For the second time in the past couple of weeks early this regular season, Jim Hiller and the Los Angeles Kings (5-4-4) fell short of a team while outshooting them by double digits on the stat sheet and outplaying them on the ice. Despite doubling up the New Jersey Devils (9-3-0) in shots on goal and tripling them in high-danger scoring chances, the Kings lost by three goals on home ice on Saturday night (Nov. 1).
Jim Hiller and the Los Angeles Kings suffered a second straight defeat at home at Crypto Arena
The Kings didn't get a goal on the scoreboard until the middle of the final frame in the third period, thanks to a tally from winger Andrei Kuzmenko with about 10 minutes remaining in the game vs. New Jersey. Hiller and the Kings went 0-for-4 on the power play and only scored one goal while getting a season-high 44 shots on goal yesterday.
Hiller gave his thoughts about the Kings' loss to the Devils yesterday with the media after the multi-goal loss to New Jersey.
The Kings have now lost two games in a row, and are winless on home ice after the season's first five games for the first time since the early 1970s (the 1971-72 season).
Here's a look at everything Hiller said to the media postgame following the Kings' 4-1 loss to the Devils at home at Crypto Arena on Nov. 1.
Jim Hiller
On if the team should be winning more games with the way they played vs. New Jersey last night
"If you think back to the San Jose game, probably little bit similar. We come out on the right side of it, and maybe this is the payback for that one in a week. You’re happy when you got the two points in San Jose, and you’re disappointed with how you played. Tonight, you’re happy with the way you played, but you’re disappointed you don’t get the two points."
On the team needing to play more physical and disruptive in front of the net
"We saw their first chance, quick shot from Hughes to the net. Hischier happens to be skating past, nice deflection and it’s in the back of the net. We launched about 50 of those similar type of plays. We had people in and around it, whether we didn’t get a stick on it or didn’t get in the goalie’s eyes, probably a combination of both things, but that’s the way hockey works some nights. You throw as many pucks as we did with people in and around the net, you usually come up with more than one."
On the power play struggles recently for the team
"Yeah it didn’t generate when we really needed to generate. I think that’s the biggest thing. We weren’t dangerous and sometimes you don’t score, but you’re dangerous. I think the other night, we had eight chances on the power play that looked dangerous and the puck didn’t go in. Tonight, we didn’t execute and we weren’t dangerous. It’s something we have to look a little closer at as to as to why. We can say close, but at some point, if you don’t get the results or aren’t dangerous, then you got to look a little closer."
On the Kings staying out of the box vs. New Jersey
"That's really important. If you look at our overall game, there's some things we didn't like early, didn't play great defensively, started getting our defensive game going. Then we weren't great offensively, turning the puck over too much, and then the last couple games, we didn't turn it over. We forechecked. You saw us play in the ozone, which we hadn't played that much in the ozone.
So there's pieces of the game that are starting to come together, and up until tonight, we were still taking too many penalties. We'd like it to be a finished product. Right now, it is clearly not, but the signs for me are starting to be put together."
On Adrian Kempe not scoring in the past four games for the Kings
"The only way he’d be pressing is he wants to win. He had some great looks the other night. He wants to win. I think sometimes that can come into a player, if you’re not scoring a lot, or the team’s not scoring, you want to win the game, and that would be probably team-wide. It wouldn’t be independent for Kempe."
On Andrei Kuzmenko breaking his goalless streak
"Nice goal, great pass by Kopitar, and great finish. It looked a little bit like those guys looked last year. So hopefully that sparks a little bit of relief. Kuzmenko puts a lot of pressure on himself, too. Maybe a little bit of relief, nice goal, now let’s get going."
On getting Kuzmenko involved in other areas of the game for the Kings
"He had a bit of a reputation before he joined us as maybe somebody who worked as hard away from the puck as he did with it. We've had no issues with him. It's really impressive to just watch him if you just as a fan, you see him, he's given everything he's got. There's there's there's no gliding out there for him. So, all those little plays start to add up when you're moving your feet like he is. So, we got no issues there with him at all without the puck. He's a dangerous offensive player. That's how he measures his game. But we like his overall game."