Los Angeles Kings Can Right the Ship with an Emphasis on Chemistry Up Front

The difference between the regular-season and playoff Los Angeles Kings has been stark ever since head coach Darryl Sutter took the reins in 2011-12.

His team routinely shifts from uninspired to unstoppable, yet its performances in the contests separating those two poles are downright infuriating for fans—and likely management as well.

The bench boss isn’t beyond reproach, either.

In addition to the players’ lack of intensity, the 20-15-12 Kings are also struggling mightily with chemistry. Forward units have been shuffled every other day—frequently during games—preventing the troops from developing a comfort level and generating positive momentum.

Sutter needs to draw up smarter lines and stick with them for at least a couple of full games to allow the club to cohere. Otherwise, its current four-game slide may extend into February.

Top 6

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Some NHL teams achieve an intriguing dynamic by partnering multiple centers on the same line. To reiterate, L.A. is not among them.

Jeff Carter, who has alternated between center and wing for much of the campaign, isn’t suited to dig in the trenches and recover pucks. He’s there to fire them on goal, and he accomplishes that most effectively in the middle of the ice.

The numbers don’t lie: 

	TOI	Pts/60	GF20
With Tyler Toffoli (at center)	275:55	3.67	1.57
With Tanner Pearson (at center)	228:58	2.61	1.23
With Anze Kopitar (on the wing)	187:53	1.28	0.53

Controlling gaps is much easier for opposing defensemen along the wall, so putting Carter in those areas—by default as a winger—is a poor tactical move.

He requires room to breathe and back off the other team with his speed and reach.

Put him at center and keep him there. For good. Ideally, Sutter would pair him with more talented wingers than Dwight King and Trevor Lewis, but injuries to Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have hamstrung the coach’s leeway.

The All-Star break should benefit Toffoli, who is currently sidelined with mononucleosis. Once he returns, he can provide the creativity to complement Carter’s skill set. 

Carter’s goals-for percentage drops from 69.2 with Toffoli to 35.0 without him. When the two are iced together, the Kings average 1.57 goals over 20 five-on-five minutes. That number dips to 0.40 when Carter takes a shift without Toffoli.

Playing No. 77 anywhere but down the middle hurts both the player and team.

While battling the injury bug, the Kings have sabotaged themselves by placing him on the wing and thus stifling one of their most potent attacking threats.

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Where Anze Kopitar is concerned, how to proceed is unclear. He plays similarly with everyone on the team, although there is a pre-existing foundation with Dustin Brown to rely on.

Establishing consistency on the Slovenian’s right wing might lead to more assured all-around performances. 

An occasional flurry of points—mostly on the power play, which has accounted for 45.9 percent of his production (17 of 37 points) compared to 32.9 percent (23 of 70 points) last season—might fool some into thinking he’s right on track for a typical year.

When spotlighting his play, however, it’s clear the former Selke Trophy candidate has slipped in the two-way department.

Against the Anaheim Ducks, he loses a draw in the defensive zone and immediately blows his assignment (Ryan Getzlaf). Within seconds, the puck is in L.A.’s net:

Against the Calgary Flames, Kopitar’s line was steamrolled by Jiri Hudler and Johnny Gaudreau. He posted a team-low Corsi percentage of 38 and was minus-two on the evening.

Wednesday night’s contest against the San Jose Sharks neatly summed up the deceptive nature of his season to this point. Though he racked up two points, he failed to carry play and also dropped the ball on the eventual game-winning tally.

His decision to glide across the penalty-killing formation into no man's land leaves his teammates outnumbered and goaltender Jonathan Quick helpless:

That’s in the past week alone.

Kopitar has to regain his focus and bear down when it counts. It’s hard to devise a plan to that end, but letting him play with the same two wingers for an extended stretch couldn’t hurt. At his best, Brown creates space with his crash-and-bang style, whereas Marian Gaborik is the quintessential finisher, potting home feathery passes and loose pucks alike.

Alongside Kopitar’s size, skill, knack for puck possession and three-zone acumen, those are the ingredients for a very good unit. Leave it be. Grant it some time to come together.

Bottom 6

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When a Mike Richards-Justin Williams duo was championed last week, it was under the assumption that the former would center the latter.

After the starting lineup was dismantled on Wednesday night, Richards found himself playing with Williams...on Jarret Stoll’s left wing. Seriously. The trio accomplished virtually nothing, as Richards was out of his element on the wing, while Stoll could not command the middle of the ice.

Looking beyond that ill-constructed grouping, the Richards-Williams twosome is one that must be tried eventually. 

In terms of center-winger combos, Richards-Williams produces more offense than any other duo featuring the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy winner:

	TOI	Pts/60	GF20
With Jarret Stoll	307:26	1.56	0.91
With Anze Kopitar	189:15	0.95	0.84
With Mike Richards	101:16	2.37	0.99

Moreover, their goals-for percentage breaks even, which limits the risk of defensive liability. 

Both veterans are savvy forwards who seem to boast a built-in rapport. They understand where to position themselves to receive passes and extend the cycle, and they’re not shy when it comes to throwing pucks on goal. 

That was quite evident in the 2013-14 playoffs, when Sutter often played them together in crunch time—and they often delivered:

Pairing Richards and Williams together would increase the offensive ceiling of the third unit while setting a hard-working, blue-collar tone. 

This is a line that would exude pure grit and leadership.

As for Stoll, his horrifying start to the season has levelled out to the point where he can competently man fourth-line duties and offer a safe brand of hockey. That might register as a modest goal, but given L.A.’s porous defense in 2014-15, mistake-free shifts would greatly help the team.

As it stands, the bottom six is standing in its own way, mitigating both the offensive and defensive potential of the third and fourth lines. 

With Richards and Williams together while Stoll patrols the bottom group, the Kings could carve out a clearer identity.

Richards isn’t the right fit to anchor a no-frills checking line, whereas Stoll hampers the top nine’s scoring depth. If handled correctly, a slight tweak to the current picture could bear sweeping rewards, fortifying the squad's balance and identity up front.

Outlook

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The Kings' recent slump places them just outside the postseason bubble.

That isn't foreign territory for L.A., which has established an annual pattern of coming on late, but the complete and utter disarray it's shown this season is a new development. The defense looks out of sorts, the penalty kill is a 25th-ranked hot mess and though the players are by and large trying, they aren't always pushing in the same direction.

It falls upon Sutter to ensure that the team begins to play in concert, and that begins with finding the right pieces to each line's puzzle.

On too many nights this season, the Kings' fate was sealed before the puck even dropped.

Advanced statistics courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com and hockeystats.ca.