It’s great to see a win and the Kings certainly did create some chances for themselves. Something worth noting is that Jaret Anderson-Dolan has looked very good for the Kings so far, in my opinion. He’s been really solid defensively and worked well on a line with Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Moore. It could be interesting to see whether this could be a line that potentially sticks together in the bottom-six.
The power play was also clicking for the Kings, as they went 3-for-6 on the man advantage against the Sharks. That said, there are still concerns for the Kings.
Cal Petersen has had to be great so far. His .926 save percentage is telling but it’s the quality of chances that he’s been facing which is the story. Against the Sharks, Drew Doughty and Gabriel Vilardi, among others, had some pretty brutal turnovers but Petersen kept bailing out the Kings.
Players haven't be cautious enough with the puck in the Kings' zone or are getting caught and aren't able to get back in time. Even when it looks like defensemen are in good position to defend a rush, often times, forwards are still able to get to the net with control. Additionally, opposing teams are getting too many second-chance opportunities, after the first save is made. So while the score against the Sharks may paint a certain picture, if the goaltenders were swapped, it may have been a different game.
That said, it's still great to see the Kings breaking their losing streak. Los Angeles is still missing key players and picking up wins without them is a good sign. They'll now have a break until Tuesday, when they face the Minnesota Wild.
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