THE Kiss are 50 games in a regular season calendar which is still 2 and a half months from the finish line. It is a time of year when games become exhausting, monotonous practices and hotel rooms all look alike.
“I don't like to say” dog days “. I don't do it ”, Coach Kings Jim Hiller said Tuesday. “I don't think nobody does it.
“It's just a question of” OK, it's difficult for everyone. ” How do you cross it? This is the challenge.
And Hiller thinks that his team may have obtained a little help to take up this challenge with Drew Doughty of the injury Last week. The future defender of the renowned temple, who underwent surgery after having broken his left ankle in September, made his debut in season in the third match of a five game trip. He will play his first home game of the season on Wednesday when the Kings will face the Montreal Canadians.
“The answer is yes,” said Hiller when asked if Doughty's return will provide his team with a necessary energy explosion. “I would agree with this 100%.”
The same goes for the president of Kings Luc Robitaille and the striker Anze Kopitar, the team captain.
“It's exactly like doing a big business because he's going to come, helping our group,” said Robitaille.
“Drew has been an integral part of this organization for 17 years. So you cannot replace a guy like that,” added Kopitar. “Now that he is back playing 24 minutes a night, it's obviously great for us. We are extremely excited to see him again.”
Especially since the Kings could really use an explosion of something positive at this stage. The team's victory against Caroline in the last match of the last road trip was only the third of the last 11 games, his worst slippage since that time last season, when he lost 10 out of 11.
“This is the influence I wanted to have. And I thought I did it,” said Doughty, who has an average of more than 25 minutes of ice time during her first three games.
With Mikey Anderson with a hand injury, Hiller twinned Doughty with Vladislav Gavrikov on the road. The coach said that twinning could remain even after Anderson's return. Doughty, meanwhile, said that the matches looked a bit like those of pre-season in that he was trying to find his physical form while adapting both to new teammates and the style of play 1-2-2 of Hiller.
“When you miss so many games, no matter how much things you do on the ice, you have to go into game situations,” he said. “These guys are 50 games and fly and feel their groove. I come without even an inner game. It was therefore difficult.
“I was just nervous because I wanted to come back and I wanted to help us win matches.”
Doughty hopes to prove to be sufficiently in good shape to make the Canadian list of the 4 nations of next week. The additional ice time, he said, will be more useful than two additional weeks of leave.
“To play more games, I will be aware of the guys once (I will come back),” he said. “So I would like to be there.”
The Kings Drew Doughty (8) are looking to pass the washer against the Caroline Hurricanes on Saturday.
(Karl B Deblaker / Associated Press)
Whatever the boost that the Kings get Doughty's return, this may not be enough for dog days to happen, however, which is why the team cannot afford to be shy with the deadline for trade a few months. The greatest need for the Kings is a threat of scoring on the wing to complete Adrian Kempe, whose 24 goals at the top of the team are equal to the 12th row of the league. But Kevin Fiala is the only other king with more than 13 goals. And no one ranks in the top 30 in assists for a team that entered the 32 team league Tuesday 29th in terms of goals.
Kings have very little room to manuever. They are faced with the ceiling space, which means that they cannot afford to have a lot of salary, and they have already excluded the 21 -year -old defender Brandt Clarke, their most attractive young player, despite the fact that he has already lost playing time with the return of Doughty.
Clarke's freewheeling style does not quite correspond to the style of the Kings, so maybe they could be convinced to move it to the right deal. Otherwise, the thin swimming pool of the team prospects means that it should probably swallow harshly and exchange someone like Jordan Spence, a 23 -year -old defender. The team would probably prefer to separate from the winger Trevor Moore, whose production (seven goals, 14 assists) clearly slipped from last season when he had career summits of 31 and 26, respectively. But Moore, who will be 30 next month, may not bring much in return.
Whether they do an important job or not, the Kings appear to obtain an elevator from the remaining regular season calendar. Most of the team difficulties occurred on the road, where their 14 defeats are tied in fifth rank in the NHL. But at the crypt, they were beaten only three times; No League team has lost less home games.
And the Kings will play 22 of their 32 games remaining at home.
