Column: Jeff Carter and the Kings will take a ‘pretty standard’ win over the Devils
Center Jeff Carter called the Kings’ 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center “pretty standard” in terms of the low-scoring, physical games the teams usually play against each other. Teammate Alec Martinez was kind enough to crack the code of what Carter really had meant.
“Yeah, bore everyone to death, is that what you’re referring to?” Martinez said.
Martinez was joking, but games between the Kings and the Devils tend to feature a lot of hitting and very little scoring. Similarly built in that they’re both mobile on defense and thrive on playing hard-hitting games, they played three 2-1 games and one 3-1 contest in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals, which the Kings won in six games. In addition, the Devils swept the 2015-16 season series with wins of 1-0 in regulation and 2-1 in overtime.
All of which means the Kings had to be poised, structured, stingy defensively and opportunistic offensively to give themselves a good chance to win Saturday. They succeeded on every count, finishing with a 38-36 edge in hits and a 28-23 edge in shots and getting leadership from Carter at every turn.
“Jeff has carried the team on his back,” Coach Darryl Sutter said. “Every time he was on the ice tonight he had the puck or he was making sure we were going to get the puck back. He’s shown a lot of leadership and has been a really, really good player for us.”
Although Carter said he hasn’t tried to step up his game during the absence of injured center Anze Kopitar — who missed his fourth straight game Saturday but is close to returning — Carter has created offense for a team that desperately needed it. Equally important, he has made wingers Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson better players.
After the Kings gave up a first-period goal on a long shot by New Jersey defenseman John Moore, Martinez tied it in the second period on a long shot through traffic. Pearson put them ahead for good after a New Jersey turnover at 18:20 of the second period and Carter extended that lead to 3-1 early in the third period, finishing off a swift, efficient breakout by poking his own rebound beneath the leg of Devils goaltender Cory Schneider.
The Devils came within one when Nick Lappin scored during a scramble in front of Kings goalie Peter Budaj at 17:28 of the third period, but Jake Muzzin scored into an empty net to secure the victory for the Kings (9-9-1), who have continued their season-long streakiness by winning two straight games after an 0-3-1 slide.
“I think Carts played his game,” Martinez said, praising Carter’s ability to become available for passes from the Kings’ defensemen and open passing lanes. “He and that whole line, they use their speed, and it’s no secret that Jeff Carter is pretty fast and can move his feet, and I think that he and the rest of his line have really taken advantage of that the past couple games.”
Carter said his responsibilities haven’t changed during Kopitar’s absence except that he’s taking some of the left-side faceoffs normally handled by left-handed-shooting Kopitar. The team’s performance Saturday, Carter said, was “pretty solid” and resulted in a big two points, but it can be improved. “We gave up some chances. Still have some things to clean up,” he said.
They will be challenged again Sunday against the Ducks, who are formidable up the middle with Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler. Carter can’t carry the load alone for the Kings, and he knows it.
“We need everybody,” Carter said. “You’re not going to beat Anaheim with one, two, three lines. You need four lines, six [defensemen]. They’re a deep team. It’s always fun games against them. It’s heated, and we’ve got to be ready, for sure.”
They have no excuse not to be. “Every time we play them, regardless, it’s always going to be an emotional, physical battle,” Martinez said. “We’ve got to take what we did well and bring it into [Sunday] and correct some things and go into the Honda Center playing with some emotion and intensity.”
Twitter: @helenenothelen
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