© Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Three Takeaways From Kings 2-1 Loss Against Capitals
The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL this season, but their offense dulled on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals.
The Kings opened the scoring just under 10 minutes into the game. After an Andreas Englund shot went wide, it careened off the end boards and shot straight to Arthur Kaliyev's stick in the slot.
Kaliyev then wasted no time, firing the puck past Charlie Lindgren for his fifth goal of the season.
The Kings didn't hold this lead for long though. A few minutes later, Matt Roy was beaten on a pinch at the offensive blue line, sending Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha on a two-on-one. McMichael then feathered a pass across to Mantha who buried.
In the second, McMichael and Mantha combined for a goal once again. After a failed clearing attempt from Englund, Mantha found himself alone, in-tight with Cam Talbot.
Talbot stopped Mantha's original shot, but McMichael followed up and knocked the rebound down and in.
That goal would be the game-winner, as the Kings could not solve Charlie Lindgren for the rest of the night, at least on a goal that counts.
The Kings thought they tied it in the third, with Anze Kopitar wiring a one-timer past Lindgren, but the goal was called back for offsides.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
One of Those Games:
Every team has those games where you double up the opposition in shots, chances and possession but can't find a win. For the Kings, that was Wednesday's game.
Of course, we can't just chalk it up to bad luck. Lindgren was fantastic in net for Washington and the Kings lacked their usual finishing touch.
Combine that with some bad luck, like a batted-in goal against and a game-tying goal being called back, and it's a recipe for disaster.
As Todd McLellan and Phil Danault pointed out post-game, the Kings weren't bad, they lacked some rhythm and attention to detail but played a fine game overall.
McLellan said after the game that there's always something to be learned from a game, and that's true, but you can mostly throw this game away if you're the Kings.
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Night's like that will happen, and unless they're happening frequently, you can forget about them quickly.
Arthur Kaliyev With a Strong Game:
After a strong training camp and start to the season, Kaliyev's play slipped a little which led to him going back onto the fourth line a few games ago.
Wednesday's game was the kind of performance that can move him up the lineup though. He was engaged, physical, and of course, found the net.
The goal was a cliche, goal scorer's goal, a puck fires off the end boards and misses multiple sticks before landing right at Kaliyev's feet to bury.
But it was more than just the goal for Kaliyev. He was creating his own offense, aggressively attacking defensemen and driving to the middle of the ice and was solid on the forecheck.
As McLellan likes to point out, Kaliyev is a big, strong man who needs to use his physicality more. It doesn't have to be bone-crushing hits, but he should be leaning on players more, both on the forecheck and with the puck.
For Kaliyev, it's now about finding that game consistently. He can't play like this once every five games and expects to make an impact for this team.
Still just 22 years old, there's plenty of time for Kaliyev to find that consistency. If he does, the Kings have a real player on their hands.
An Up & Down Night for Quinton Byfield:
Quinton Byfield's earned a lot of praise recently, and for good reason, but Wednesday wasn't a great night for him.
There were still some nice plays on the forecheck and a few good feeds, but his lack of finishing was highlighted in a big way.
He had 3-4 high-danger chances in the first period alone that he couldn't finish on, and then started shying away from them later in the game.
There was a big chance in the second, where he found himself in the high slot and tried to force a pass instead of shooting, which stood out.
He then passed off a few more chances on Wednesday, causing some concern that his confidence in his scoring is waning a bit.
When asked about a potential dip in confidence for Byfield, McLellan gave an emphatic "no" but passing up on chances like that is something to keep an eye on.
It wasn't a disastrous night for Byfield by any means, but I've sung his praises a lot this season, so it seems fair to point out when he struggles a bit too.
