It\u2019s hard not to look at last night\u2019s win over the Islanders and picture the game going similarly, but with a loss in overtime. <\/p>\n
The Kings lost more games in either overtime or the shootout than any other team in the NHL last season. Look at the numbers and it wouldn\u2019t be all that hard to see why. The Kings ranked in the league\u2019s bottom-five in shot attempts, shots on goal and scoring chances in 3-on-3 on a per\/60 basis. They almost always had puck possession. Lots of that. But, as the numbers show, possession was not converted into offensive opportunities.<\/p>\n
As the season flipped to 2026-27, the Kings lost their first two overtime games of the season. Small sample size, but the Kings this time around rank in the top-five in shots on goal at 3-on-3, per\/60. But the results hadn\u2019t changed. You\u2019d start to wonder if there was some d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. Even though I think the Kings began to play differently, seeing some of the concepts they worked on throughout training camp, they didn\u2019t get the goals and therefore, they didn\u2019t get the wins. <\/p>\n
Peter Laviolette, after both defeats, liked the looks his team got in overtime, despite the losses. But again, no wins. I think it\u2019s fair to say we saw more 3-on-3 practice during training camp than I\u2019ve seen in my time covering the team. When speaking with Associate Coach Phil Housley over the summer, he was quite candid about the video work he was putting into improving in those areas, already with concepts in mind on what he wanted to integrate. <\/p>\n
Last night, I thought we started to see those concepts in motion. Yes, it was still a possession-based system. That\u2019s what overtime is in the NHL often times. The Kings turned over a line change and in doing so, they got tired players on the other side of ice. But it wasn\u2019t possession for possession\u2019s sake. Halfway into overtime, Adrian Kempe collected Brandt Clarke\u2019s deflected pass on a 2-on-1 and deked out New York goaltender Semyon Varlamov\u2026\u2026but couldn\u2019t lift the puck high enough from a sharp angle to get over the pad. <\/p>\n
What happened next was encouraging. Forward Erik Haula collected Kempe\u2019s rebound and went all the way back to Darcy Kuemper, to retain possession and clear the zone. Kuemper, instead of slowing everything down, fed Clarke with a quick hitter. One pass later, the Kings were back in the zone, just nine seconds after Kempe was denied, now against skaters who were even more tired. <\/p>\n
Instead of starting another cycle, Kempe went direct and he knew exactly where Clarke would be. As Clarke said post-game, the exchange they made was a concept being encouraged, with more crisscrossing and switching on the ice. As Kempe cut in, Clarke overlapped and got into a good position. One bar-down shot later and the Kings made it two straight. <\/p>\n
Honestly, sometimes last season, it felt like the Kings might not get a Grade-A in overtime. Even if they did get a 2-on-1 or something, it just felt like they\u2019d find a way to make it less dangerous. Or, maybe the Kempe deke and denial might\u2019ve been the only chance we saw last year. But to see the urgency in not just resetting quickly, but getting quickly back on the attack, was really good to see. It led to an even better chance and the two points. <\/p>\n
BRANDT FREAKING CLARKE https:\/\/t.co\/Q6IHpfNL9W<\/p>\n