HOW TO WATCH
Game Time: 11:00 AM Pacific
TV: Fox Sports West
Radio: iHeart Radio
The Opposition: Silver Seven
It’s an early one out here on the west coast as the Kings get started with their first Saturday matinee of the year. Purely anecdotally, they always seem to struggle with these matinee games, even on the road, so it remains to be seen if the Kings can reverse the trend and defeat the Senators.
Since it’s so early, we’ll call this your one-stop shop for all things game day. Preview? Stats? Discussion? We’ll do it all right here in this post.
Welcome Back, Dion
Dion Phaneuf returns to Ottawa after being traded to the Kings last year, and while his time on ice was often met with criticism, he was well-respected by his teammates (what few of them still remain with the team, at least). Phaneuf’s brief tenure with the Kings hasn’t been much different — fans have difficulties with the on ice product, but liked by his teammates and coaching staff. It’s probably far too bold of a prediction, but wouldn’t it be great to see a Dion Phaneuf power play goal tonight? Kill two birds with one stone.
Speaking of that power play…
The number of teams to not score yet with the man advantage is down to six, although the Kings are in good company with teams like the Predators and Lightning. The Kings’ inability to enter the zone cleanly against any team is pretty emblematic of many of their issues so far this season. And now, it’s impossible not to imagine that the players are all just trying a little too hard, trying to do too much at once. It’s so early but the failure to get the power play working looks to be getting in their heads. It might get worse before it gets better.
Shots shots shots shots shots
We might see a lot of them today. The Kings and Senators lead the league for shots allowed (the Sens are just barely outpacing the Kings). It might not be necessarily good hockey on display, but it will be fun. The big difference? Goals allowed. The Senators lead the league with an average of five goals allowed per game, while the Kings are way at the bottom of the list with an average of 1.75, putting them at 28th in the league. Between a combination of above-average goaltending from Jack Campbell, and the Kings limiting shots in high danger areas, they’re at least making sure that very few of those 37+ shots go in the net.
Just the Facts
| Los Angeles Kings | Stats | Ottawa Senators |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1-1 (5 pts) | Record | 1-2-1 (3 pts) |
| 0.0% | Power Play % | 26.7% |
| 78.6% | Penalty Kill % | 71.4% |
| 2.50 | Goals For/Game | 3.75 |
| 1.75 | Goals Against/Game | 5.00 |
| 23.0 | Shots For/Game | 28.8 |
| 37.5 | Shots Against/Game | 38.8 |
| Iafallo, Toffoli (4) | Points Leader | Chabot, Tierney (6) |
| Iafallo, Kopitar (2) | Goals Leader | Lajoie (3) |
| Toffoli (3) | Assists Leader | Tierney (5) |