There have been quite a few bones to pick with recent efforts from the Los Angeles Kings, despite their last loss being their first in nine games. So a better effort needed to come on Friday night, and it did. The end result was a loss, though, and after the first period once again got the better of the Kings it wasn’t a shock.
That sounds like I’m glossing over what LA did right against the New York Rangers, and maybe I am. The Kings’ early deficit painted the rest of the evening with a tone of desperation and reckless (by Kings standards) abandon, and the sizable disparity in shot attempts was somewhat misleading as the Rangers were protecting a lead for the majority of the game.