By now, everyone generally knows the keys to success for any given hockey game: get off to a quick start, stay out of the penalty box, capitalize on your opponent’s weaknesses. In the first period, the Kings weren’t able to do any of those things, and while they turned on the jets in the last 40 minutes, it wasn’t enough to overcome a poor start and an incredibly dialed-in Ryan Miller.
The game had poor momentum from the very start. There were five stoppages in play over the first two minutes, including a high-sticking penalty call on Jake Muzzin (which occurred right after a face off).