After managing to squeak out a win in a game where they shouldn’t have against the Buffalo Sabres, the Los Angeles Kings came out with a much better effort against the Boston Bruins, although this time the result wasn’t exactly what they wanted. The Kings picked up a point, falling 2-1 to the Bruins in overtime. It was the seventh consecutive game between these two teams that required overtime.
The Kings got back to that high-paced, energized start that we saw during the preseason and it allowed them to settle into the game quicker, get comfortable, and be the team that puts you on your heels early. Right off the bat, the Kings were able to get into the offensive zone and start cycling the puck. Something that wasn’t even in their vocabulary a couple of nights ago. While it was an extremely tight, defensively sound game with neither team giving up much, LA controlled a majority of the play and had the better of the chances, outshooting the Bruins 34-25.
Penalty Kill Looks Stellar, Power Play Does Not
There have been a couple of ups and downs throughout the first two games of the season but one thing that has remained a consistent positive has been the amount of success the Kings penalty kill has had. Over the first two games, the Kings have killed all 10 penalties they have taken. They killed five in Buffalo and went another 5/5 in Boston. The penalty kill has been one of the biggest reasons why LA has three points.
In both games, the penalty kill had to get to work early and against the Bruins, the Kings killed a massive penalty just before overtime. To no one’s surprise, it’s that same aggressive mentality that kept the Bruins from being able to set up and generate anything. The Kings also started to step up on the blue line, causing the Bruins to get caught offside. Another important thing to mention is that their aggression and constant desire to disrupt the amount of time and space they are giving to their opponents has led to multiple shorthanded opportunities.
“It just shows how committed we are to being aggressive […] I really like the penalty kill right now, you can use your skating, use your legs, and get some offensive opportunities,” said forward Quinton Byfield.
While the penalty kill has been as good as it can be, the power play has been the complete opposite. The Kings had five power plays against the Bruins and 10 in total so far this…
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