Pros and Cons After First Two Kings Games

Hockey is lastly again, and the Kings have already got two video games beneath their belts after kicking their 2025-26 common season off with a back-to-back set in opposition to the Avalanche and Golden Knights.

It was a tricky begin to the season, although, even when they earned two of a doable 4 factors. After dropping their dwelling opener 4-1 to Colorado on Tuesday, it was proper again to work on Wednesday for a street recreation the subsequent night time. With a bounce-back win in Vegas on Wednesday, LA earned their first victory of the season. Despite blowing a 2-0 lead and needing some late-game heroics earlier than finally successful in a shootout, they nonetheless got here away on the correct facet of the scoresheet.

Now what? Well, there’s solely a lot we are able to take from two video games, but there have been nonetheless some early execs and cons that may be mentioned after these preliminary contests.

The Pros After Two Games:

1. The Future Is Now:

Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke are the longer term in LA, and there’s a powerful case that the duo had been LA’s greatest gamers by means of the primary two video games.

Nobody performed notably effectively in opposition to Colorado, however Clarke and Byfield made their presence identified in opposition to Vegas.

Byfield scored a fantastic objective within the first body — exhibiting he’s carried over the arrogance gained within the second half of final season — and arrange Clarke with a nifty feed to tie the sport late. LA’s future No. 1 middle additionally had the workforce’s greatest probability in additional time, trying reasonably harmful at 3-on-3.

Clarke scored the aforementioned objective and was the Kings most poised defenseman on the puck all through each contests. We’re seeing him mature right into a participant the coaches can belief whereas sustaining the elite ability that drove him to be chosen eighth general on the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s additionally been displaying a aggressive fireplace that, in response to coach Jim Hiller, doesn’t get sufficient credit score.

In two video games the place the Kings weren’t at their collective greatest, Byfield and Clarke each stood out positively, which is a large plus for the group transferring ahead.

2. Jeff Malott:

Dating again to the tip of final season, Malott has shortly turn into the most effective tales up and down the Kings bench. Finally establishing an NHL spot at age 29, he’s continued to impress by means of two video games so far.

His combat in opposition to Colorado’s Josh Manson, after the Avs blueliner threw an enormous hit on Warren Foegele, drew reward from Hiller postgame. Malott adopted that up along with his first profession objective in opposition to Vegas some 24 hours later.

Generally talking, Malott earned his spot on the opening night time roster throughout coaching camp and is doing every little thing wanted to maintain it that means as LA’s 2025-26 marketing campaign rolls alongside.

3. The Offense; No, Wait, the Defense

Well, it actually is dependent upon which recreation we’re speaking about.

“That [stretch] was a little bit like a Formula 1 race, said Hiller. “Where the pedal went right to the metal with Colorado, who I thought skated and played well. Then, you end up playing a strong Vegas team and their home opener. I don’t know if you can start it with any more accelerant than that. So, we liked how we played defensively against Colorado, not offensively. We liked how we played offensively against Vegas, not defensively.”

[ed. note: ‘Did somebody say Formula 1?, asked Kopitar’]

Some Cons Thus Far

1. Puck Moving on the Blueline:

At totally different occasions, LA’s been sloppy in all three zones over their six-plus durations of play, however the struggles to maneuver the puck from the backend have been very evident.

Other than Clarke, and sometimes Drew Doughty, most of LA’s different defensemen have seemed uncomfortable at occasions, and dear turnovers harm them each nights.

Additionally, it was a tricky begin for 2 debutants, Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci. Both struggled to maneuver the puck as a pair. Some velocity bumps are comprehensible, given they had been taking part in their first set of video games on a brand new workforce and in a brand new system, however their challenges had been noticeable.

Puck transferring was a priority when the Kings determined to additional lean into a much bigger, heavier blueline over the summer time, and it’s one thing that ought to be monitored all through the season.

2. Penalties:

In each video games, LA discovered themselves in deep penalty bother, giving up six power-play alternatives every night time. Alex Turcotte’s five-minute main gave Vegas life on Wednesday, and the penalties in opposition to Colorado an evening earlier made it troublesome for LA to get into any sustained rhythm, contributing to their sloppy play.

The penalty kill had sturdy moments in each video games, notably Trevor Moore’s shorthanded objective in Vegas, however groups sometimes don’t win many video games giving up six energy performs.

Discipline ought to be a straightforward factor to repair, and LA must type that out sooner reasonably than later.

3. Letting Vegas Comeback in Game 2:

“They basically carried it in three times, through the neutral zone,” Hiller defined. “It was only three times, but it felt like 30 times for some reason in the third period. They only came through us three times; but, of course, scored two goals and two really nice goals. So that’s concerning. They went two for three, basically carrying it in on those entries. We don’t overreact to that, but we just felt we were a little loose. … [We weren’t] as connected on our breakouts going the other way in the third period as we need to be. And that starts way up the ice. It starts by getting organized, so when you are in the position to break out, you come together and you get going the other way. We got a little disconnected there in the third period.”

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Lead picture by Megan Sanders

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