Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller has learned there is no need to panic when the ice seems to be tilted the wrong way.
The Kings have shown they can turn things around in a hurry, something to keep in mind when they host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.
Los Angeles rallied from third-period deficits to win back-to-back home games last weekend, first beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime on Saturday, then knocking off the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 on Sunday.
“I’ve got a lot of trust and faith in the team that they can see it as much as you can see it,” Hiller said. “They’re playing it. They know this isn’t exactly the way it should be going, and it’s just a matter of trying to just get everybody to gather themselves by taking a breath. Sometimes it takes longer than others.”
Most recently, it was 19-year veteran Anze Kopitar who scored two goals in the third period to beat the Flyers after Los Angeles trailed by two goals with five minutes left in the second period.
Kopitar has 39 points through 36 games, posting double-figure point totals in each of the first three months of the season.
“It doesn’t feel like I’m getting any younger,” said Kopitar, 37. “The season’s been going pretty well so far, but as I said before, it’s always about the team. We’re plugging away, we’re racking up points, and I guess we’re in a pretty good spot right now.”
Hiller was particularly impressed with Kopitar’s performance on Sunday after the Slovenian forward spent much of Saturday defending Oilers star Connor McDavid.
“I didn’t think he had great legs the first two periods (against the Flyers), but it doesn’t matter. He is who he is,” Hiller said. “So you get him out there and good things happen. Both goals, a tip and then one right at the right at the post, he goes to the net, he knows how to score.”
The Devils are coming off their second consecutive loss in regulation, something they hadn’t experienced since October.
New Jersey rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit against the host Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday before giving up the game-winner with 3:24 left in a 3-2 loss.
“Marky was great,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said of goalie Jacob Markstrom, who made 23 saves against Anaheim but likely will back up Jake Allen in the second game of the back-to-back set. “He deserved two points here (Tuesday), and he should be very upset with his teammates.”
New Jersey had opened its six-game road trip with a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. With two days to recover between games, Keefe expected more from his team against Anaheim.
“The chances we gave up were completely egregious,” he said. “You have no chance to win in the NHL playing like that. It was disgraceful.”
The Devils hosted the Kings on Dec. 12 and scored the final three goals in a 3-1 victory, which also snuffed out a two-game skid at the time (0-1-1). That win also marked the first of six victories in seven games for New Jersey, its hottest stretch of the season.
