SAN DIEGO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings' Three Stats series continues as the team gets schooled by the defending champs, prompting a return to a season prior analysis: a look at special teams and another raised concern regarding their defensive schema.
First Stat: 34% and 22%
The first percentage is this year's share of ice time for the Kings in its entirety for the season trailing. That’s good for the 10th highest in the league. Now that seems just above the league average of 16th, or middle of the pack. But considering the team posted a 22% share last season — the best, or rather the lowest, rate in the league by the end of the season — you wonder what has changed?
Well, that’s pretty easy to see in the math, since most teams play most of their hockey games actually tied. Last year, the Kings played 1867:57 of their minutes tied, or roughly 37.6% of their total ice time. This year it's relatively similar, with only 364:28 of the sample (~39.3%). The 2024-25 Kings separated themselves by leading, not trailing.
Leading-wise, the Kings of last year were the 2nd-highest team in that regard, only behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. They spent 1989:21of total ice time leading, an almost 40% share. This season? Right around 26%, a stark regression from the mean of last season's team.
Now, to me, that screams towards the changes made on the backend in the offseason. The Kings got a whole lot slower in that regard in the offseason. Unless a team consistently turns over the puck at either blue line, most offense, in transition, has to start from the defensive core.
In that regard, the Kings boast three defensemen in the <50th percentile of fastest skaters in the league via NHL Edge data, two in the 50-60 range, and their fastest, an aged Drew Doughty, in the 70th percentile. You're just not going to see many ‘skate yourself out of trouble type’ situations for one of the slowest defensive cores in the league.
So I’ll make my point ever so clear: The opposition can just dump and chase, an old familiar Kings tactic–and then put pressure on the Kings’ defenseman, who, while some have the experience to get out of some jams, are forced to make a quick, good, first pass. This is a recipe to be down in games more often than not; their times leading and trailing, I believe, reflect that.
When they need to get back into the game, they have to lean heavily on their forward groupings to gather momentum in their own zone, because, hey, the defense needs a lot more help.
Brandt Clarke (David Gonzales-Imagn Images)Second Stat: 17%
17% on the power play. We’ve discussed this before in another three stats series, but if your five-on-five game (25-27, as a -2) isn't getting it done, the power play needs to be more potent.
That’s not to say that the power play isn't off from last year’s average (17.9%) it means it doesnt reflect to how it finished the year, scoring 16 times in the final 23 games, tied for most in the league at that time with the mighty Colorado Avalanche that can deploy Nathan Mackinnon, Cake Makar, and Martin Necas (I digress).
Though it isn't truly fair to say because it was only six games, so what, the Kings led the postseason in power-play percentage last season with 40%. That was when the Kings implemented the five-forward power play that struck fear into the Oilers' minds and hearts for the first time in three postseason appearances, albeit briefly.
It hasn't worked this season. They have scored eight power play goals and given up four shorthanded. Consider the traditional power play of five on four, and they’ve only scored five. Also consider the 77.2% on the kill (though improvements have been noticeable in the last few games), and you can see that the team is in a clear-cut special teams dilemma.
Third Stat: 255:37
That is the total of Brandt Clarke’s ice time. That ranks sixth amongst the Kings’ defensemen. That ranks only above the 3:13 of Jacob Moverare. At even strength, he moves up to fifth amongst defensemen, at 219:42, only above Joel Edmundson.
Taking it back to the first stat, which shows the Kings spend less time leading than they do trailing. So, how does that affect Clarke?
When the Kings are leading, he is in purgatory again, dead last with 52:19. When trailing, they use him second only to Doughty, at 85:19. Surprisingly, the team utilizes Brian Dumoulin the third most at 84:52, but I suppose when you pick a stay-at-home defensive schematic for 4.5 of the six players, that's the next best bet.
What about tied, you say? He’s last again (82:03), only above Moverare, who keeps getting an honorable mention, well, mention. Mentioning what's worth mentioning: the Kings are, yet again, underdeploying their best offensive threat on the backend analytically. Here are his all situational ranks on the backend: Corsi and Fenwick, 55.26% (1st) and 57.02% (1st), SF vs SA, 53.01 (2nd), GF vs GA (1st–Doughty is outscored 6-5), SCF vs SCA, 45.68% (4th), HDCF vs HDCA, 47.5% (3rd), and HDGF vs HDGA, 60% (1st).
Those watching and following the turbulent Los Angeles Kings will continue to shrug, since all the signs point to letting this mustang run. Despite the organization's vanilla schematic, they still pick up points. Whether that runs into a 2014-15 problem, will tell in good time.
Prior Three Stats: Here