How the Los Angeles Kings can dig out of the 3-0 hole

The Los Angeles Kings were hard-luck losers on Sunday night as they lost 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights at the Staples Center. This caused them to fall into a 3-0 series deficit. Game four is looming Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles Kings have played the Las Vegas Golden Knights tough for all three games, yet they have lost all three by one goal (1-0, 2-1, and 3-2). The issue that has plagued them most recently is their inability to score. They have only scored a combined three goals in the series (LaDue, Lafallo and Kopitar).

Three goals in three games is not going to cut it, especially against this motivated Golden Knights team. Though the Kings have outhit the Knights virtually in every game, it is not having an effect on the Knights whatsoever. The Knights have controlled play every game, and have been peppering Jonathan Quick with shots at will.

Though the Kings may be down 3-0, all hope is not lost. The Kings lost the first game due to Fleury out dueling Quick. The second game was lost due to the loss of suspended defenseman Drew Doughty and their inability to score the game-winning goal as Quick gave them a chance to win. Lastly, the third game was lost due to a defensive breakdown leading to the game-winning goal by Karlsson.

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The Kings need to do three things to give them the best chance to win game four.

The first is to keep attacking and throw pucks at the net. In being down 3-0, the Kings need to realize they have nothing to lose and need to be ultra aggressive on the offensive end. They need to create traffic in front of Fleury and get to loose pucks quicker.

Secondly, their star players need to produce more on the offensive end. Carter, Kopitar, and Doughty have produced a grand total of two points in the series. They all need to take more shots and be more aggressive in the offensive zone. Without an uptick in their presence on the offensive side, the Kings will not have a chance.

Thirdly, Jonathan Quick will need to continue to be great. By no stretch has Quick been outplayed by Fleury. He has faced more shots and kept his team in the game numerous times with timely saves. However, he needs to be able to stand on his head at least for game four to extend the series.

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If the Los Angeles Kings can do these three components, they will have a great chance to win game four. They need to be aggressive and keep up the hitting. Though barely any teams have come back from 3-0 deficits, the Kings were the last ones to do it in 2014. They can prove history wrong yet again.

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