Kings' Drew Doughty called to the principal's office; Ducks look for more shots, emotion

Defenseman Drew Doughty has played so well this season that it's easy to forget he's a rookie.

But he didn't have one of his better games Tuesday at Anaheim, which led Mark Hardy, the assistant coach who's in charge of the Kings' defensemen, to call Doughty and defense partner Sean O'Donnell in for a chat before the Kings faced the Ducks again tonight at Staples Center.

Doughty took a crosschecking penalty in the first period Tuesday that led to the Ducks' first power-play goal and was in the box again for their second goal after he tried to ice the puck and instead shot it over the glass for an automatic delay-of-game penalty.

Those specific moments weren't the main topic, though.

"They sat down with Mark and just reviewed their shifts," Coach Terry Murray said before tonight's game. "Just a part of the learning process, the development side of it. He'll come back tonight with a better game, I think."

Murray said he wasn't angry over the first-period crosschecking penalty.

"I have a tough time going to him and saying, 'Don't do that again,' " Murray said, meaning that he doesn't want to take the physicality out of Doughty's game.

"I thought it was a pretty good play. I did not see it as a crosscheck it was a push, it was more arms-extended, body momentum than one of these," he said, extending his arms as if he were applying a stick to the back of an opponent's head.

"I can't take that away from him. It's a one-on-one battle and I want to keep him working on that part of it."

Both teams were curiously lacking in emotion on Tuesday, making it one of the flatter games they've played over the years. Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said he was surprised by that and attributed it to both teams trying to focus on defense and playing cautiously.

"I looked at the clock and there was under 10 minutes left in the first period and the shots were 2-1," he said. "Any type of hockey game you've been to, there's usually more than three shots taken in the game.

"In reviewing the video of it we did attempt shots -- and they did too. It was just both teams seemed to keep everything to the outside. And a lot of shots missed the net in the first 10 minutes of the game. A lot of the game was played in neutral ice.

"Their system has changed from the standpoint they're not allowing a lot of shots on net to start with. They're playing a real structured defensive game. For us, we'd like to play that structured defensive game. We gave up 17 [shots] the other night. You see the shot total and neither team gets over 30 and you know there's some conservatism taking place."

Will that be the case again tonight? Check back later on latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Veteran and ex-Ducks defenseman Sean O'Donnell, left, stops to talk to rookie Drew Doughty during a game in November. Credit: Jeff Gross / Getty Images

Comments

[Lowell Patrick]

It is easy to forget that Doughty is still a TEENAGER. Heck, when I was a teenager I had no idea what I was doing most days, At least Doughty didn't react to Hardy's instruction the way Sean Avery did. After last night's game I feel Doughty and the Ducks' Ryan might go 1-2 in the Calder race for rookie of the year which should cause the heads of the so-called experts back east and in Canada to literally blow off their shoulders.