This past Tuesday night (March 24), the Los Angeles Kings (28-25-18) dropped a fourth straight game in the Pacific Division in the West this regular season in a tough 3-2 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames (30-34-7). It didn't matter much in the end that the Kings and new interim head coach DJ Smith got one point in the standings in the West this regular season in the shootout loss to the Flames on Tuesday early this week.
Darcy Kuemper and Quinton Byfield play up to standard for the Los Angeles Kings in a shootout loss to Calgary
The Kings and Smith and the coaching staff need as many points in the standings in the Pacific Division in the West as possible down the stretch this regular season in the next upcoming few weeks. I thought the Kings played pretty well on the ice in this game, but the team didn't get the push they needed on the scoreboard to counter the Flames' goal in the final frame in the third period.
Bad mistakes and costly penalties cost the Kings again in a game that the team lost in extra time in overtime or the shootout on Tuesday vs. Calgary. The Flames converted in the shootout vs. the Kings on the road and Calgary scored a special teams goal on the power play on the 5-on-3 man advantage on Tuesday.
There needs to be more conversion and effort in clutch time when games matter in the final frame in the third period and the extra frame in overtime and the shootout on the ice.
Here are the takeaways from the Kings' difficult shootout loss on the road in the Pacific Division vs. the Flames on March 24.
Kings falling back in the playoff race in the standings this regular season in the West
Too many veterans on the ice for the Kings have been making mistakes that would otherwise be able to help the team win games in the standings in the West this regular season. The two players who took penalties for the Kings on the ice on Tuesday vs. the Flames on the road to give Calgary the special teams advantage on the power play on the 5-on-3 were veteran center Scott Laughton and defenseman Cody Ceci.
The only two players for the Kings that I thought really deserved credit for their play on the ice and on the stat sheet coming out of this game on Tuesday vs. the Flames were forward Quinton Byfield and starting goalie Darcy Kuemper. Byfield and Kuemper definitely played well enough for the Kings to get two points in the standings in the win column on Tuesday.
The Kings need to be giving more run support in the zone offensively this regular season in the West in the Pacific Division to help Kuemper on the scoreboard this upcoming couple of weeks.
"We got a breakaway, Kuemps makes a couple unreal saves and then we get a breakaway with 15 seconds left, the breadman, and their goalie made the save too. I mean, Kuemps was real good, he gave us every chance to win. In my opinion, just the discipline cost us tonight."DJ Smith on Darcy Kuemper
The shootout loss in extra time this past Tuesday night vs. the Flames on the road north of the border in Calgary in the Pacific Division tied the all-time record for the most overtime/shootout losses in a regular season in the history of the league in the NHL.
It's hard to believe in the Kings from what we've seen this regular season in the Pacific Division in this past few weeks in mid-to-late March this month.
Quinton Byfield's scoring outburst is wasted on the ice
The game's only two goals on the scoreboard on Tuesday night for the Kings and Smith were from Byfield offensively. I thought Byfield and Kuemper were easily the two best and most consistent players on the rink and on both sides of the ice on Tuesday for the Kings team in Calgary early this week on the road.
Byfield not only helped the Kings get the lead on the scoreboard to set the tone in the zone offensively in the opening frame in the first period on Tuesday, but he also tied the game to push back in the final frame in the third period vs. Calgary.