{"id":264575,"date":"2025-11-01T08:35:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/264575\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T08:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:35:07","slug":"a-look-back-at-last-night-as-a-winnable-game-got-away-from-the-kings-for-reasons-both-within-and-outside-of-their-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/264575\/","title":{"rendered":"A look back at last night, as a winnable game got away from the Kings, for reasons both within and outside of their control"},"content":{"rendered":"

I thought this quote from Corey Perry last night carried some good perspective.<\/p>\n

Good perspective from Corey Perry after tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com\/HcVdb0rAOD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) October 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t make excuses, but said pretty candidly that when the Kings are playing the way that they want to, the way they\u2019re capable of, we\u2019re seeing some really good things. When they don\u2019t, it\u2019s costing them, both within games and in the standings. <\/p>\n

There were long stretches against Detroit and Nashville, looking specifically over the last four games, that pointed to a Kings team that should have earned four points between the two games. When they played that way, they looked really good. However, in neither of those games did the Kings play a full, complete 60(+) minutes and as a result, four points became two.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re really close, for sure,\u201d goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. \u201cWe\u2019re finding ways to get wins, get points, which, at the end of the day, that\u2019s the most important thing, but overall, I think we like the way we\u2019re trending with our game. It\u2019s just doing it for a full 60 and finding that consistency, but we feel like we\u2019re really close.\u201d<\/p>\n

In last night\u2019s game against Detroit, the Kings set several season highs at the offensive end of the rink.<\/p>\n

87 shot attempts, their highest of the season. 47 scoring chances? Most of the season. 22 high-danger opportunities were also a season high. The Kings did a lot of things well and there are a lot of other worlds where they start a four-game homestand with two points. They didn\u2019t, though, as they wound up scoring zero goals 5-on-5 and needed two in the 6-on-5 situation to get the job done, so the reality is what it is. But the Kings did a lot of things they liked last night. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we did have a lot of chances and I feel like there\u2019s a lot that guys would like to have back, myself too, Talbs had my number there,\u201d forward Quinton Byfield said. \u201cThere\u2019s a few that we\u2019d like back. It was good that we\u2019re getting more chances and I think we\u2019re trending the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot of positives, right? But the Kings lost. Why? <\/p>\n

First things first, it\u2019s about consistency. There are spurts within games that are going well, as Perry noted. But the players don\u2019t feel they\u2019ve found the necessary level of consistency right now to turn those stretches of good play into consistent results. The first period was really good last night but it was 0-0. Detroit controlled more of the play in the second. The Kings turned it back on during the third, lots of opportunities, but it took the successful 6-on-5 push to tie the game. <\/p>\n

A full 60 at those levels and they\u2019d win just about every night played in that way. Chicago and San Jose games a prime example. What\u2019s funny is that we\u2019ve seen far more of those good stretches in the Nashville and Detroit losses, whereas the Kings found a way to win against the Blackhawks and Sharks. Perhaps that, right there, is an example of the consistency they\u2019re in search of. <\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, it\u2019s just kind of trying to find our consistency,\u201d forward Alex Laferriere said. \u201cObviously it\u2019s great that we\u2019re getting points and we\u2019re finding ways to stay in games, but I think just trying to be a little bit more consistent and try to have a full sixty, I think that\u2019s going to help us out.\u201d<\/p>\n

MARCO PPG! pic.twitter.com\/rP2ZIIKLR0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The other part last night was, well, some really tough calls. <\/p>\n

I still can\u2019t understand how Marco Kasper\u2019s goal that made the game 2-1 stood. Frankly, the penalty called on Joel Edmundson that led to the goal was extremely soft. So, should the Kings have really been in that position to begin with? I\u2019d say no. <\/p>\n

Then on the goal, one of the biggest problems I have here is that the league is relying on video replay to assist with ruling on these calls. Which I think is, objectively, a good thing. The problem is, at least of the broadcast angles that are available to be seen, the league is unable to provide conclusive angles that allow us to truly determine what happens on these plays. Every angle shown is from an angle that does not allow for a clear and decisive view. After seeing Laferriere\u2019s goal in Dallas disallowed for a high stick last week, with equally inconclusive video, it is frustrating to see the inconsistency in that aspect of the game. Everything about Kasper\u2019s goal felt like it was above the crossbar and it\u2019s a real shame that a situation like that was potentially the difference between a win and a loss. Especially after a soft penalty call that put the Kings shorthanded to begin with. <\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, I thought the call in overtime that took away what would have been the game-winning goal was the correct one, though I\u2019ve never seen a more even split when talking with people about it all day today. Was truly 50\/50. Lots of thoughts and opinions there, but especially after most agreed that there were a couple of wrong calls were made earlier in the game, I think that goal coming back hurt for sure. <\/p>\n

Thought it was interesting how Hiller positioned it today. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot of positives and we come walking in here and we could have had what we felt was maybe one of the best wins of the year and instead, we\u2019re on the other side of it,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cSo our job, we\u2019ve got to make sure we balance that, because we play tomorrow at six o\u2019clock and you got to get a frame of mind, you\u2019ve got to have energy. It\u2019s a long season, so you better not drag yourself down too far. Let\u2019s get back up. There\u2019s always two ways to look at it. We got a lot of points over this last stretch, so let\u2019s just go get some more.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the thing with this league.<\/p>\n

We can talk about the Red Wings game today. But tomorrow, it\u2019s not even a storyline any more. Whether or not the calls were BS no longer matters. The chances the Kings had, scored or not scored, don\u2019t much matter either. The Kings lost 4-3 in a shootout and right or wrong, they\u2019re not going to be awarded the extra point. It\u2019s about how you manage those swings. In being around a team for a number of years now, I\u2019ve learned how much tamer the swings are in the room than outside of it. The highs are never as high and the lows never as low as they feel with the fanbase, the media or . It\u2019s cliche, but I see it in practice each day. Last night was a frustrating one for a number of reasons and it\u2019s yet another game this season that the Kings had several opportunities to win but did not. Some within their control, some outside of it. Last night, there was more outside of it, but still, it was a winnable game. And now, they move on. <\/p>\n

Tomorrow, it\u2019s 0-0 again and another winnable game, as each game is before it starts. Kings and Devils at 6 PM from Crypto.com Arena, in another chance to get it right. <\/p>\n