Kings' Hiller Finds Success with Key Adjustments

While the offense needs to improve, the Kings are content with playing tight games. The team has steadied its course despite facing some turbulent moments. Their last road trip was disappointing in terms of offensive production; in five games, they scored only 10 goals, with eight coming at even strength. This number was boosted by a game against Vancouver, in which the Kings scored five goals, four at even strength, against an opponent dealing with its own internal issues.

The Kings seem to have settled into their style of play regardless of recent trends. They went 1-4 during their previous stretch before defeating Florida 2-1, maintaining their consistent, stingy approach against the Panthers despite struggling for offense. There wasn't a significant shift in strategy despite some lineup adjustments, and realistically, the team will likely continue with the same approach during the upcoming road trip, guided by a unified strategy for defense.

Let the record show that the Kings perform exceptionally well when they score, boasting an impressive record of 20-0-2 when netting three goals or more. However, when they score two goals or fewer, their record drops to 6-14-3. This runs against the flow, or rather, the identity the team has cultivated; they believe their formula of winning low-scoring games (where they often win by one or two goals or literally scoring as much) can lead to victories and even playoff success. This belief hinges on personnel and lineup management, which recently showed promise and will be critical on the road trip.

Brandt Clarke has begun pairing with Jacob Moverare, while Jordan Spence has teamed up with Joel Edmundson. These changes serve as a prelude to Drew Doughty's return, who will travel with the team on this road trip. The return will provoke a entire defensive core shake-up, and it seems Head Coach Jim Hiller is getting ahead of it.

Clarke has recently slowed down offensively, and his previous partnership with Edmundson was faltering, despite Edmundson's overall solid performance. Clarke appeared to perform adequately alongside Moverare against the Panthers (getting an assist on the game winner due to some excellent individual offensive work), despite some concerning analytics as a pairing.

According to Natural Stat Trick, this pairing spent 9:40 together, achieving cratered Corsi and Fenwick ratings of 40% and 41.67% respectively. They were outshot 6-4 yet managed to outscore the Panthers 1-0 and out-chance them in High-Danger attempts 2-0. Interpret this as you will, but it suggests that this pairing could still be deployed late in games, as they avoided significant high-danger chances and while being outmatched as the teams bonafide third pair. Moverare logged 10:29 of ice time, while Clarke played for 13:06.

On the other hand, Spence looked excellent paired with Joel Edmundson, with their sample size nearly double that of the Clarke-Moverare duo. In 18:28 together, they boasted a dominant Corsi of 62.5% and an impressive Fenwick of 69.23%, outshooting the Panthers 14-5, outscoring them 1-0, and out chancing them in High-Danger opportunities 8-2. This pairing has shown promise for the Kings, though more data is needed, as one game is too small of a sample size, even if it was against the reigning champions.

Another significant change has been Hiller's adjustments with Kevin Fiala. While Fiala can display highlight-reel skills, he often remains an "almost highlight-reel" player. He has been playing with more risk than reward, and his East-West style sometimes clashes with what's typically a North-South approach for the Kings. However, despite his major differences in style of play, and lack of total output compared to seasons past, he is on pace for 30 goals for the first time as a King, and controls all the cards with a NMC. If the team wants to maximize the impact of their highest-paid forward, placing him on the top line makes sense.

In 6:33 of ice time against the Panthers while on the top line, the trio of Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, and Kevin Fiala were perfect analytically even if it didn't initially appear to pass an eye test for that terminology. His line achieved a 100% Corsi and Fenwick, demonstrating clear control despite the apparent paradox. They outshot the opposition (10-1), out-chanced them (1-0), and dominated in scoring chances (7-0) and high-danger opportunities (4-0). Did Hiller just unlock a potentially lethal offensive option, given that they've thrown this line out so many times in the past without these same results?

This line is not new, as they have been put together multiple times over the last three seasons. In 967:03 together, they have recorded an impressive Corsi and Fenwick of 73.08% and 72.46%. They have outshot opponents 718-284, outscored them 105-39, and outchanced them 746-272. In high-danger situations, they led with 302 chances to 117 and scored 40 to 18. Though not consistently deployed, it remains an inconsistent combination that Hiller tends to turn to when the team is in need of a spark or when trying to get Fiala going.

The Kings will aim to keep Fiala's momentum going, especially after he provided the primary assist on the go-ahead goal in the last game. He has been performing well, recording a point per game in the previous four matches (1 goal, 3 assists, +1 rating). The team will also work to stabilize their defensive core, with Spence and Edmundson forming a solid pairing before Doughty is integrated back into the lineup.

Remember, the 11-7 could still be utilized when Doughty returns, but the team will be hard-pressed to maintain their schematic when Alex Laferriere becomes healthy. This will lead to a tough decision on who gets moved out of the defensive corps as the seventh defenseman. How that all plays out will be presented on this road trip or upon its conclusion.