LOS ANGELES — Eighteen games into the 2008-09 National Hockey League season, the Los Angeles Kings are a surprising 8-8-2, good for eighteen points in the standings.
As of this writing, the Kings are third in the Pacific Division, eleventh in the Western Conference and twentieth in the overall NHL standings, all significant improvements.
Although they have not improved significantly over their 8-9-1 record after eighteen games in the 2007-08 season, it is rather easy to see where this season’s Kings have made the most improvement…on defense.
Last season, the Kings gave up a whopping 62 goals in their first eighteen games, an average of 3.44 goals allowed per game.
Fast forward to 2008-09 and this year’s Kings have allowed just 47 goals in their first eighteen games, averaging 2.61 goals allowed per game.
For all of you who did not major in mathematics in college, that is an improvement of 0.83 goals per game.
An improvement of less than one goal per game might not seem like much, but it sure does add up fast. Indeed, at their current pace, the Kings would end the season allowing 214 goals. In stark contrast, they allowed 266 goals last season, an average of 3.24 goals allowed per game.
Of course, the Kings may not maintain that pace, but at this point, it seems that Kings head coach Terry Murray’s goal of getting his team to buy into his plan of committing to playing solid defense to cut down on the goals against is going to be attained…
To read the full story, which also features goaltender Erik Ersberg, defenseman Kyle Quincey and left wing Patrick O’Sullivan’s return to the top line, click on: LA Surprise
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