In two consecutive games — first on the road, then against the defending Stanley Cup champions — the Kings rallied from a second-intermission deficit to win, and to win by multiple goals. That’s notable if only because — and I’m going off memory but I believe this is correct — the Kings were previously 0-4 this season when trailing after two periods. When you talk about becoming a hockey team that plays with confidence and wins consistently, that’s a big stat. Here’s what Terry Murray said on the subject…
MURRAY: “There’s a maturity level. There’s a real understanding that, if you stay with it, good things can happen for you. The other part of it, that we do talk about, is that you just have to go out and play good in those situations. Play consistently good. If you try to play too cute, too fancy, inevitably it’s going to come back and something bad could happen. So those decisions that we’re making, as a group right now, in those kind of situations, is yes, a sign of maturity, that by doing things with a simple attitude and getting it deep, knowing that we’re a pretty good cycle team now, it will pay off for us.”
Murray also shared his thoughts after watching the third period on video after the game…
MURRAY: “The third period was, again, the highlight of the effort. Any time you get results for your work, you kind of trend toward that period and say it was good execution and they really dug in to get the job done. It was a good comeback. There was a little bit of an instinct there that I kind of liked too, with not letting up after we got a lead. We stayed after it, and that was a nice thing to see.”
I’ve been watching Kings games since the 1975-76 season and those two third periods, back-to-back were just about as good as it gets. (The down 4-0 to Dallas with less than 10 minutes to go game was probably the most satisfying SINGLE effort, but back-to-back… this was a blast.)
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It’s nice not to see them tank after a mistake (I.E., the reversal in the 1st period.) It’s even nicer to see them play boldly (but not stupidly) regardless of who they’re playing. The ’02 team believed they could beat any team on any day. If this team’s not there, they’re close. I predicted before the season that they’d not only make the playoffs, but represent, and after the first game, I was disappointed. THIS is the team I’ve been waiting to see.
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Rich,
You are correct in that we were 0-4 when trailing after 2 periods. However, I think that we just need to keep the dads around all season, as both 3rd period wins came with them in the building. :;
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Dads held hostage, day 10!
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The difference in the teams was clear last night in the third. Not only did they keep the pressure on with the lead, they raised it up a notch and worked for the offensive chances. It seemed like the Kings energy level was actually going up as the game progressed rather than getting tired and slowing down. I wonder if the off-season conditioning had anything to do with it?
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Rich,
Any news on Martinez? His injury must have been serious if he hasn’t been able to return to Manchester. Do the Kings replace his roster spot if they send him down to Manchester?
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I’d say that’s a solid take, KingsKnight. This season, instead of backing off and back checking with a lead, they’re forechecking with gusto!
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here is the challenge !!! who knows how many points in the kings history the top line produced in 1 season
i am pretty sure it was the triple crown line dionne simmer and taylor however greatzy may have had a better line in one season as a king take these total points and challenge kopitar smyth and williams kings greatest line in a season i am betting they can do it what is the total points needed thanks
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The game’s evolved so much that it’s so different. Lots of variables, including defensive scoring, the trap years, strange goal configurations, etc.
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Off topic: i think it would be great if we had those 3rd jerseys full time!!!
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I love the determination this team showed last night. When they scored the go ahead goal in years past, it seemed like they were waiting for something bad to happen – for the other shoe to drop. But last night, they put their foot on the throat of the Pens and kept pushing until they heard the neck snap! Awesome! Quick just looked like he had the attitude in the 3rd that he was NOT going to allow another goal no matter what. I am still grinning!
GO KINGS GO!!!
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Im with you Johnny.
I must admit they look good on the players.
Great stuff.
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The G.M. mentioned in the past filling in Boxes with talent.What boxes(or players) do we need to upgrade on?? To me this team is only one or two players away from being a contender for the championship..Thoughts??
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Rich Hammond has a counterpart in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called “The Empty-Netters.” I thought you guys might enjoy some of what they had to say at the end of the game.
POSTGAME
-That was about as one-side of a period for the Penguins we’ve seen this season. The Kings completely dominated that final 20 minutes. They got to loose pucks. They attacked the offensive zone. The outskated the Penguins. They went to the net. They played like the Penguins.
-The Kings earned that win.
-The Penguins earned that loss.
-Fleury was okay. He was probably the Penguins’ best player. He had a hand in this loss, but he had very little help.
-This is a very talented Kings team. They have found a lot of chemistry with their line combinations by the looks of things.
-The Penguins’ defense was completely brutal tonight. They looked very flat-footed against the Kings’ speed.
-It might be time to consider breaking up the Crosby-Kunitz-Guerin line until Malkin returns. Tonight’s goal aside, that unit has struggled a bit. With Malkin out, opposing teams have been able to focus on that trio defensively. It might be wise to spread the wealth a bit.
more…
http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/emptynetters/archive/2009/11/05/penguins-at-kings-11-05-09.aspx
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Two things…. first of all, listening to the nhl network it’s clear that the nhl is starting to take the Kings very seriously. What a change! Hearing nice things said about our team. Also, for any Quick doubters out there you should really look at the highlights from last night. Sure, he’ll still make the odd mistake as he’s young and still learning, but boy can he play!!
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I hope Saturday against the Preds doesnt end up being ‘let down’ game after all the hype and emotion and the ‘non-measuring stick’ game. They’ll have to dig deeper to keep up the intensity against a not as exciting opponent on saturday. Rich, can you ask Terry Murray about how he’s prepping for that? How he plans to keep the intensity as high for the game against the preds?
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Rich. Can you ask around if they ever plan on making those 3rd jerseys full time?
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Very astute observation, Paki. In order to really move up to the next level, the Kings have to demonstrate that they can beat the teams that they should beat and not just get a one-off upset of the teams above them. In recent years, the Kings have had trouble staying grounded and maintaing the focus and edge that earned them the upset. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen tomorrow and we keep marching upward.
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I would hate it if we change our jerseys again to the “home plate”jerseys. Look at the historical teams. They don’t keep changing color scemes and logos every few years. We need to stick with the crown and royal purple!
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I was very impressed how the team played once we tied, and then when we took the lead. Very recently the team would go into a prevent defense and I would get really stressed out. Last night, when the took the lead I said to my wife, ok now if we can just hold on…
Low and Behold, they put the pedal to the metal and just steamrolled them over!
Awesome, I have been waiting for a very very long time for the kings to make a statement like this, especially when they have already been winning.
Now, another statement can be made tomorrow when I am at the game, I hope they continue to pass these tests.
At some point they have to lose, but another win against a team they should beat will just show that much more, the KINGS ARE FOR REAL!!
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I hate the third jerseys. It seems like black became the big color in sports when sports marketing people decided they could make a lot more money selling colors that are more everyday wear than a bright gold and purple, or orange and blue, or red and green, and turned to black (or pink, yuck, for women) as the answer. My objection might be silly, but here it is…
I think it’s cool looking at the crowd, either while at games or on television and seeing a sea of the team’s colors. At Staples, I’m always struck when we play the flames because there are big splashes of red in the stands. Kings fans just fade into the background.
Team colors are part of the identity too. I love purple because it is my team’s color. I have purple scarves. I notice women at Kings games carrying purple purses. It might be meaningless but if we are going to be a stand out team from here on out it seems like our jerseys should be as bold as our players. I say bring back the retro jersey!
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