April 12, 2024, 2:14 a.m.
LOS ANGELES – When it comes to the discussion of the Kings' soul-sucking neutral zone clog, Drew Doty has to admit.
“I would love to play in a different system,” the gap-toothed veteran laughed during a quiet one-on-one conversation.
“But this is the system we chose and everyone agreed to.”
Unfortunately, that's how it works in hockey games.
A case in point is Thursday's 4-1 win over the Flames at Crypto.com Arena.
On a night when Will Ferrell's rink-side shots accounted for much of the entertainment, the Kings executed their 1-3-1 system to perfection, thwarting any potential controlled entries and limiting the Flames' shots to just 23. I kept it to a book.
With just five high-dangers, former Flame Cam Talbot was given an easy path to earn an official playoff pass as the third-place team in the Pacific Division.
“For the fans and the officials and the top players, it's boring to play against a 1-3-1. It's hard to break through and we've been pretty clean in terms of breakouts,” Doughty said.
“For fans, I don't think this is the ideal system to watch, but we're not too concerned about that.
“That's how we ended up here.
“When we started the rebuild five years ago, or whatever it was, we used that system and that’s what got us this far and we’re going to see it through. ”
On Thursday, the Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson and Akil Thomas, which was enough to propel the league's third-stingiest team to victory.
Doughty is on record calling the criticism of his team's play “ridiculous,” adding, “I think it's funny in a way.”
“It’s definitely good for playoff hockey,” the two-time Stanley Cup champion said.
“I've always believed that a great defense wins championships more than a great offense, and that's how we play.
“We don't have a player who scores 100 points, and I don't think we have a player who scores points per game.
“So I think it’s a group-wide issue and that’s exactly how we win in the playoffs.”
On this night, they got a little help from Daniil Milanov's Jason Kelce impression, grabbing the puck and throwing it back between his legs and earning a costly penalty.
“Oh my god, I was sitting in the penalty box thinking, what can I do?” the Flames defender said.
“That was a stupid play on my part. I just grabbed it and threw it to Wiegs who was there. It happened so fast that my stick went down and the puck was coming right in front of me. , it was a split-second decision. For me, if I threw it at my feet, I wouldn't have the stick and it would be 2-on-1, so I thought it was dangerous and just tried to move it somewhere. Unfortunately, a stupid penalty resulted in the goal. This was taken from me. This is mine.”
Coach Ryan Husker's team had won two of the past three meetings with the Kings this season, but on Thursday his team lacked speed in the neutral zone, leading the Kings to the Flames. He said he was able to easily stop the dump-in and easily retrieve and clean up the dump-in.
Flames goal scorer Jonathan Huberdeau agreed.
“We know what kind of game it will be and we have played well against them before, so we can't make excuses,” said Huberdeau, whose club has lost nine of its last 11 games.
“You need some speed. I think we were a little slow tonight and had a hard time getting into their zone.”
What Kings coach Jim Hiller wants to hear.
“I know it's boring and repetitive, but it's hard to play good hockey,” Hiller said. His club takes pride in a system that the rest of the hockey world decries.
Even Doughty has gotten used to it over time.
“At first I thought (the 1-3-1) took away some parts of my game, but you have to adjust. You evolve over time and you just have to accept things and move forward,” Doughty said. Ta. At 34 years old, he still insists he's playing his best hockey as one of the busiest blueliners in the league.
“This has got to be one of my better seasons, or one of my more consistent seasons,” Doughty said. He remains in the top 20 among defensemen with 49 points, assisting Arvidsson's open netter.
“I don't have a ton of points or anything, but that's not what my game is all about.
“I'm playing against the other team's best line every shift and I'm doing a really good job.
“I’m really proud of how my game is still going.
“I know a lot of people look down on me, but if you watch, you'll see how good I still am.”
Doughty said Talbot and backup David Rittich are rock solid in the event of an injury.
“They'll both say they have a great defense in front of them, and that goes for the forwards as well as the defensemen,” Doughty said.
“We play a defensive game, but when we needed them, they stepped up big and both of them were really good.
“I can't say enough good things about both of them. They give us a lot of confidence and they were both great.”
