Hey Insiders! Today, we\u2019re continuing our Insider Show series with a conversation with ESPN Hockey Analyst, Cassie Campbell-Pascall.<\/p>\n
Having already featured on multiple LA Kings broadcasts this season that have aired on the ESPN family of networks, Campbell-Pascall is also scheduled to be featured on the upcoming telecast of the Kings and Blackhawks next week on Wednesday, December 4.<\/p>\n
My conversation with Campbell-Pascall was wide-ranging and included her thoughts on the Kings and the Pacific Division as a whole, as well as a closer look at her role at the upcoming Olympic Games and the new season of PWHL hockey that got underway this week.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As part of her role working on ESPN broadcasts, Campbell-Pascall gets an opportunity to speak further with coaches around the NHL and has gotten a chance to know Jim Hiller well in meetings with him prior to games.<\/p>\n
She praised Hiller for being gracious with his time and being forthcoming to the national rightsholder as they learn his team and their strategy leading into games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love what the Kings are doing,\u201d Campbell-Pascall said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen nearly their best hockey yet this year, but they keep finding a way, and now without Drew Doughty, they\u2019re going to have to find a way on the back end. I look for Brandt Clarke to really get an opportunity and step up, and he\u2019s a guy that I think this year has improved defensively, which was really important, and gain the trust of his coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversation was recorded before Monday night\u2019s win over Ottawa, which featured a game-winning power play tally from Clarke in the third period, furthering her point on Clarke, who has found a way to get things done in his second full NHL campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t have that [trust] necessarily in the playoffs last year, and he\u2019s really worked hard over the summer to gain that, and it\u2019s starting to show her,e and things are starting to come together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clarke is now in double-figures with 10 points on the season, and last night\u2019s power play goal was his first production that hasn\u2019t come at even-strength. He and the rest of his teammates on the ice didn\u2019t have more than a few seconds to create the opportunity, but it materialized fast, and the blueliner got his shot off when he had the look.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s understanding the speed of the game,\u201d Campbell-Pascall said. \u201cHe\u2019s a great skater. I think he\u2019s gotten stronger this year physically, which has helped him in the defensive zone, and I think there\u2019s less reach in his game in the defensive zone. Last year, he got caught reaching sometimes, and these guys in this league are so good and they notice that, and they\u2019ll find a way to beat you one-on-one, and I think he\u2019s been patient in understanding the speed that\u2019s coming at him and staying on the defensive side in the d-zone.<\/p>\n
Campbell-Pascall pointed to the consistent pairing alongside veteran defender Joel Edmundson as something that has really helped Clarke continue to feel more comfortable while emphasizing the importance of the defensive part of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a pairing that pretty much every game has stayed together and been consistent and reliable,\u201d said Campbell-Pascall. \u201cThat familiarity is really important to a young guy. We forget sometimes, he\u2019s only 22 years old, and he\u2019s playing defense in the National Hockey League and as good as he is, his offensive instincts are off the charts, you have to be a good defender to get that ice time to get that offense. He\u2019s really made some strides this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the team has certainly competed hard and been tough to play against each night as they currently sit one point behind Anaheim for first place in the Pacific, they are still looking for many of their forwards to help increase offensive production. Campbell has seen that as well and pointed to a few names that are still looking to get going.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need more from guys like [Trevor] Moore, and we\u2019re seeing him on a line with Kopitar and Kuzmenko,\u201d Campbell-Pascall said. \u201cI think all three of those guys can start to provide a bit more offense, and Moore can start to use his speed. He had 31 goals a couple years ago and he\u2019s only got three so far this year, so I think elevating him in the lineup, Jim Hiller\u2019s hoping to produce some more offense there.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also provided further detail on Kuzmenko, who has yet to find his offensive game, scoring just three goals from 20 contests this season, and was made a healthy scratch during a three-game span on the team\u2019s last road trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, Kuzmenko\u2019s a guy that if he\u2019s not on your first power play and on your first line, you really don\u2019t get much else from him. He\u2019s still a guy that doesn\u2019t bring a lot of the intangibles. I think putting him back in the lineup, he\u2019s seen the message, and you hope that he can inject some creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right now, the underperforming five-forward power play unit is an easy target, but Campbell-Pascall gave a good analysis of what she\u2019s seen opposing teams key in on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have five forwards on the power play, the penalty killers are going to pressure high. That\u2019s the reality of it, and Adrian Kempe\u2019s such a skilled guy, so important, but I think they need to move the puck down low more and bring the PK down low to safeguard that bumper position, which would maybe free him up, up top. Right now, I find they\u2019re really pressuring him. I think they miss Kempe sometimes on the flank. I think he can sometimes be more of a shot-first mentality when he\u2019s on the flank compared to when he\u2019s up top, but I\u2019d like to see them move the puck down low and create some plays which will open him up more on the top.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been plenty of digital ink spilled on the power play here, and this is another perspective on it from someone who knows the game incredibly well, having won multiple gold medals in international competition. But she then went back to Kuzmenko\u2019s importance on the first unit and emphasized what he means to the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Kuzmenko came in last year, it was just this instant creativity, he kind of does his own thing, and you kind of have to read off of that. Other teams watch video, they learn to adjust and I think they\u2019ve done that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, she broke down her thoughts on Corey Perry\u2019s game, who started off his Kings career as hot as any skater, posting seven goals in his first 12 contests.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to give credit to the 40-year-old guy,\u201d Campbell-Pascall said. \u201cCorey Perry comes in, and I\u2019m not sure anyone expected him to be what he\u2019s been for the Kings. I mean, you knew the leadership was going to be there and the intangibles, but especially after the knee surgery where you\u2019re thinking oh, he\u2019s 40, he gets injured and has surgery, what\u2019s he going to be able to do? And he\u2019s played his role perfectly. That\u2019s exactly what he brings. He\u2019s a great example to the rest of the team. That\u2019s a guy to me that\u2019s just proving everyone wrong that still has lots of game left, and his ability around the net to get under the goaltender\u2019s skin, just be above the blue paint, be tenacious, be a little bit of a pest out there, he still has that kind of attitude, yet he brings a ton of skill. I think this has been a guy for the Kings that\u2019s really leading by example, and at some point, you hope that trickles down to the rest of the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch the full interview with Campbell-Pascall below. Looking forward to more Insider conversations that we can bring your way soon!<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hey Insiders! Today, we\u2019re continuing our Insider Show series with a conversation with ESPN Hockey Analyst, Cassie Campbell-Pascall.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-314841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}