Roughly half of the chicken scratch I jotted down last night dealt with the Kings’ ability to get sticks and bodies in shooting and passing lanes, or Jarret Stoll. Often, it was a combination of the two. An accurate representation of Los Angeles’ penalty killing success came during Calgary’s extended power play time early in the third when Stoll blocked a shot with his skate, hobbled to the bench, and returned on his next shift to dive and poke a loose puck out of the zone. If you were watching at home or in the arena or listening along, you remember the plays. They were easy plays to remember. Stoll’s faceoff percentage is a team-best 54.9% (amongst those who have taken more than one faceoff), he has eight more blocked shots than any other forward, he ranks second on the team in the somewhat nebulous statistic of “hits” and he leads all forwards in shorthanded time on ice. On paper, that sounds like an ideal third line center. There have been concerns over the amount of penalties he takes. Stoll’s nine minor penalties are the most amongst forwards, and he was dinged for five minors during a three-game stretch against Vancouver, Nashville and St. Louis. I welcome this conversation – and I understand it is easy to say this the morning after one of his stronger performances of the season – but I’m willing to live with the occasional-to-semi-frequent minor penalty as a trade-off for the committed, physical, gritty defensive efforts you get from the character, veteran leader. Please share your comments below if you disagree.