The Loop
LA Kings forward Tyler Toffoli slams stick in anger in the penalty box, stick then snaps on his next breakaway
LA Kings forward Tyler Toffoli, by his standards, is having a down year. After scoring 23 or more goals in three of the last four seasons, Toffoli has found the back of the net just 12 times in 65 games this season. His last goal came on February 11th, and he's tallied just one total point in his last nine games.
That could explain why Toffoli is getting frustrated, something you could clearly see on Saturday night during the Kings' home game against the Chicago Blackhawks. With less than three minutes in the second period, Toffoli was called for his second penalty of the night, this time for boarding. He didn't agree with the call, and could be seen slamming his stick against the glass inside the penalty box.
Fortunately for Toffoli, being in the box presented him with a huge opportunity to score an easy goal and snap out of his funk. When his penalty ended, Toffoli left the box and was wide open up ahead and a teammate found him on a breakaway. That's when slamming his twig came back to haunt him:
If you notice when Toffoli slams it he quickly looks back at it, probably because he felt something. Then on the breakaway, as the commentator points out, Toffoli might have known it was broken and tried to do the best he could, but the stick was clearly shot. Tough break for a guy who could have really used a an easy goal. The Kings went on to win, but Toffoli's nine-game goal-less streak continues. At least it's not his longest streak of games without a goal this year though (yet), as he went 15 games without one between November and December.