INSIDER: Increasing Offense a Focus in Game 2

“I think we were good, but in order to beat this team, we’re going to have to be better than good.”

That was D.J. Smith, speaking this morning from the team’s hotel in Colorado.

Thought that summed up Game 1 pretty well. The LA Kings were good. They did a lot of things well. But they came up on the wrong side of a 2-1 defeat at Ball Arena, with the Avalanche striking first in the best-of-seven series.

The biggest miss from a Los Angeles perspective came offensively. The game was 0-0 for 35 minutes and I think you could argue that the Kings had the two best looks at making it 1-0. Drew Doughty on a rebound late in the first period, with lots of net open, which would’ve been the cherry on top of a great road period to begin the playoffs. Then, Artemi Panarin had an even better look with a similarly open net in the second period.

Both of those moments could have changed the game, but neither chance went and Colorado eventually opened the scoring with a hard-working goal on the forecheck, finished in front by forward Artturi Lehkonen.

In hearing from Smith a couple of times now after Game 1, I think that Colorado goal is a formula he’d like to see his own team take advantage of to create offense. The Kings didn’t score 5-on-5, with their lone tally coming via a 6-on-4 power-play goal late in the third period.

Lehkonen’s goal wasn’t anything spectacular. Colorado forechecked aggressively off a faceoff that was actually won by Kings forward Quinton Byfield, but the Avalanche won two battles along the boards, working the puck to Nathan MacKinnon outside the faceoff circle. MacKinnon’s shot attempt got into a dangerous area in front, with Lehkonen burying the rebound from just outside the crease.

They scored through physicality. It’s something that Smith wants to see from his group heading into Game 2.

“I think we can get more pucks to the net and I think we’ve just got to be a little meaner offensively,” he said. “I think the thing I’d take away is we’ve got to be more physical. We’ve got to hit their [defensemen] more & I expect that next game.”

Colorado’s goal was exactly that. Physicality and tenacity along the boards, puck to the net from what was a relatively non-threatening area, but with bodies in the way and a drive in front to be first to that loose puck. The Kings won more than their share of those types of battles in a hard-working Game 1, but the game’s first tally was a gritty goal created by hard work and the Avalanche got rewarded.

That’s not to suggest the Kings did not work hard. They worked extremely hard. But as Smith said, good won’t be good enough. The Kings were good in Game 1. They’ll need to be even better in Game 2.

Smith pointed to physicality again this morning, in all sorts of ways. Defending the net, attacking Colorado’s net, forechecking, keeping pucks alive offensively. All of those things. It’s clearly a focus when the puck drops for Game 2 tomorrow evening.

“We need more zone time, we have to hold onto pucks and I think we can forecheck harder,” Smith said today. “The more we can hold onto pucks, the more you put miles on them. Give them credit, they’re the best defensive team in the league, they don’t give you much, but we’ve got to do a better job of creating and holding onto pucks.”

I think Colorado’s defensive prowess sometimes goes unnoticed, because of the star power that they have offensively. However, the goaltending tandem of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood won the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed in the NHL this season with 203. No other team was even close, with the second-placed Dallas Stars 23 goals greater. Colorado is a high-octane offensive club but they defend as well as anyone in the league does as well and that isn’t given enough credit.

So, it’s going to be easier said than done. But it’s in there for the Kings.

That’s why the physicality angle can be effective. It might not bear fruit right away, but if you get hit hard all night, maybe it helps to open things up as the game goes on. In a tight game one, it came down to just a couple of looks each way to determine the winner, with Colorado the side that got theirs to go. It was a close game, with winnable moments for Los Angeles.

The chance breakdown in Game 1 was actually substantially more even than it might’ve felt. In 5-on-5 situations, the Kings were very tight in just about every category. Natural Stat Trick had the Kings narrowly ahead in higher-quality chances, narrowly behind in total attempts. SportLOGIQ had the Kings ahead in total scoring chances 16-14 and ahead 18-17 in terms of even-strength attempts from the slot. All good things.

Now comes the hard part. Converting, without sacrificing all of the things the Kings did well in Game 1.

That means continuing to defend relentlessly, finding reset opportunities within Colorado surges. Getting stellar goaltending, as Anton Forsberg gave them on Sunday. Continuing to make life difficult on Colorado’s star players. Can’t have any drop off there. If the Kings can continue to execute in those areas, as they did effectively in Game 1, while getting some more offensive opportunities, with more sustained pressure, they’re going to put themselves in a great position to win.

“I think we can do a little bit more offensively, challenging their D, making it hard on their goalie to make saves,” forward Scott Laughton said. “I think we have some more to give offensively in their zone, especially holding on to pucks and making it harder on them to come 200 feet.”

I think it starts, as both Laughton and Smith said, with establishing a bit more time in the offensive zone. In Game 1, Colorado had substantially more time spent with possession in the offensive zone, with nearly five and a half minutes compared to just over three for the Kings. Los Angeles did a good job of protecting the inside and keeping a lot of that possession time out of the slot. Offensively, though, their best chances came on some of those longer possession shifts. They just had fewer of them. If they can do that, it comes down to finishing and that will ultimately determine the outcome

That now becomes the task in Game 2.

The beauty of it is we’re not talking about scoring five more goals. That’s not the plan. The Kings have played low-scoring games all season long and they are extremely comfortable playing in those games. They played higher-event games down the stretch, but come the playoffs, I think we all know how the Kings would like these games to go.

The Kings are comfortable in those moments. They believe they can uptick the offense without sacrificing those things.

“I think we can finish [better], you get a few chances, didn’t finish, maybe be a little bit harder in the o-zone,” defenseman Mikey Anderson added. “That’s the kind of hockey, we’re comfortable in the low-scoring games. I don’t think we can outscore them, so we’re going to have to keep it like that. Maybe we get the power play going, they had a couple good looks, another one goes in, different game too.”

Sounds pretty simple on paper, doesn’t it? Just do everything that you did well last game well again and then improve in some other areas. Simple. Colorado is the NHL’s top team for a reason and they will continue to have a ton of say in how this series goes. But the Kings have shown they can battle and hang around, if they play a certain way. Game 1 was a good job of executing the game plan. If they can manage a bit more, they’ll have their chances in Game 2 as well.

Will personnel changes factor in? We’ll get a better sense of that tomorrow. The Kings have Andrei Kuzmenko as an option, who certainly brings offense, but he’s gone two months without playing. Jumping into this kind of intensity would be a big ask, but it could help. Taylor Ward and Alex Turcotte are also options for bottom-six roles if the Kings want more speed. Personally, while I’d look at the fourth line potentially, I don’t think personnel is the issue. The group that played in Game 1 had enough to score the goals they needed to. Will see what tomorrow brings on that front, with coverage to follow in the game preview.