Los Angeles Kings Benefit From Equipment Change
By Ian Smith
The Los Angeles Kings have gotten a relatively unproductive season from Jake Muzzin, but his play of late has been encouraging.
Everybody has slumps for time to time, but the challenge is figuring out how to break out of a lackluster stretch.
In an athletic context, it can be caused by physical, mental, or emotional turmoil. Lingering injuries and psychological hang-ups can do harm to a player’s statistical performance.
The Los Angeles Times has a very interesting story about how Muzzin himself explained his recent resurgence.
Muzzin chalked it up to an equipment change. He changed his stick at the end of December, and the switch has prompted better play for him.
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It’s hard to tell whether it’s more attributable to a confidence boost from Muzzin or a better designed stick, but the Kings are hardly going to question the development.
Muzzin has been one of the steadiest point producers at the blueline position over the last couple seasons, so his slow start was especially troubling.
In what’s bound to be fantastic advertising for the company, the stick that Muzzin has been playing better with is made by Bauer.
He began the year using a Warrior stick, and although Muzzin didn’t go as far as to blame the stick for his poor performance, he did admit that it just wasn’t for him.
“I can feel the puck a lot better,” said Muzzin, which is really all he needs to explain to justify the switch. In the last 4 games Muzzin has played with the Bauer stick, he has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points.
This isn’t an issue of superstition, but of comfort. Not all sticks are created equal, and some players mesh better with the different types of advantages other sticks offer.
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It’s great that Muzzin has seemingly figured out his statistical predicament with so much of the season still to go, because the Kings are going to need his production to aid in their playoff push.