wins, 4-3.

L.A. outshot Toronto 36-31.  The Kings had 11 shots in each of the three periods, and 3 additional shots in overtime.  Toronto pressed hard in the first and third periods, but L.A. held the Leafs to only 6 shots in the second.

The Kings went 0-for-3 on the power-play; the Leafs were 1-for-4.

Just enough of the little things added up to beat L.A. on the scoreboard.  It was another case of the Kings beating themselves with limited scoring.

Jonathan Quick played well, keeping the Kings in the game when they were down early.  Quick stopped 28 of 31 shots for L.A., giving Quick a .903 save percentage.

Justin Williams now has 3 goals, 4 points, and a +4 rating in his last five games.  Mr. Game 7’s found his scoring touch again.  That’s the good news for the Kings.

Kings head coach Darryl Sutter had some disparaging comments after the game.  “We’ve played as well as we can.  We’re a different team than we were last year,” Sutter said.  “We need great goaltending and we need guys to score big goals.  Usually that comes out of your top guys.”

Perhaps that last bit was a specific criticism.

Kings forward Anze Kopitar has not been stellar as of late.  Against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Kopitar was sent down to the Kings fourth line after playing a sub-par 40-minutes in the first two periods.

Kopitar, who led the Kings in scoring the past two seasons, ranks 7th on the Kings in points.  In 28 games this season Kopitar has 6 goals, 13 points, and a -4 rating.

In his last five games Kopitar has 1 goal, 1 point, and a -6 rating.  That’s unprecedented for the regular Selke Trophy nominee.

Kopitar and the Kings need to pick up their level of play.  Future games won’t be any easier.

L.A. will wrap up this five-game road trip in St. Louis against the Blues on Tuesday.  Puck-drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PST.

Dec 14, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Stephane Robidas (12) takes down Los Angeles Kings forward Marian Gaborik (12) in front of Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer (34) at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Los Angeles 4-3 in an overtime shot out. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports