Today is the third of three straight practice days for the LA Kings, a rarity during the NHL season. However, with last Saturday’s game postponed, it allowed the team to rearrange their practice schedule.
Perhaps the biggest news thus is the absence of rookie Gabe Vilardi. We’re still gathering info, this is all that’s known currently:
Gabe Vilardi not at LA Kings practice today.
Hearing it's NOT COVID-related, but no further details at this time.
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) February 15, 2021
Maybe it’s just a blip on the radar, similar to when Adrian Kempe missed one practice after the the team returned from their long road trip a few weeks back. It is worth noting, Vilardi was a full participant at practice on both Saturday and Sunday.
As for today, here’s how the players were arranged:
Forwards in gray jerseys: Athanasiou, Brown, Carter, Iafallo, Kempe, Kopitar and Lizotte
Forwards in white jerseys: Amadio, Anderson-Dolan, Andersson, Grundstrom, Luff, Moore, Wagner
Defensemen in black jerseys: Anderson, Bjornfot, Clague, Doughty, Maatta, MacDermid, Roy, Strand
Red jersey: Walker (wearing a cage too)
Goaltenders: Quick, Petersen, Grosenick
With quarantine completed…
LA Kings have assigned goalie Troy Grosenick to the taxi squad.
Jacob Ingham returned to AHL Ontario.
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) February 15, 2021
As noted on @kingsofthepod, not expecting AA or Lizotte to play Tue. After being off for two weeks, more likely McLellan gives them a week or so to get their conditioning back.
Trick is piecing 23 player roster together in the meantime to make it work.
22 on roster now, w/ 5D
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) February 14, 2021
NOTE: This article will be updated with additional notes and quotes following McLellan’s media scrum later this morning.
Two quick updates, more quotes to come:
Vilardi update from McLellan – Maintenance day, expected to play tomorrow.
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) February 15, 2021
McLellan – None of us should be talking about being rusty. We've had 3 practices, been able to maintain our game pace, where Minny's been off for 2wks. If anybody should be talking about a break causing issues, it'll be their team. Let's get that out of the way right off the bat.
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) February 15, 2021
McLellan on what they were looking to accomplish over three straight days of practice
We didn’t anticipate having this type of break, so the first thing we did was take a day off to to recover and re-energize. I thought the guys showed up for three days of pretty good practice. It varied from anything that goes on defensively in our end – net play, breakouts, all that type of stuff into neutral zone. We have to continue to work on offensive play – forechecking and creating some offense off of that. Then special teams, and that basically goes on every day. As I’ve mentioned earlier in a lot of our gatherings, we have the whole package to work on. We didn’t concentrate on one area, but we tried to tap a little bit of everything.
On if this was also an opportunity for some team bonding, with everybody in a good mood coming off a win last Thursday
Yes and no. There’s not a lot we can do together here, even at the rink. We skate, we social distance, we’ve got the masks on. During the year, the TVs are on, guys are watching highlights, and and stuff like that. It’s just different. So the bonding part, the win set us up for at least a little more cheerful three days of practice. That’s real good heading into it. Coming out of it, it can be dangerous, as well – where guys are a little more comfortable. The three-day layoff will not be an excuse for our team tomorrow. None of us should be talking about being rusty or anything like that, players — and you guys, as well — because we’ve had three practices. We’ve been able to maintain our game pace, where Minnesota’s been off for two weeks. If anybody should be talking about the break causing issues, it’ll be their team. Let’s get that out of the way right off the bat.
On if the level of intensity has changed at practices
Our practices have had the same level of intensity. I expect the players to prepare differently and apply themselves a little bit different than they did in the Anaheim game. We were beat in every facet of that game. When that happens you get the type of result. If we compete hard and we win our share of competitive situations, and it doesn’t go our way at the end of the night, we have to live with that. That was not the case against Anaheim and I do not expect that to happen tomorrow.
On taking Austin Wagner’s ‘moments of magic’ and turning them into more consistent play
It’s time for for Austin to step up. He’s an established veteran in the league right now. If we’re still talking or asking about consistency issues, that’s on him. Quite frankly, we expect more from him on a night in-night out basis. With his speed and his tenacity, the forecheck has to be part of his game. He has to create turnovers for himself and for his teammates. There’s not a lot of talk about those ‘magic moments,’ as you called them. That’s just icing on the cake. We need all the other ingredients from him. There’s been a few times he’s been out of the lineup this year just to be reminded of that. Let’s see that first, then the goals and all the extra will come.
On what needs to be done differently against Minnesota than in the previous games in order to change the results
Well, we went through all the goals against, not even the goals for. The number of individual, just flat out not very smart plays that led to goals against, if we can just eliminate those – and we’re never going to be perfect – but take those out of the game. They were able to keep their cycle alive for a lot longer than we would like. We weren’t able to kill it quickly or at least stall it to the point where we could get possession. They rolled around pretty good in our end, so we’ll be looking to improve in that area.
On if he does decide to give Petersen more starts this season, what has his approach been in the past when having similar conversation with a veteran player being asked to take a lesser role than they’re used to
We haven’t gotten to that point. I think it’s better that you and I, and the rest of the media, talk about that when it might occur. It’s not at that point right now. So with all due respect, I think we’ll leave that one alone until if it does occur. They’re both quality goaltenders. Quickie’s numbers at the beginning of the year were outstanding. He had a couple of rough starts, but the team didn’t play really well in front of him either. We’re counting on both of them to get the job done.
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