GDT: 2020-21 season game 33 LA Kings vs Vegas Golden Knights @7:00pm 3/29/21

Once again, goal scoring is a problem for this team. Coach Todd seems out of touch with a string of post game comments focused on the defense. With a rebuilding team, you expect ups and downs and streaky play. But at this point, we’re hearing a different reason for each loss, with fingers pointed at defensive plays. Last night it was about bounces going the other way. We’ve heard about the lack of down low coverage being the villain other nights.

But if you look at the 13 games played this month, the Kings have put up 2 or fewer goals per game in 8 of them. Cal has played great most nights, but the overall level of goal tending is just above league average. The losses have not been blowouts, so the Kings are in these games. They just don’t generate enough goals every couple of games to pick up some additional points.

Early in the season the team showed the ability to climb back into games they were down. Now, as things have tightened up defensively around the league, the Kings production has regressed. Nothing here points to improvement from within to date.

 

Agreed. Given the poor production, the breakup of JAD-Moore-Grundstrom was particularly troubling. I fully understand wanting to reward Moore but the need for energy-production-chemistry would seem to outweigh that.

 

Power play driven team goes cold on the power play and goes into the tank. News at 11.

There are a lot of encouraging signs this season but the 5 v 5 numbers always pointed to a team that wasn't there yet which a longer sample size will eventually prove.

What I'm looking for now is a response to this current lull. Just because I don't think they are a playoff team doesn't mean I need to see them feel that way too. I hope they can get some points here soon to stay in the mix a but more: especially with Lemieux coming in to hopefully raise the temperature of these games.

Will be interesting to see if Blake goes shopping at this TDL or waits until the off-season but I can't see them just rolling it back next year while adding a couple more prospects and a dumpster dive piece or two.

 

The funny thing is for the most part both the 5v5 play and the PP look and metric better so instead of getting semi-opportunistic/lucky they're getting the flipside (especially with the goaltending cooling to be generous). It all evens out in the end of course

 

I am soooo stupid. At the start of the season, I predicted the Kings would make the playoffs. !!!!!! - finally !!

I was serious too. They had just finished out the 2019 season going 7-2-1 (or some thing like that)

oh well....

 

We're *kind of* getting career years--at least PPG pace wise--from 11/8/23. Where have we seen that before? 2018.

That team had a better supporting cast as a whole than this one but were still kind of meh when the calendar turned even with those Kopitar and Doughty seasons. Also helps to have Keumper go 10-1-3 with a .932/2.10. Hell...Campbell went 4-2 with similar numbers to Quick. You also have Muzzin with over 40 points from the blueline. Carter will most likely not score more goals than he did in 2018 in double the games this season.

So it makes sense that this team is not on par with that squad, a squad that proved to be a bottom-level playoff team that needed career years from its stars just to get in. This year's team is getting those big goal and/or point seasons from 11/8/23 again but it almost seems like Kopitar has assisted on every one of 23 and 8's goals haha. Goaltending is an issue but, c'mon now, so is the defensive unit as a whole. Makes sense that Blake might be looking for an impact LD because it would really help the 5 v 5 numbers.

Anyways, the point is that playoffs this year should only be a thought due to the all-division schedule as this team is an easy 7th worst-to-black hole squad in an 82 game normal season: they still might end up there anyways. I know we want them to be good ASAP but this is still early in the rebuild: it is only the 3rd full season of it. It feels longer since they haven't won a playoff game since 2016 but this still isn't late-era DT/early DL. In the end, seeing some nice NHL games from Byfield and Turcotte near the end of the year and then a nice move or two from Blake in the off-season should have us feeling pretty good about playoff chances for next season. I think that the flip from whatever this team is to a bottom-level playoff team is attainable but actual contention is still ways out.

We're getting closer though: time to see what Blake is made of.

 

Yeah I really hate how untouchable the first line is, they do not pose the offensive threat that they should. Try Kempe with Kopitar for longer than 2 games, put Moore with Kopi, just try something new because it's not working.

 

Pretty disappointing, but got to admit that its crazy that we are even this good without any of our high-level prospects on the team. Next year should be a lot more entertaining once we remove the placeholder players, and slot in Byfield, Turcotte, Kupari, Kaliyev etc. There will be ups and downs, but I can't image these players playing worse than Wagner, Lizzotte etc.

 

indeed

after games like this I remind myself that the Kings are a little ahead of schedule and I am just happy that we have won the games we have.

Next year tho...

 

The problem with the team is they’re still a 1 line team who survives on their special teams. There is basically zero secondary scoring past the 1st line. And now the first line has gone cold and they need someone to help out and it’s nothing.

Grundstrom-JAD-Moore hasn’t produced much since JAD came back from injury. Few zone possessions but nothing else. AA-Vilardi-Carter just don’t work, AA and Carter look like individuals out there. 4th line is whatever.

Until our 2nd and 3rd liners contribute to take slack off the first line, the record will continue.

 

Kings fans - it's going to take years for these new young centers to develop into the kinds of players you can count on to deliver winning hockey. On top of that, I'm not sure I see defensemen in this system who you can count on either.

 

I don't want to harp on this, but I don't think they are necessarily ahead of schedule. I think I see them at 21st overall in the standings when using point percentage so that makes them 11th worst? Nice black hole finish which is probably what most of us thought was their trajectory prior to the season starting with the outlier either way being Bottom 5 again/Playoffs.

Need outside help to push out of the black hole and I don't think we can just count on rookies to do it. I'm looking forward to the offseason.

 

No question there

 

Kings' fans need to be prepared for the fact that next year's team may actually be worse than this year's team. This is assuming Blake doesn't make any big moves for proven vets.

 

I guess we can all be prepared for anything but the rebuild ship has definitely sprung a leak if they are worse next season.

I'd be shocked if Blake sat on his hands for three off-seasons in a row. Doesn't mean it is an Eichel-sized trade but he needs to be looking to add.

 

There's a reason GM's hate rebuilds -- most don't work. I actually think the Kings have a terrific rebuild in progress but expecting a straight rise to the top is probably unrealistic. The Kings have huge holes to fill and Blake (so far) has shown no inclination to fill them.

 

So far? Why would he have any inclination to fill huge holes when no one knows how any of the prospects will turn out? When they won their cups, they were filling holes the season before and the season of, not the first year after their sell-off was over.

 

Easier said than done. Who out there is going to fill those holes that need to be filled? If the Muzzin trade is considered the starting point, then they're still in year two of the rebuild. I don't see any rush to make rash decisions.

 

I think it’s just the timing and this off-season is the first window where a move might make sense, however if it’s after the 21/22 off season that will be ok too. I think we all want to see a LHD added, likely followed by a winger but it has to be the right guy(s). The worst thing would be making a trade just to be seen as doing something, it’s much better that the absolute right players are added.

That’s where in many respects the longer Blake waits the better, because they will better understand what is needed. There may already be a player they have targeted and the potential trading partner may well have said something like ‘not this season, but next...’. If that’s the guy they really want then you wait. Obviously I’m pulling a hypothetical out of my rear end, but my point is that it is not a simple saying we want player x and then going out and getting them. Even if you offer value, it has to be the right time for the trading partner also. The danger in waiting of course is at some point your trade chips start losing value and prospects can lose value VERY quickly, but I think most of ours have time on their side.

I’m fine being patient as even with a big move this off season we aren’t likely going to be any more than a 1st round play-off team anyway. If we were close to being contenders it would be different. So if we have to wait to get the right guy(s) then so be in because the window for making a big move is only just starting to open.

 

Yeah, we have a while to go.

Our D is pretty good though, we just need a top 4 guy from outside . There is still more help on the way too. I am super high on Faber

 

Uh maybe if there is no prospect to fill the hole(s)? And when exactly was the "sell-off" over before they won cups?

 

If the Kings don’t sniff the playoffs next year, Blake and Robitaille will get shit canned.

 

I think Blake’s really holding out for after expansion draft. Doesn’t want to spend assets to possibly lose another assets in the draft.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he spent some in free agency too. Nothing super big but like Goodrow or Coleman or Savard.