Mama said, ‘There’d be days like this!’
That’s one of several expressions that could be applicable here.
When the Kings lost 8-7 in overtime on Monday, at least they came away with a point. No such luck on Wednesday, though, when coach Jim Hiller saw his squad get manhandled 6-2 in Toronto.
Sure, the Maple Leafs are thought to be one of the best teams in the league — while the Kings are only four games into a complete roster makeover with new faces on nearly every forward line and defensive pairing. And, yes, future Hall of Famer Drew Doughty has been sidelined for several months. Still — even without Joel Edmundson and Darcy Kuemper — Hiller wasn’t thrilled to watch his team be down 3-0 at first intermission and trailing 5-0 at the second break.
The defense needs to be better. It’s really that simple. Every player must commit (or re-commit) to the defensive structure that has been the backbone of the Kings approach for many years.
Jordan Spence was a healthy scratch, which caused a shift in the how players were aligned on the blueline. LA’s biggest change here came with the promotion of Brandt Clarke to the top unit, alongside Mikey Anderson. The 21-year-old phenom recorded his team-leading fourth assist of the season.
Up front, Hiller said he thought Andre Lee and Alex Turcotte were his best forwards in the game. Lee assisted on Turcotte’s first goal of the year.
With Kuemper out, David Rittich made his season debut, only to be replaced by the just-recalled Pheonix Copley about midway through the middle frame.
Leafs forward Austin Matthews led his team’s offensive attack with a goal and two assists.
Up Next: Kings wrap up their eastern swing with a visit to Montreal at 4:00 pm Pacific Time on Thursday.
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Lead photo by Dan Hamilton
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