On some occasions, they didn’t even pick up on a radiant invitation to take a first shot.
Outscored solely by visiting captain Shane Doan, 2-0, the Kings dropped to 4-2 on home ice in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs and 2-2 when trying to polish off a series.
But perhaps with a steadier flow of oomph throughout Sunday’s Game 4 and more assertiveness on enemy property, the Kings would already have laid claim to the Campbell Bowl. And they would have lent a certificate of authenticity to their upper hand in nearly every statistical category in the contest.
L.A. out-shot Phoenix 36-21 and also ran up a 76-44 advantage in terms of attempted shots. Five individual Kings recorded a takeaway on the day while the Coyotes reaped none.
Every Kings skater landed at least one shot on goal. All but three threw at least one body-check, and Trevor Lewis led or co-led the way in both categories with five of each.
Of the team’s final collection of 36 shots on net, six came over a cumulative span of 9:24 spent on the power play. Another three came within their three minutes and 42 seconds of short-handed action.
On five occasions, Smith faced a pair of tests in direct succession with no whistles in between.
Eight of nine goals Smith has allowed in the series have come from within 29 feet or fewer, as did 14 of the 36 shots he stopped in Game 4.
And one period after Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick’s turnover allowed Doan to break the ice for the Coyotes, the home skaters nearly pulled Smith even with their own backstop. During a penalty kill late in the second period, Anze Kopitar pounced on Smith’s giveaway f...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
