3 takeaways from the LA Kings shootout loss to Anaheim

For the second game consecutively in the Pacific Division in the West, the Los Angeles Kings (19-16-12) fell to a divisional foe in overtime or a shootout in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks (23-21-3) on Jan. 16 to start off this weekend. Jim Hiller and the Kings had a chance to win the game yesterday and close things out in regulation after jumping out to an early 2-0 lead on the scoreboard by the middle frame in the second period.

Joel Armia helps the Los Angeles Kings pick up a point in the standings in his return in a shootout loss to the Ducks

It was a big missed opportunity in the standings in the Pacific Division in the West on Friday night for the Kings to cough up a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard late in the middle frame in the second period and not to come back with momentum out of the locker room in the final frame.

The Kings looked like the better team on the ice yesterday for most of the game I would say on each side of the ice at Crypto Arena vs. the Ducks from Anaheim. LA had more offensive zone time, high-danger scoring chances, and had more chances on special teams on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage (per Natural Stat Trick).

Yet, the Kings were unable to get the job done in extra time in the overtime and shootout yesterday vs. Anaheim. Defenseman Brandt Clarke scored a goal on Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal on the second shot for the Kings in the shootout yesterday. But Mason McTavish scored the game-winning goal in the shootout against Darcy Kuemper in the final round yesterday.

Here are three takeaways from the Kings' crumbling loss in the shootout, by a score of 3-2, on home ice in the front end of back-to-back games on Friday night (Jan. 16) vs. the Ducks in the Pacific Division.

Joel Armia's impactful return to the active roster forward group

In the game's second period in the middle frame, veteran winger Joel Armia made an impact on the game on the stat sheet and on the ice in his return from an injury with a nice goal to double the Kings' lead on the scoreboard vs. the Ducks yesterday night on home ice.

Armia has been very impactful on the Kings' offense and special teams efforts on the penalty kill on the 4-on-5 unit this regular season in the West. He's played a big role offensively, scoring double-digit goals and registering over 15 total points for the third season in a row in the past few years.

"His hockey sense, his strength, you saw the penalty kill, he gets a breakaway. So those are things we’ve missed for sure. I was glad to see, I didn’t expect to play him, I think he played 15 minutes, but he was going pretty good. He’s an important player for us. I think you if you didn’t think about it before, I think it was pretty clear tonight the difference he can make in a lineup."

Jim Hiller on Joel Armia

I think it's fair to say that Armia has been the most positive pleasant surprise offensively this regular season in the West for Hiller and the Kings for the active roster lineup with the forward lines core.

Quinton Byfield continues to produce offensively on the stat sheet

The Kings set the tone in the game's opening frame in the first period yesterday, with a nice snipe goal offensively from center Quinton Byfield early in the contest vs. Anaheim in the Pacific Division. Byfield put one past Dostal on an odd-man rush in the offensive zone to get the Kings going offensively and provide the team a much-needed spark in the opening frame in the first period.

He gave the Kings an important lead to set the tone in the opening frame yesterday. Byfield has registered at least one point in the game's first period in the opening frame in three of the past six games in the West for the Kings this past couple of weeks for the team.

But the Kings fell back into the same mantra yesterday vs. the Ducks in the Pacific Division of playing up and down to the competition and not extending leads on the scoreboard to get more comfortable margins in the final frame in the third period for the team.

"I think we were shooting the puck, breaking the puck out clean, putting it behind them and making their D turn, not giving them much. Then, we just gave them some life back and they started taking it to us a bit."

Quinton Byfield

Since the late-December holiday 6-1 win over the Ducks a few weeks ago last month in the Pacific Division, Byfield has scored five goals and nine total points in 11 games for the Kings team offensively.

Same story, different day

In the middle frame in the second period late, the Kings started to lose control of the game on the ice and on the scoreboard offensively. The Kings let the Ducks score two goals in under four minutes in the middle frame in the second period yesterday.

It was the same old storyline for the Kings in the Pacific Division in the West yesterday night on home ice at Crypto Arena vs. the Ducks. The Kings played another one-goal game, which was enough to earn one point in the standings in the West. But this team is still struggling to get over the finish line for two points in the standings in the Pacific Division this campaign.

" Oh, that’s not good enough. No, we’re there. No question. We’ve been there for a while, really. Yeah, no."

Hiller

Maybe this loss will finally be good enough for Hiller and the Kings to get an extra kick and start changing the attitude or motivation for this team this regular season in the West.