Kings head to Canada needing small fixes for big problems

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The Kings caput to Western Canada for back-to-back games against the Edmonton Oilers connected Sunday and Vancouver Canucks connected Monday, looking to reverse trends that person seen them connected the abbreviated extremity of a bid of adjacent games.

Fifteen of the Kings’ 22 games this play person been decided by 1 extremity oregon were one-goal games extended to 2 by a precocious empty-net goal. They person won conscionable 5 of those 15.

“I deliberation it ever comes down to small things, the small details successful a game, small mistakes present and there,” Kings defenseman Alex Edler said. “Whether it’s getting the puck down them, turning the puck implicit present and there, if you bash that excessively galore times, yet you’re going to get punched.”

Speaking of defensemen, the Kings’ strategy grew a spot thinner connected the bluish enactment Saturday erstwhile Kale Clague was claimed disconnected waivers by the Montreal Canadiens. In different transactional news, halfway Blake Lizotte entered COVID-related protocol and imaginable Akil Thomas was activated from injured reserve past sent to the minors. Center Jaret Anderson-Dolan was recalled, ostensibly to instrumentality Lizotte’s place, and guardant T.J. Tynan was besides recalled, though his erstwhile call-ups person been strictly insubstantial transactions.

Where Kings Coach Todd McLellan recovered small solace successful the 4 one-goal losses wrong his team’s six-game losing streak earlier successful the season, helium has been a spot much encouraged albeit nary little frustrated by the tightness of games during the Kings’ existent funk. Of the Kings’ past 8 games, 7 person been one-goal games successful the last infinitesimal oregon astatine the buzzer, and six of those 7 outcomes person been losses.

“It’s a pugnacious clip close now, due to the fact that if you’re bad, you’re truly bad. You tin spell aft the radical and hole things, but we’re truthful close,” McLellan said. “We’ve got to get connected the different broadside of those tiny mistakes.”

Offensive output has besides been an issue. In fractional of their games, the Kings person scored 2 oregon less goals, and won conscionable 1 of those contests.

That’ll beryllium of superior interest against Edmonton, which McLellan coached during the nascent stages of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s career. Both person won the Hart Trophy arsenic the NHL’s MVP, and they fertile one-two successful scoring league-wide, conscionable similar they finished for the past 2 seasons.

Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been a point-per-game player, mounting him connected a people for a career-best campaign. Newcomer Zach Hyman has deepened Edmonton’s guardant group, portion Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie person anchored the backmost end.

Overall, the Oilers spot 3rd successful goals per game. The Oilers’ 16 wins are tied for 2nd successful the NHL entering Saturday’s games. They’ve besides been the champion special-teams performer, ranking No. 1 successful power-play conversion complaint and No. 2 successful penalty-kill percentage.

Vancouver’s 18 points person them tied for the fifth-worst grounds successful the league. The Canucks’ accumulation has been little prolific than that of the Kings, portion Vancouver has allowed much than 3 goals per game. The Canucks person the worst penalty-kill percent this season.

Marquee halfway Elias Pettersson had been successful a large funk with conscionable 9 points successful 21 games earlier helium began his progressive three-game constituent streak. He has won conscionable 35% of his faceoffs this season.

Forward J.T. Miller, offensively talented rearguard Quinn Hughes and offseason acquisition Conor Garland person paced the Canucks successful scoring.