Not so long ago, the Kings were first in the Western Conference. They awoke this morning in sixth place, only three points ahead of ninth-place Detroit and four points ahead of 11th-place Minnesota. If Nashville gets a point tonight, the Kings will be in seventh. That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Anyone who objectively, realistically looked at the West at the start of the season would know that merely hanging on to eighth place would be an accomplishment.
Today, I asked Terry Murray if it was important, from a mental standpoint, to remain in the top eight all season, or whether it only mattered where the team was after the final day of the regular season…
MURRAY: “I think it’s important that you stay in the mix through the whole time. Obviously there are no guarantees. We just need to build on our game from last night. I watched that thing again today, and there were a lot of pretty good things that we can build off of. Maybe, on the checking part of the game, there were a few breakdowns. Again, there’s Frolov’s broken stick, there’s the power play where the puck is rimmed and we end up turning it over. The third goal is another dump in from the red line, on a rim, and that should have been a play that’s stopped, and our D go back and recover.
“When you get into the second part, from now until the Olympic break, every detail matters. Every little play, every pass. After the break, it will tighten up even more. That’s the message that we try to send every day. Passing the puck, receiving the pass, doing the little things, two feet here, three feet there, that’s the difference in making the right play and being out of position.”
good answers…
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But V–
Will they listen?
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Blah blah blah, just remember we were in 1st place not so long ago. How would you justify falling out of the top 8, TM?
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“I watched that thing again today” hahahaha
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Quiet! shhhhhhhh …their building on last night!
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give it up flakes go find another team
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B…
that’s the $64K question…(!)
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Kozun to Schenn goal. Can’t wait till we say that for the Kings!
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Arron:
2009-2010/Kings make the Playoffs, revive hockey in L.A.
2010-2011/DL draftees begin to make it The Decade Of The Crown!
The dream doesn’t die here…
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sas, not so long ago the Kings had played more games than the other teams in the conference. An 8 day layoff meant that many of those other teams “caught up”. It’s no fault of the Kings, that their 1st place standing was partially based upon having played more games. I don’t think justification is needed, if they Kings fall out of the top 8. Did you really think the Kings were the best team in the Western Conference? They are still exactly where many had them pegged at the beginning of the season. A young team looking to make the next step and make the playoffs for the first time in years.
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Mikus scored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Arron
This is what we should be seeing now. I love the Kings but if your team sucks so bad that they are in the lottery, they need those players to be playing here now. I reference here Kane and Toews.
I am watching the ‘Hawks Stars game right now. I am trying to imagine TM as the coach of the Hawks with his system!! I hate to be negative but I am reaching a very strong conclusion about where the Kings problems might lie at this point.
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Mark,
I have been a big TM supporter but today I felt the he threw Frolov under the bus. I have never agreed with that kind of coaching technique but then I have never been a coach so what do I know.
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I saw the Frolov comment and I can just shake my head. How many crap plays were there last night and he picks the Frolov 50/50 chance play there where he didn’t do anything wrong by TM’s own comment earlier on to single out.
I’m not a TM basher but he sure likes to make Fro the goat.
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Rich,
I posted a question in the open forum (possibly the last question of the forum) about Kompon and the Power-play. And one about the players fitness regime.
Any chance of answering those?
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So Nashville wins and we drop to 7th place, maybe to 8th if Vancouver wins. There seems to be some separation beginning between the top 11 and the bottom 4 teams, so the question is, which 3 of the bunch from 5-11 will the Kings be able to finish above? It’s not going to be easy.
And speaking of something not easy, imagine being a Blues fan- their record on the road is a stellar 11-4-3. Their record at home: 6-13-2. Imagine the griping on the BluesInsider blog
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bbb7,If there was a Bluesinsider log I’d poop in it every day.Maybe that’s what some people do on this sight.
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Arron
I have never been a coach or a GM and I can hardley skate but I like to hear myself talking like everyone else, so I like to hear what you have to say as well!!
This modern NHL is very interesting to me because there is so much parody; you just don’t see the scoring. And with the opportunity to get some points in the standings, even with a loss, it seems to me that many of the old ways of thinking about the game have no meaning any more. Once upon a time, if you had a great team, you could just dominate others. On the other hand, if your team sucked, you could focus on “the dot to board game” and have a chance because that residue of the uglieness of the old game could get one through, at least every now and then.
One of the very cool things about hockey now is that a team must be tough on the boards, but you have to score as well. The way I see it, successful coaches have figured out this alchemy and the old timers are languishing. The grind game (what the Kings are trying to play), just like the pure skill game, is outdated.
I am getting faded right now and I think I forgot my main point but I write this simply to say that hockey is hockty; if the goal of coaching or management is anything other than to put the puck in the net, then the whole misson is lost.
Peace!! Happy New Year!!
Jimmy Beam and cola go very good together!!!
If we had Jiimmy, cola and a Stanley Cup in LA, just imagine!!!!!
Love MarK
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Party on Garth!
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Mark: Do not drive.
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TM’s all too frequent negative commentary about Fro is ridiculous, but I got some insight into Murray last night while at the game. A guy sat next to me who claimed he was grading the refs and linesmen for the NHL. I thought he was bs’ing me until one of the linesman looked up at the guy during a break and gave him a thumbs up….Once I began taking the guy more seriously, I began to listen more carefully. He told me that the refs and linemen HATE Murray because he is constantly yapping at them. Seems that he treats Frolov the same way – with probably the same response from Fro….
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Rick
I gave my last car to the Goodwill when I was last in Caliofornia because I am a poor doctoral student now. I can actually travel much father for much cheaper now without a car!!
(I know, it seems counter intuitive but its true! GO KINGS!!)
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TM is a bad coach, said this when they were in 1st, saying it now, and will say this when they miss the playoffs again.
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Friends Dont Let Friends Blog Drunk.
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Alen are you from St.Louis.
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Is there a bad Karma sensor…cause if there were Alen’s comments would be creating some Bad Karma. (I’m sure you are a passionate Kings fan….but eesh and eegad!)
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No I’m not from St. Louis. Bad karma cause I speak the truth? Who has TM’s coaching benefited so far? Turned Fro into barely a 20 goal guy, Dustin Brown into a 20 goal guy, but it’s alright guys. I’m sure Raitis Ivanans and Teddy Purcell love having TM as coach. How else would any of those two be on a NHL roster? Kings are where they are DESPITE TM.
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Alen,I’m not disputing your comments.You have every right to voice them.I was just having some fun.I’ve just seen the same comments during the first 4 game losing streak this team went through all the way till now,and the one thing thats impressed me is how ressiliant this team has been.I have issues with some of TM’s dicisions also,I just don’t include them with “we miss the playoffs”.That kind of talk is just too much of a defeatist attitude.
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As I pointed out at the time — http://wp.me/ptucv-Oe — the Kings were not really in 1st if you took the extra games played out of it. by my way of looking at it, they were in third. Four points behind Chicago, the real first place team (again, according to me; see the link above). Now the Kings are eight points behind Chicago (in my standings), and since they have just lost three games in a row, that makes sense. The standings now (not factoring in all of tonight’s games):
http://wp.me/ptucv-O7
To sum up, by my way of looking at it (which is the right way!), the Kings were in 3rd and now they’re in 6th two points from 3rd and two points from 9th. That’s really how it’s been the whole season.
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I guess you guys are reading something else. I don’t see anything in TM’s comments where he is bagging on Frolov’s play or anything close to ‘throwing him under the bus’. He is commenting on the little things that led to goals against the Kings. Frolov’s broken stick DID lead to a goal against. TM didn’t say, ‘That bonehead Frolov broke his stick, then he made that stupid decision to come to the bench grab a stick.’ In the earlier post you saw how TM said the play can work out either way and here he is saying that it’s the little things that make a difference and some of those things are out of your control. i.e. “Obviously there are no guarantees. We just need to build on our game from last night.” and “Every little play, every pass.”
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Well, now we’re tied for 8th..
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I wonder if we should take a flyer on Schneider and claim him off waivers from Vancouver. He’s a good PP quarterback and may be exactly what we need to jump start it. Pairing him with DD on the PP would look pretty good. He’s definitely not hesitant to shoot and will hit the net 90% of the time.
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Quisp, don’t know if you caught my comments on other threads but I got a smile out of you calling me out on admiring my own comments (if you remember that). Well done Quisp. There’s a reason why we all (at least most of us I assume) like you so much on this blog.
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So what do we do? I hear fire Murray and hang Frolov from the highest tree, trade Johnson, fire Kompon, kidnap Kovalchuk, send Kopi to acupuncture and assertiveness training, get DL to “do something” and make Anschutz sell the team to someone “who really cares about hockey”.
Starting to sound just like FM music nowadays; we need some new oldies.
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BTW, the Ducks “somehow” were able to beat the Minnesota Wild………..
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We don’t do anything for now. We don’t exactly panic just yet. Just let the guys try to recover until February and hopefully with our injured players back and the ones that have recently returned back to full speed, we win a few games. When the deadline does come decisions will be made. I never said fire TM I just don’t think he is a great coach as some Kings fans seem to think he is. I don’t know what happens if this team chokes away and miss the playoffs again. Not the first time this year they lost three in a row, hopefully they recover just like they did before. This is just way to much like the season when Frolov, Demitra, and Conroy were lighting it up and we were in first place in the division but of course we all know how that season ended.
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I believe that season was also a Olympic Games Season and we lost Demitra & Frolov to basically season ending injuries sustained in the Olympics. Demitra was blind in one eye up until the last couple of weeks of the season and Frolov was out for a month and really wasn’t the same when he got back.
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MikusforCalder
Are you in fact J. Mikus?
If so work on your game instead of blogging, and
call your buddy Ziggy to see if he wants another
go at being a King.
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Lost of hockey to be played. This is a far more interesting season at least.
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Darn neighbors dog won’t let me sleep!A few things I’d like to see going forward.1:TM should release the reins a little and let his players be a little more creative.Take a Page out of the Phil Jackson(God of the NBA)play book and bring the weak side forward into the slot.Deploy a triangle,and let them alternate,instead of playing it safe and having all three forwards cycle along the boards,or down low.2:The defensive zone coverage is starting to drive me crazy.I would rather see some players collapse into the slot,than watch all 5 guys run around in the defensive zone trying to cut off players to the inside like they are now.3:The power play is flat out not working.When we had Ziggy,Allison,and deader we had one guy on either side of the net in close looking for a pass across the crease.More times than not that option at the very least forced the penalty killers to collapse down low,opening up the points.4:Last but not least,the penalty kill.I’d like to see more pressure on the puck carriers.Have a player going strait at him and angle him off to one side or the other.With another forward anticepating his next pass and automatically activating,it will force the puck handler to get rid of the puck faster than he would like to.Hopefully creating a turn over.Stop giving the puck handler time to survey the situation.That’s why we’re bottom feeders when it comes to killing penalties.I’m not an expert,and my Ideas probably suck,but these are the areas that could use improvement.I’m going back to bed.
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Dominick, power play scored one for one against Wild, and was 1 for 3 or 4 or so against Phoenix. We did that missing a season-long key component, Jarrett Stoll on the point. Then, we practiced for a week with Kopi on the point of the #1 unit, but Williams got hurt sdo now unit #1 and #2 both get shaken up.
Kings PP is ranked comfortably 13th, has been cycling between 11th and 13th for weeks.
Kings PP is just behind Chicago and has been flip-flopping with them. Chicago seems to be doing okay, let me check the standings real quick…Yep, Chicago is doing okay.
Kings PP is much better than: Calgary, Colorado, Phoenix, Buffalo,Nashville and the Pittsburgh Penguins, you might have heard of them and their talent.
Okay, so we didn’t score on the 6 on 3. Actually, I was also one of the loudest critics of the 5 on 3 for the Kings, but then they made alot of changes in the PP and it has improved, if not with goals then with chances.
My point is, season long the Kings have had a good power play and a strangely bad 5 on 3. Hell, at one point, and for weeks, we had the number one PP at home.
So, yeah we missed the 6 on 3. But in reality, we have a good power play unworthy of over-simplified ranting.
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What’s wrong with Schenn? I have watched every Team Canada game and I’m still waiting for him to show up? He looks very unimpressive. He gets knocked of the puck alot, he looks like he’s skating in slow motion. He looks out of place on this team. Is he playing hurt or did we make a bad pick at #5 in last years draft. I can’t see him doing anything on the kings the way he’s playing. Rich what do you think?
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Normal ups and downs of a young team.
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The 5 on 3 pp is a disaster (as is our 6 on 3!). Someone needs to kick somebody’s behind about that. Inexcusable!
Larger problems: lack of scoring from guys who are paid to score; the fact that JJ always seems to be on the ice when bad things happen; Quick time and time again letting in a goal within a minute after we score — a momentum backbreaker — and why TM keeps using Purcell (does Purcell have pictures of TM naked with farm animals or something?)
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First to 8th. I think it’s a disgrace, And all you people making excuses about the younger players–they all matured and excuses is not on the time table. If this team does not make the playoffs, Murray and Lombardi will join the ranks of the unemployed and that may be sooner than you think.
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Thank you for the ray of sunshine Gayle.
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Rich, I respectfully disagree. Would anyone expect Colorado & Phoenix [with all it's internal issues] to be ahead of the Kings.
Lombardi is given grace for a 5 year plan & these two division rivals have done it in less than a season.
We should be impatient. Let’s get real !!!!
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Gayle,
If they fall to 11th again, I do think heads could roll. And what’s wrong with being disappointed if they fall from 1st to out of the playoffs (and yes, I realize they had played more games than most so we were not “really ever in first”)?
Guys need to step up — we have to have second-half production from Frolov, Smyth, Brown, and Kopi; better penalty killing, better ice awareness during critical moments and better big-time saves from Quick when the defense lets him down — IN ORDER for us to make the playoffs. Detroit is going to get healthy and are going to move up, Anaheim is hitting its stride and we will be in a fight for the 8th spot before it is all said and done.
BIG QUESTION TO ALL YOU APOLOGISTS: If we DON’T make the playoffs this year, is there any way you can call this a good/successful season?
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Nobody here expected the Kings to make the playoffs this year. This team is being built for the future and the future is not this year.
We all knew the injuries would happen to Williams and Smyth. These players have not played a full season in years but that is no excuse because all teams have injuries. I am excited for next year because this is when the team is expected to make the playoffs. We will know then if DL’s plan worked or if it failed but don’t fret this year.
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Player-x,Your right.It was 3:30 in the morning and I was pissed off.Your point on the power play is valid.I think my frustrations are with the 5 on 3.I read my comments over again,and do think my ideas would still work apply there.I also think we’ve done a good job in all the other areas I’ve mentioned but feel we should change things up a little to stop teams from scouting us so easily.The penalty kill has improved but is still not where it should be for a playoff team.I’m not saying to completely change what we have.Just make adjustments here and there.
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Running Man –
Insightful comment about Williams and Smyth. We knew they would play partial seasons. We also knew JJ was a defensive liability. Everyone expected more from Scuderi and Purcell but you can’t blame the former for the injury or TM’s devotion to the latter. We didn’t know Quick would emerge as a solid goalie.
BUT to NOT be disappointed if they don’t make the playoffs this year — well, all I can say is that you sound like a beaten-down Kings fan — someone who expects to be on a never-ending rebuilding path.
I mean, why can’t we make the leap Chicago made last year or Buffalo made the previous one or what Phoenix is doing now? Heck, if we don’t finish ahead of effing Phoenix, I’ll be REALLY disappointed.
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Carol-
I agree with some of your points, however, DL said this is a five year plan not a four year plan. As for Scuderi, I thought it was a reach and a (have to sign a free agent) move by DL. I remember another defensemen that the Kings picked up from a great Ottawa team that did not do that well with the Kings although Scuderi seems to be better than that player.
I don’t think much was expected from Purcell this year. I liked that kid Moulson who is tearing it up for the Isles. The bottom line is that Chicago has better players and that Buffalo and Phoenix play harder than the Kings do. I remember when the Kings motto was they were hard to play against. It does not seem like that this year. If Quick does not play like he has they would have been out of the playoff run by late November.
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@ Running Man, with all due respect, most Kings fans are sick and tired of the “Wait until next year” song and dance. The rebuilding process has been gone on for too, too long now. I as a long time King fan will not settle for mediocrity nor a team which is not committed to winning, even being in the playoffs. It sounds like now everyone is writing this team off and even the players act like they are giving up now (See what Kopitar said in the Times about being “heartbroken” on Monday–that just ticked me off as a fan because it sounded like he wanted to be in the same old situation instead of saying hey, we as a team need to find ways to win and not make the same o’le mistakes game after game)Now, I have to admit that players like Simmer are coming into their own and are committed, but what about the veterans? Do they care about winning, or do they care about that six figure salary because they think that being in LA is like a “graveyard” because of the young players and finally they want to challenge to get a playoff spot? I think the vets and the young ones need to check their priorities and not be the laughing stock of the leauge again.
And they should be asking this question–”Are we as a team committed to winning here in this town or are haunted by the same old, same old thing?”
Folks, the future should be now and no excuses.
Secondly, I don’t think the Kings should consider getting Schneider because face it, the man is 40 years old, has an injury and the Kings may not afford to pick up his 1.55 million salary.
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We are under the cap so we can pick up his salary, but I don’t want him. He’s past his prime and S L O W.
But we do need a sniper desperately and we need Scuderi back at full strength and a coach who can teach 5 on 3 and some smelling salt for Frolov.
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@ Carol, its sad about Schinder, but if some team is fool enough to pick him up, God bless them. The big money teams will not pick him up or those who has financial problems will not get him, that’s for sure.
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