The first week of action for the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference this fall in the regular season is in the books for head coach Jim Hiller. The Kings started out the season's first three games with a record of 1-2-0 after the close one-goal loss to the Winnipeg Jets on the road north of the border this weekend on Oct. 11.
Adrian Kempe and the Los Angeles Kings looking to close out this three-game road trip on a high note vs. Minnesota on Monday
Hiller and the Kings have improved on both ends of the ice after a disappointing 4-1 loss on opening night (Oct. 7) to the Colorado Avalanche. LA showed resilience and grit in the third period in clutch time in a thrilling shootout win by a score of 6-5 over the Vegas Golden Knights in the regular season road opener this past Wednesday night in the back end of back-to-back games for the Kings.
You could argue that the Kings played their best game of the season for 60 minutes in the tough 3-2 loss in the third period against the Jets yesterday afternoon in Winnipeg.
There have been some encouraging signs from the Kings on both ends of the ice in the past couple of games this past week and this weekend. The Kings allowed three goals or fewer for the first time this regular season in the loss to Winnipeg yesterday with Darcy Kuemper in net.
The Kings rank in the middle of the pack in expected goals percentage (per Money Puck) after the season's first three games.
Discipline issues and turning the puck over too much in the defensive zone this season have been concerning issues for the Kings this fall on the ice. Here are two big overreactions after the Kings' loss to the Jets this weekend and after the season's first three games in the first week in early October.
Kings' power play is doomed
The Kings snapped their streak of scoring at least one goal on the 5-on-4 man-advantage on the power play with the special teams vs. Winnipeg in the loss yesterday.
I think it's only a matter of time before the Kings' power play finds its edge. Adrian Kempe has almost two on-ice goals expected on the 5-on-4 power play. He also leads the team with over four expected goals this season in just three games.
Kempe and the Kings' power play has shown signs of life in the past couple of games early this season. The Kings have gotten some good looks at the net, including a key opening goal for the game that set the tone in the offensive zone for LA by Andrei Kuzmenko in the win over Vegas this past Wednesday.
"I think we did some really good things. We shot the puck. We had traffic. The power play has been positive so far this season."Adrian Kempe
The Kings are top 10 in the NHL this season in expected goals for on the power play in 5-on-4 situations (per Natural Stat Trick).
Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin will be the worst defensive pairing in the NHL this season
It's not exactly surprising to see the analytics posts regarding Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci for the Kings' new defensive pairing on the blue line this fall early this regular season in the West. The Kings fans didn't expect much from this pairing this fall in the West, given the struggles they've had in the past with new general manager in LA, Ken Holland.
The Kings blue line has performed a little below average early this regular season this fall in the overall advanced metrics. As of yesterday afternoon, the Kings' defensive pairing of Ceci and Dumoulin led the Western Conference in expected goals against.
I do think Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson, and Mikey Anderson have been bright spots for the Kings' blue line in the past week or so early this fall in the regular season. Clarke and Anderson both scored critical goals for the Kings in the past two games in this big three-game Western Conference road trip against a trio of contenders from the Pacific and Central Division this week.
Ceci and Dumoulin are also the Kings' only defensive pairing that has allowed at least five goals without being on the ice for a single goal early this regular season.
The Kings have the best fourth line in the league
It was a major priority this past offseason in the summer for the Kings to improve the depth and physicality on the fourth line with the forward core for this season in the Pacific Division. Holland and the Kings signed veterans like Joel Armia and Corey Perry to give more proven experience and physicality in the postseason in free agency this past summer in the offseason.
Hiller has spoken very highly of Armia and the Kings' fourth line forwards early this regular season.
"He’s a really, really smart player. That’s one thing that’s become very clear. You can see some of the offensive plays, but he's just a really, really smart player with and without the puck."Jim Hiller on Joel Armia
After winning a roster spot on opening night with the fourth-line forward group, Hiller has found a pleasant surprise in forward Jeff Malott's emergence with this core. Malott has showed some grit and the ability to muddle things up around the net, scoring the first goal of his career on a tipped shot in the clutch win over the Golden Knights in the shootout earlier this past week in Vegas.
The Kings' fourth-line ranks in the top 10 in the Western Conference in expected goals percentage after three games this fall (per Money Puck).