30 Comments

1. Rjb says:

   November 21, 2009 at 5:18 PM

   Heading South! Please make a deal before we go 2-14 with smyth out

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2. Rjb says:

   November 21, 2009 at 5:20 PM

   The ivanans project worked to perfection. Zero talent, bad penalty, no fight.

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3. neil says:

   November 21, 2009 at 5:41 PM

   with 13 minutes left it was a tie game and we had a power play………

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4. Belexes says:

   November 21, 2009 at 5:52 PM

   That lost the game for the Kings, Ivanans took a penalty!!! uhhh, hmmmm….’guess a couple of the other players may have had somethin to do with it too…..

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5. brian simmons says:

   November 21, 2009 at 6:38 PM

   go kings

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6. wavesinair says:

   November 21, 2009 at 6:39 PM

   Nice write up Rich. Covered a lot of ground. Neil, you’re right. We were in it despite numerous stupid mistakes and then the shorthanded goal, which was the last straw. What really annoys me is they had a day off, a practice yesterday morning, and then they present the city this crap. It’s not like it was a back to back game, or on the road, or after a huge win and a let down or any other excuse. It was a game that could have easily been won and they didn’t step up. Sure, Smyth is gone, but who can say we didn’t have multiple chances to win that game? Minus stupid, stupid errors, we at least get a point. This loss is either on the coach for not getting the team ready, or leadership. I’m not sure which.

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7. James says:

   November 21, 2009 at 7:48 PM

   Some thoughts:
   Ivanans didn’t earn his spot on the third line, he really has contirbuted little on the fourth, so how can Murry put him up to the third….he was way ourt of his league…poor decision by Murry.

   Quick lets a goal in at the 13 second mark, he has to do better…or playoffs are out, I haven’t seen much from either of these guys, soft goals are a killer to the rest of the team.

   The Purcell opportunity window has passed, he is not there yet, he has had an opportunity, he can skate, b ut is not a closer and very non-physical

   When you lose your best player, Smyth, that’s a crisis management issue…Lombardi has done nothing to strenghten the team, if no one is ready on the farm, go get somebody…the season is at risk.

   Kopitar is now a target, putting Frolov on that line gives them no grit, so as I watched Kopitar get run into the boards tonight, I’m thinking it’s just a matter of time when he gets hurt, O’donnel gave a half hearted effort after one hit, thaqt aside, no one is backing him up…why.

   For me, as a long time Kings fan. I just want a competitive team on the ice each night, a team with character, a team with a stud AS A CAPTAIN, and a coach who doesn’t take a stupid penalty in the last 2 minutes, arguing a line change.

   Anyways, thanks for the chance to comment. James

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8. anthony says:

   November 21, 2009 at 7:53 PM

   Was at the game today and I saw a preety good game for 2 periods.

   The Good:
   Drew Doughty
   Wayne Simmonds.

   The bad:
   Justin Williams – by far, hands down, no brainer
   Terry Murray. The unsportsmanlike conduct in the 3rd period showed his true colors as an unhinged and out of touch coach.
   So Sad.

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9. anthony says:

   November 21, 2009 at 8:00 PM

   Cut to the chase, Terry Murray is soooooooo not the right person for this job.
   I wish DL would put aside Philly loyalty crap and just fire this guy.

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10. rick says:

    November 21, 2009 at 9:59 PM

    I am sorry to be saying this, but it needs to be said:

    1) This year’s Kings now look like last year’s Kings, perhaps a little better but not enough to be a serious contender for anything except another high draft pick.

    2) We need a new goalie (again).

    3) Our depth at forward is horrible. We have a few excellent forwards, the rest are journeymen.

    4) I never realized how little I cared for Frolov until I saw him play with Kopitar and Williams. He simply does not have a fast enough game to play with guys like that. I am tired of his constant hoarding of the puck around the corners. Move him.

    5) I am sick and tired of watching other teams like Chicago and Philadelphia turn their teams around in much faster time than the Kings. Lombardi needs to do something dramatic, and do it soon. The tease of the first 20 games this year is really going to turn off fans if it turns into another 70-80 point year missing the playoffs.

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11. DannyBizzler says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:31 AM

    ivanans on the third line is a horrible call by TM, purcell on the second power play unit is another horrible call by TM an i really wonder why he doesnt use simmonds there since he did so well in the preseason in an offensive role. also stoll made probably the worse play of the game not covering his man in the slot and letting him score that short handed goal, as a veteran player that was a huge mistake that changed the entire game. quick played good except for the first goal, but the rest were not his fault. i think we really need to trade a few players and draft picks and get a legit second line center. parse, stoll and brown need to pick up their game big time because that line is not scoring any points so we will not compete without some secondary scoring.

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12. Jane says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:34 AM

    Something is lacking here, that was well noted during the broadcast. Frolov, who has not been living up to everyone’s expectations, did what was asked of him today and had good game. I think today’s “Game Story” should have included that or we may have been aching from a bigger loss. I would hate to think that someone working for the Kings would not be able to give credit sometime where credit is due. Frolov may not be playing to potential and expectations, but he made the effort and scored, (Kopitar and Williams did not), give him a break.

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13. DannyBizzler says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:37 AM

    it may be time to shake it up a bit and bring up moller from manchester to center the second line along with fro and brown, put simmonds on the first for some grit with kopi and williams, parse zus and stoll can play shut down on the third line and richardson and who cares on the forth line

    i really wish someone would also send a message to opposing teams when they take runs at our star players like the open ice hit attempted on kopi tonight, someone needs to go straight after that guy and punch him in the mouth

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14. "I'm Just Saying" says:

    November 22, 2009 at 1:35 AM

    RJC76

    “I’m Just Saying” – 2

    RJC76 – 0

    I was so hoping to have to apologize. Please find a solution be it inside or outside the organization. This team as it stands will not do as shown last season. If Iginla or Bowmeister or Phanuef went down do you think Calgary would just try to work through it? It’s not like we lost Harrold to injury. We lost the Captain of the Canadian Olympic team..The Kings heart. Please make some moves “OTHER THAN IVANANS TO THE 3RD LINE” to help stop this bleeding. I know it’s early but the great start we had gave us a few games to play with in case this happened. Now we need to re-act.

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15. roadtripper says:

    November 22, 2009 at 1:36 AM

    I’ll basically repeat what I said on Hockey Buzz…

    The differences were EVERYTHING that’s important…

    Special Teams – Calgary showed how to move the puck on the pp, and how to pressure on the pk.

    If we cannot start making teams pay for their penalties by putting the puck in the net, then they’re simply gonna start taking more runs at Kopi and the other few skilled guys.

    We had NO sustained pressure (38-seconds does NOT count as sustained!) in this entire game!

    They won important faceoffs.

    AND they have a #1 goalie. JQ’s doing all he can. He’s definitely making some big saves, but he’s still letting in way too many that he should save. He would be a GREAT #2 if we had a #1, but he is NOT a top goalie in the NHL, yet. EE’s a low #2 or a #3. So we DO NOT have a #1 caliber NHL goaltender!

    Where’s all this great young depth we’re supposed to have? Not that Frolov necessarily had a bad game or anything, but why not bring Schenn up to skate with Kopi?

    I’ll be the first to say I believe in having an enforcer on the bench, but holy crap Ivanans needs to stay on the bench. He’s an absolute waste of valuable ice-time. We simply need more guys who, while playing a physically tough game, can possibly get us a goal now and then.

    I’m getting tired of hearing players post-game quotes saying, “We need to prepare better… be more responsible… play a whole 60-minutes… blah blah blah…”

    We have not looked good since Smyth went out!!!

    Are DL & TM gonna let this slide continue? Or are we gonna see some REAL CHANGE?

    A month from now it may be too late…

    Time will tell.

    GO KINGS!

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16. Paul from Oxnard says:

    November 22, 2009 at 3:53 AM

    Man. One loss and all the haters come out.

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17. number 6 says:

    November 22, 2009 at 6:08 AM

    Paul, agree with you…. but the fact is that it’s not just the one loss. There were two losses and The Way the two losses happened. Kings 5-3 PP for two mins, one poor shot on goal turned the game around. Next game, Calg 5-3 scores in 17 secs, while Kings on PP give up a shorty in a tie game. I mean, it IS only two games, but they have both been at home as well, and clearly the Kings weren’t ready to play from what the Players say yesterday, which makes you ask how many times can you hear that during a season. Most of them have a minimum of two to four years as pros under their belts, and many of them are vets, so I think that’s why people get upset.

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18. Player-X says:

    November 22, 2009 at 8:05 AM

    It really is tough to be a Kings fan. Seems now like we have gone full circle from Opening Night against Phoenix. Last year, we had that 5 game trip playing the East Coast teams where we did so well, then that turned out to be the last good stretch of play all year. Now, we play great for a stretch and beat Pittsburgh, but since then it has been a slow decent into mediocrity.
    I am just going to try to remember that this year is meant to be the first of many, that the plan is working, and that solid improvement has been made from last year. It is a good sign to be disappointed with our current record, over .500 with so many road games played, showing the expectations are justified for better.
    Power Play is weak, slow, simple and mechanically predictable. And Kompon? Let’s just say that Dave Tippett used to have his job, and I do not see Kompon following the same career path.
    Penalty Kill seems to belong at the bottom.
    Frolov is doing everything possible, everything he is asked to do, and doing it well. Still, he is always blamed. I wonder if “Frolov” is actually Russian for “scapegoat”, otherwise the jersey guy should change the lettering on his jersey.
    Jack Johnson is still young, very young, but it seems to show more lately.
    The line combinations seemed awkward, but lack of familiarity does not create ineptitude with basic puck handling. Passes bouncing off sticks, passes over-leading guys resulting in giveaways, passes into the linesman and referee, we went from a puck-control team to being the Keystone Kings again.
    Dustin Brown has got to make some serious adjustments in his thinking and his game. He is playing at 110 miles an hour, but the game is “egg-toss”. He zooms past the play, he zooms into point shots with no net-front screens, he zooms past the net when others shoot and misses rebounds, he zooms all over the place looking for a play that can’t happen because he isn’t taking time for it to develop. His post-game quotes make it sound like he is completely baffled as to what is going on, and he just spouts cliches such as “more energy”… The last thing we need is more running around all over the place; he needs to lead the team back into a puck-controlling, play-making, clock-eating winner. To use a football term, we need to work on the ground game and play-action passes, the run-and-gun only works after the fundamental game is established.
    And Quick? I never knew it was going to be short for “quick goals against”. I like the guy, but c’mon kid, get your chit together.
    Purcell is fun to watch. It is so entertaining to see him actually skate near people and lightly brush them in the corners. Maybe he rubs a balloon on the bench and is trying to zap them with a small electric shock, I dunno.
    I actually like this team, and I am trying to believe in them, but this is starting to look like every other year. Hockey is a thinking man’s game, and we need to improve our “vocabulary” of how to win games.
    I ramble because I care.

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19. Paul from Oxnard says:

    November 22, 2009 at 8:07 AM

    I got news for you guys: No team has EVER gone 82-0! The Kings have had some bad losses this season, but this was not one of them. Yesterday they just got beat by a better team. Deal with it.

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20. HBfan says:

    November 22, 2009 at 9:55 AM

    What leaves a sinking ship faster? a rat or a so-called Kings fan/expert? So we laid egg yesterday. It happens. Are we the favorite to win the Cup? No. Are we gonna make the playoffs? Most likely. Young teams lose focus sometimes througout an 82 games season. They’ll bounce back. Have a little faith. I have some suggested reading for all of you who scream the sky is falling everytime we hit a bump in the road, although it may be above some of your reading comprehension levels. It is called “Everybody Poops”. Check it out it. It may help you deal with these types of situations

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21. jet says:

    November 22, 2009 at 11:06 AM

    #6 – We are a very young team. At the start of the season on half of the players had less than 100 games of experience. The inexperience shows up as incosistency.

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22. "I'm Just Saying" says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:03 PM

    Paul from Oxnard…

    Not 1 game lost but 5 of the last 8 and 2 of the 3 wins were in a shoot out. Yes it is an 82 game schedule..I know because I have not had to purchase any additional tickets for playoffs in almost 7 years. The problem being when are the main cogs in this organization going to tell truths? Rich you cant sit on the side-lines and become one of them..Please…

    Ivanans? This is the best move we have to allow the 4th line more min to take the pressure off the top 2 lines of min per game played. I am laughing outside but cying inside. This is brutal. We happen to jump off to a great start as a team but as I stated in game 8 ( If Smyth Goes down what do we do) That qestion has been answered..We move Ivanans up and hope for the best.

    PP Stinks
    PK Stinks
    Quality Scoring chances Stink

    Sniper? Bernier? Moller?

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23. rick says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:45 PM

    The line of Ivanans, Handzuis and Simmonds was brutal to watch yesterday. Three big bodies without big talent to match. Ivanans should only be let out to beat on someone – then sent back to his place on the end of the bench. He provides nothing other than fists. Is this really the best TM can do?

    For those of you who get upset over criticism of the Kings, I am praying they prove me wrong. But until they do, I think I am entitled to the opinion that this year’s version is starting to smell like the last 6 or 7 versions before it.

    And Rich – I join in with “I’m Just Saying” – those of us who read and participate in this blog expect the same kind of honesty from you as your faithful bloggers provide – whether it is positive or negative. I for one am less interested in the usual stock comments from Kopi and Brown than I am in some inside views and perspectives on what is happening with this team. Thanks.

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24. Rich Hammond says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:49 PM

    Rick, you’re kidding, right? Because I just spent about four days answering “open forum” questions, in which any reader is welcome ask my opinion about any Kings-related subject. I’m not a fan. I’m not going to rant after the Kings lose or celebrate after they win. I’m here to report on what’s happening. If you want to know my opinion on a subject, you’re welcome to ask me. I don’t sit in on management/coaching meetings, so there’s only so much “inside view” I can offer.

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25. What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:55 PM

    It’s gonna sound suckupy, but I agree. What I’ve seen is open and honest and lacking hyperbole. I don’t need to hear Rich ranting and lobbying for my ideas on personnel movements, etc.

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26. What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

    November 22, 2009 at 12:55 PM

    After all, that’s what you guys are for. ;-)

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27. rick says:

    November 22, 2009 at 3:01 PM

    Rich: I feel honored to be publicly castigated by you… You are right about the open forum – my bad as to that. With that said, I find many of the post-game interviews to be unrevealing (because the players and coaches keep them that way), and wouldn’t mind seeing less of that and more “open forum” type input from you after each game. I get that you don’t see that as your role, but just wanted to offer one person’s view. Either way, I will continue to tune into this every day.

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28. Rich Hammond says:

    November 22, 2009 at 3:18 PM

    Well, I certainly hope you don’t think of it as castigation. That definitely wasn’t the point. I’m just trying to show that expressing opinion is fine — and I’ll certainly try to do more of the “open forums” if folks desire them — but I really can’t do much about the banality of player quotes. I do what I can on that end. I’ll always try to be responsive to readers, so I do appreciate the input!

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29. rick says:

    November 22, 2009 at 3:57 PM

    I don’t know how to put one of those little yellow smiles into an email or I would have done that after the “castigation” comment…Appreciate your openness, and really appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other Kings fans.

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30. What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

    November 23, 2009 at 12:25 AM

    ;-) = ; + – + )
    :-) = : + – + )

    For starters.

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