Anze Kopitar provides update that should make LA Kings' fans happy

For the past three seasons, the Los Angeles Kings have utilized a 1-3-1 formation which is pretty boring and is a frustrating form of hockey, for both fans and opposing teams. At the most basic level the formation tries to congest the neutral zone with three players while one forward is attacking or forechecking with another defender deep when the puck is tried to be dumped over the neutral zone.

It certainly does a good job limiting opponents scoring opportunities as last season the Kings allowed the third fewest goals and the fourth fewest shot attempts. However, it also restricts the Kings from going on the attack and limits their own scoring chances.

On Thursday, Anze Kopitar said, according to Russell Morgan with Hockey Royalty, that this formation is a thing of the past and they will no longer be using 1-3-1.

Jim Hiller pointed to the Los Angeles Kings playoff struggles as a reason for the change

Jim Hiller is entering his first full season as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings and when asked about the change he pointed to the fact that the Kings have not been able to get past the first round for three straight seasons.

Zach Dooley, team reporter for the Kings, quoted Hiller saying:

"We'll sit here and I'll tell you forever we're not happy that we didn't advance beyond the first round in either those three years. How much of that success to attribute to the 1-3-1, because there's certainly some that you have to right? So it's difficult to just pick one little piece of the game and say that was good or that was bad. They all tie together. So I think the 1-3-1 is a very effective system, I thought the guys played it very well. We just think where we're at now, as a franchise, it's time to make an adjustment, to see if we can get the forwards to skate a little bit more and hopefully we get better results because of it."

The fact that the Kings have spent the past three seasons in this formation means they are familiar with it and they might not abandon it entirely. However, it is great to see Hiller want to come in and put some changes in place immediately and not necessarily just rely on what they did previously.