Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller has learned not to panic when things aren’t going well on the ice.
The Kings have proven they can quickly turn things around, which will be important when they face the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.
Last weekend, Los Angeles came from behind in the third period to win two home games. They first defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime on Saturday and then won 5-4 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.
“I have 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 getting everyone to gather themselves and take a breath. Sometimes it takes longer than others.”
The Kings’ recent comeback was led by 19-year veteran Anze Kopitar, who scored two third-period goals to beat the Flyers after Los Angeles was down by two goals with five minutes left in the second period.
Kopitar has 39 points in 36 games, recording double-digit point totals in every month so far this season.
“It doesn’t feel like I’m getting any younger,” said Kopitar, 37. “The season’s been going pretty well, but as I’ve 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 especially impressed with Kopitar’s performance on Sunday, considering he 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 post, he goes to the net, he knows how to score.”
The Devils are coming off two straight regulation losses, something they hadn’t experienced since October.
New Jersey fought back from a 2-0 third-period deficit against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday but gave up the game-winning goal with 3:24 remaining, losing 3-2.
“Marky was great,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said about goalie Jacob Markstrom, who made 23 saves against Anaheim but will likely back up Jake Allen in the second game of this back-to-back set. “He deserved two points here (Tuesday), and he should be very upset with his teammates.”
The Devils began their six-game road trip with a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Keefe expected more from his team after two days of rest before their game 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.”
New Jersey faced the Kings on Dec. 12 and won 3-1 after scoring the final three goals. That victory ended a two-game losing streak (0-1-1) and marked the start of a stretch where the Devils won six of seven games, their best run of the season.
