A pretty crazy day in the West in the Pacific Division for Jim Hiller and the Los Angeles Kings included a big splash move on the block before the roster freeze in the league in the NHL. Not only did the Kings trade for Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in the East yesterday, but new general manager Ken Holland also signed him to a two-year contract extension deal worth around $11.5 million in average annual value.
Andrei Kuzmenko's two goals can't get the Los Angeles and Jim Hiller points in the standings vs. Seattle on Wednesday night on home ice
The Kings and Hiller wanted to continue to build momentum in the West in the Pacific Division this regular season early this month before the Winter Olympics break this upcoming week. It would've been nice to see the Kings get more points in the standings in the West on home ice before the three-week break for the Winter Olympics this regular season.
In the opening frame in the first period, the Kings got off to a great start. Andrei Kuzmenko scored the game's first goal for the Kings on the scoreboard on special teams on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage.
But the game started to fall apart on the scoreboard for the Kings later in the opening frame yesterday on home ice. Seattle scored three goals in a span of under eight minutes in the opening frame in the first period on the scoreboard, opening up a three-goal lead against the Kings on home ice.
Defensive lapses and mistakes and frustrations were too much for the Kings to overcome in the final frame in the third period, falling to the Kraken in the Pacific Division yesterday by a score of 4-2.
Hiller gave his reaction to the media yesterday after the two-goal loss in regulation on home ice at Crypto.com Arena after the defensive collapse in the zone in the first period in the opening frame vs. the Kraken in the Pacific Division.
A combination of frustrating calls and overturned goal calls by the refs mounted the impatience for Hiller and the Kings yesterday on home ice.
Here's a look at everything Hiller said to the media postgame following the Kings' 4-2 home loss in the Pacific Division on Wednesday night (Feb. 4) vs. the Kraken at Crypto Arena.
Jim Hiller
On the stretch in the opening frame in the first period yesterday when the Kings allowed three goals defensively
"That was not a good game for us. I mean, second period, maybe we were good in spurts, but I didn’t think we had much all night, legs, execution was few and far between. It was six minutes where they scored, but we just weren’t sharp."
On how he felt about Darcy Kuemper's game yesterday vs. Seattle for the Kings
"I think, like everybody else, we just weren’t sharp. Too many penalties. We just did a lot of things that were, I would say, uncharacteristic. Turning the puck over quite a bit, defensively on breakouts and then in the offensive zone, we just couldn’t get a good game going together. Despite that, we probably had a chance to tie it and then the fourth goal kills us, killed any chance of that."
On how the power play performed on special teams last night vs. Seattle
"Two nice goals. We still needed one more, we did have another opportunity. I thought we were pretty good. The second goal, of course, is a really nice play, similar goal to the goal we scored in Detroit. That gave us life, but there wasn’t enough."
On the Kings trading for Artemi Panarin yesterday from the Rangers
"One of the premier wingers in the league, has been for so many years, what a track record. He’s a one-shot shooter. He can find the back of the net, he doesn’t need a lot of looks. On top of that, he can find people, he’s a playmaker, so whoever ends up getting to play with him most consistently, I think it’ll take a little time, he does play a little bit of a different style of game, might take somebody a little time to adjust, but he’s going to be somebody that we’re going to lean on a lot. We check, we do all the right things that way. We just need somebody to help us find the back of the net a little more often."