Tonight was the latest frustrating loss for the Kings in a season full of them — and it’s highlighting what could be a divide between the players and coaches in their outlook on the season.
The Los Angeles Kings had to work incredibly hard to generate a single goal. The Dallas Stars just needed a couple bounces.
Despite being outshot 25-18, the Stars scored on their first shot of the game and on a fluky bounce late in the third period to defeat the Kings 3-1.
The game is the latest tough loss for the Kings in a season full of them — and it’s highlighting what could be a divide between the players and coaches in terms of their outlook on the season.
“That was super frustrating. I thought we played a really good game. Unfortunately, just a bad bounce at the end,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “I thought we deserved better, but at the same time, you’ve got to get more than one goal.”
The loss is the team’s 11th in their last 16 games, and demonstrates the difficulty of winning for a team that is fifth-to-last in the NHL in goals per game.
“I mean, that’s a very bad stretch,” Doughty said. “The season’s not gone or slipping away, I don’t think. We have time to get this back and get on a roll, and I still believe that we will, but we’re not trying to wait around or anything. We’re trying to win every game when we go out there, but maybe a little more desperation, especially around that net, to score some more goals, because if we could score some more goals, we would be winning a lot more games.”
But while Doughty focused on his team’s disappointment and shortcomings, albeit as positively as he could muster, head coach Jim Hiller was more dismissive of any issues that might be arising.
Tonight’s loss was part of a volatile month for the Kings which has included a close loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Wild, a four-goal loss to the Winnipeg Jets and a shootout win against the Edmonton Oilers. It’s that game in Winnipeg that might emphasize the different perspectives.
“I’ve seen a lot of good things in the last five games, to be honest. Besides the Winnipeg game, I've seen a lot of good things from our group,” Doughty said. “I’ve seen desperation. I’ve seen us working hard, I’ve seen us playing hard, I’ve seen all the guys doing what it takes to win the hockey game. And unfortunately, it’s not coming out, but the only way to get through a slump like that is to continue doing the right things. And, you know, even try to work even harder.”
As Doughty tried to remain optimistic, even he had to acknowledge the letdown against the Jets. On the other hand, Hiller refused to do so.
“We played pretty well there,” he said. “We got a couple bounces off some skates and some sticks. Had a bunch of chances.”
The Kings are in a precarious place in the standings, narrowly holding on to the Western Conference’s final wild card spot. To remain there or move up, they’ll have to get the bounces to go their way, something they all want to believe is a matter of luck rather than a result of their style of play.
“This game’s hard. Everybody’s pretty good,” said forward Corey Perry, who provided the biggest Kings highlight of the night with his 500th career assist. “One bounce here, one bounce there, and it could be a different story, but here we are.”
Category: General Sports
