LA Kings
Kings Game 50 Plus/Minuses: Kopitar Scores & Power Play Struggles
They were sloppy against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they lacked polish. but good teams find a way to win even when they don’t play well.
The Los Angeles Kings weren't at their best on Tuesday, but they came away with two points anyway.
They were sloppy against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they lacked polish. but good teams find a way to win even when they don't play well.
Here are some plus and minuses from Tuesday's game.
+ Samuel Fagemo:
After his line put together a strong performance on Sunday, Samuel Fagemo stood out.
His line didn't put up the positive results they did on Sunday and were out for a goal against, but Fagemo did what he does best. Score.
When he was first called up Todd McLellan pointed out his high-level shot. He also pointed out that Fagemo struggles to create shooting opportunities for himself.
For his second career goal, a game-tying goal in the second period, he created for himself.
After feeding Matt Roy for a point shot, Fagemo hunted the rebound into the corner. Forcing Tony DeAngelo into a turnover that Blake Lizotte was able to pick up. Fagemo then turned into open space to receive the pass. Fagemo received that pass and drove the puck to the center of the ice. Just before the shot, he widened his legs, making it impossible for the defender to get a puck on his stick and beat Carter Hart with a nice shot-low glove.
To use a cliché, it was a goal-scorers goal. He found soft ice, created separation from his defender and let go a nice shot. If Fagemo can do more of that, he'll have a successful NHL career.
– The Power Play:
When the Kings scored four seconds into their first power play, it looked like it was going to be a good night for them. But the joy ended there for the Kings.
They had the man advantage four more times in this game and managed no more goals. They were also sloppy in these situations, too often they carelessly through the puck away, allowing Philadelphia to gain possession and clear it.
They registered just six total shots on four power plays including Anze Kopitar's goal.
Had this been against a stellar penalty kill that causes problems for everyone, this wouldn't be a big issue. However, against a Flyers penalty kill that sits 19th in the league, the Kings should have had more. Especially considering their power play sits ninth in the league.
It's fair to point out that the team as a whole was sloppy with their passing, but it can't happen on the power play.
The Kings are certainly missing the presence of Gabe Vilardi on the top unit and Arthur Kaliyev on the second unit.
+ Anze Kopitar
The aforementioned goal scorer, Kopitar, gets a plus for his performance. The Kings' captain continues to provide solid offense for this team.
He scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season Tuesday, making him one of just three players 35 or older to have a multi-goal game this season. Joining Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby in this category.
Kopitar recorded his 43rd career multi-goal game, tying Butch Goring for seventh-most in franchise history. Kopitar’s first goal marked his 107th career power-play goal, surpassing Dustin Brown (106) for sole possession of fourth all-time in King's history.
Kopitar's been a model of consistency for the Kings throughout his career and this season is no different.
Outside of scoring, Kopitar also dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 66.7% of his faceoffs.
He finished with seven shots and 20:46 of time on ice in a dominant showing.