Tonight's game story (Jan. 28)

Posted by Rich Hammond on 28 January 2010, 8:54 pm

Here’s my LAKings.com game story from tonight, with stats and video. Thanks for reading!

Kings beat Columbus 4-1

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45 Comments

Galen says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:00 pm

Yeah baby!

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bbb7 says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:03 pm

Thanks as always Rich! Your segment between periods was great as well, you’re as SOLID as the Kings are this year, and we all appreciate it.
The Jackets came out with all they could throw at the Kings but they couldn’t knock down the Quick Wall, and once the Kings got their skating legs they played excellent positional defense the rest of the way. I’m just so happy to watch a Kings team that is SOLID front to back.
What’s that smell we’re starting to get a wiff of? Oh, I remember – PLAYOFFS!

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54FIGHTING says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:04 pm

Still don’t know how a penalty at 7:27 expires at before 9:26. Doesn’t add up to 2 minutes to me. Maybe it’s the timekeepers fault.

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I'm Just Saying" says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:05 pm

2-19 on two man advantage…and Kompon still has a job

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neil says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:10 pm

amazing how a team(cal)can lose 9 in a row and still be in the 8th spot!!!!!

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jet says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:24 pm

Looks like the book on the Kings is to score early. The Kings seem to own the third period this year.

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jet says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:32 pm

A side note – Jacob Muzzin has 2G and 1 assist in the last two games. He got the only goal for Soo tonight to give them a point as they fight for their playoff life. Sounds like Muz is going to fit in well.

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Surly Jacob (JDM) says:

January 28, 2010 at 9:49 pm

So I went to the watch party.

Nice little crowd, but the sweetest part was that my buddy and I bought an Ice Girl Calendar for $10 each.

With each calendar, we got 2 tickets to the game against Edmonton on Feb 11 (Wayne SImmonds bobbleheads!).

Not only that, they put us in some raffle, and since only a few other people bought calendars, we both won something. I won a puck signed by Smyth and my buddy won 2 tickets in the PR section to Thursdays game against the Ducks!

So for $20 we got the 2 calendars, $370 worth of tickets and a signed puck. You all should have come!

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badGoltending says:

January 28, 2010 at 10:01 pm

i was locked up

i couldnt make it

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Surly Jacob (JDM) says:

January 28, 2010 at 10:01 pm

Like… in prison?

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KINGSFAN IN ONTARIO says:

January 28, 2010 at 10:20 pm

kings all the way,better and better every game,keep up the good work…GO KINGS GO

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Colorado King Fan says:

January 28, 2010 at 10:44 pm

That sounds like an awesome deal. I would have been had I still live in LA. I will be at the Pepsi center when the Kings invade in March/April.

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Scaught says:

January 28, 2010 at 10:58 pm

Just Sayin, I was astonished to here that stat for the 5 on 3. I was thinking to myself that their two man stinks, lo and behold, Bob confirmed it. Though Anze did score with 1 second to go, did he not? Bummer Quick didn’t get the shutout. Worked his tail off, but O’Donnell had a snafu.

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RenoKingsFan says:

January 28, 2010 at 11:22 pm

JDM>> LOL i was thinking the same thing.

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Gary Livingston says:

January 28, 2010 at 11:49 pm

Dang. I will have to think about making it to the next watch party.

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5buckcolonnade says:

January 28, 2010 at 11:52 pm

Great segment Rich (you look real tall next to fox get that guy a stool next time!)

very nice to see this team pull out from the skid in the last homestand. Kings just beat the two B teams so another 4 points this weekend not completely out of the question.

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DuckHunter says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:10 am

I am giving full credit for our most recent success to Peter Harrold, that’s right Harrold. You’re saying, Duckhunter what the heck are you talking about?….well, I’m glad you asked. Detroit game, when Harrold jump into the play and buried the puck from the slot….rememberer? Of course you do. That beautiful finish embarrassed the hell out of our million dollar forwards, and since, Ryan had a wonderful shot against Toronto and Kopi tonight had outstanding goals of skill. Kopi, I was beginning to really question you, but nice shots like that will change my mind rather quickly. I don’t question you have skill, I question why you don’t maximize it, but tonight you FINISHED like we all expect you too. Very well done Anze, very well done. So I’m giving credit to Harrold for showing the boys how it’s done and putting a little competitive pressure on our big boys. Do I dare give him credit for Browns outstanding game against the Leafs as well?….

I’m happy for the boys with this road trip so far. I really enjoy the hard work they bring each night and when the skill guys do their part, magic happens. Keep up the good work Kings.

Right now TM and DL have to be front runners for coach and GM of the year, no question about it.

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DuckHunter says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:28 am

Oh, and by the way JDM, in my living-room today during the first period, I yelled out at the top of my lungs SURLY!!!!!!!

My daughter and her friend come running downstairs and ask me,”what’s wrong.” I say,”nothing honey, I’m just giving a shootout to a friend.” They both roll their eyes and walk away as I have a good laugh. Glad to hear you scored with all that merchandise.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:34 am

I liked Harry’s play too. When Harry took that first penalty, bailing out Jack Johnson, he kept the Jackets from scoring an almost-certain goal. Zeus was big in the recovery on that play too.

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badGoltending says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:40 am

yes prison.

state pen.

stilo style.

the bic union.

uni-ball rollers.

yes the state pen.

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KC23 says:

January 29, 2010 at 1:03 am

Yeah, I feel sorry for Harold always having to cover for JJ weak defensive play. I know a lot of people feel bad about JJs injury and so do I, JJ is just terrible in his own end.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

January 29, 2010 at 1:12 am

“The Kings remain in sixth place in the Western Conference, two points behind fifth-place Phoenix and six points clear of ninth-place Detroit.”

Was that correct at the time? They’re in sixth at the end of the night, but Phoenix ended up in fourth and the Avs, in fifth, are only a point ahead of the Kings now. Kings would have had the tiebreaker (like that means anything in January) on the ‘Yotes if they’d failed to get any points. Good to see the Kings putting distance between them and seventh (four points) too!

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

January 29, 2010 at 1:13 am

WRT JJ, hate to sound like I’m disrespecting him. I’d much rather he gets the mentoring or whatever it takes–provided he’ll take it.

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HawKings says:

January 29, 2010 at 1:21 am

Hopefully someone has an answer to this question relating to plus/minus and Kopi’s first goal. On the goal, it started with a long outlet pass by Simmer to Smyth. By the time Kopi scored, Simmer had gone to the bench for a change, was off the ice and Brown was on the ice. Simmer got the assist but does Brown get the + since he was on the ice when the puck actually went into the net? This same scenario actually happened to my son in a game where he started the play with a long pass from his defensive zone then went to the bench for a change and by time the goal was scored, he was off the ice but got an assist. I never got a good explanation as to who gets the + so I figured someone here might know the answer.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

January 29, 2010 at 1:31 am

That play was so confusing I had to replay it a couple times to get it right. I couldn’t figure out why/how Brownie was on the ice, and finally figured it had to be a line change after Simmonds’ pass. Thanks for confirming that. As for the stats, good luck finding that answer!

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roadtripper says:

January 29, 2010 at 1:35 am

Very sweet Surly!

re: the first two lines… It seems to me that Kopi’s game has definitely picked up since he’s having to keep up with the speedy Richardson (and Simmonds). AND it seems as though Smyth has also picked it up since he now needs to keep up with the wheels of Brownie (and Stoll).

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nykingfan says:

January 29, 2010 at 5:44 am

HawKings
Saw the exact same thing. It’s one more bit of proof how the +/- stat is the most meaningless stat in sports.

You have to like the way this team plays..especially on thwe road. They don’t get intimidted in anyone’s building.
Quick was the star of the game. Those saves he made in the first 10 minutes saved this game for us. We could have easily been down 3-0 before we even got a shot on goal.
that’s how you win…great play by your goalie..and when they settled down, they controlled the remaining 50 min of the game.
Kopi is showing he’s ready to be a superstar. That go-to guy we can count on.
Also a great game by Smytty. He’s been really goosd since he’s come back from the injury.

I have to give props to TM for the great job he’s done with this group of guys.
These guys are playing with confidence that they’ve never had before. they’ve learned to stick to the system and good things will come..and it’s proving to be true.
How incredible in today’s world, you don’t hear the slightest peep of anyone bitching or complaining about the coach?
To me, he’s the best coach in hockey. There may be a little bias in that…but you’d have a real hard time convincing me otherwise.

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nykingfan says:

January 29, 2010 at 6:08 am

forgot 2 other points..

Rich
That was a great job in between periods with you and Fox. That segment has come a long way since the beginning of the year. You guys were very insightful…thank you

Also Rich if you can find out from TM regarding the 2 man advantage and why after the referee originally mouthed one second remaining, did they allow the player out of the box? Evidently, the replay showed that the goal was scored with one second remaining on the 2 man advantage.

Thanks Rich

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dirtmover says:

January 29, 2010 at 6:27 am

Lets hope that we don’t need to score on a 2 man to win a game – I’m thinking late penalty and we go 6×4 – Cbus was killing us the 1st half of 1st pd – but JQ kept us in it- till we could find our legs – that won’t work in Bos or NJ- Can we petition for 82 road games – we are so much better away from staples its night and day -

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sasKing says:

January 29, 2010 at 6:35 am

+/- is indeed the most meaningless stat in all of sports… unless, of course, you’re -18 when a bunch of your teammates are easily on the plus side.

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Cynic says:

January 29, 2010 at 7:27 am

I think with Surly’s winning of tickets to the Feb. 11th game, it brings up an interesting thought.

Surly doesn’t have tix to the Insider Suite on the 11th, but he is part of the Insider.

EA or RICH, do you think there would be a way to get some of the guys who post here that can’t make the suite into the Center Ice picture before the game starts and maybe pay a small nominal fee to get a copy of the pic?

Not to add more work to this, but just a thought. Might be a much better looking picture and a better representation of all those who visit the Insider that Rich & the Kings could use for advertisement in future. If the only prerequisite is to show up at Staples at 5PM, why not?

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Cry Baby says:

January 29, 2010 at 7:33 am

Excellent road game! IF this team plays close to this for the majority of the remaining season (excluding for the first 10 minutes) they can be a force. Previous years the Jackets WOULD have scored three goals in the first few years and the kings would have lost the game. Glad to be on this side.

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nykingfan says:

January 29, 2010 at 7:39 am

sasKing

So what does that tell you?

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JT Snow says:

January 29, 2010 at 8:10 am

I agree in that +/- is a brutal stat… total gray area stat

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

January 29, 2010 at 8:12 am

It was a comment about Jack Johnson (inferred because his plus/minus is -18) and makes some sense to me. Again, it doesn’t mean anything by itself, but in context, it’s a “supporting stat.”

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Borut says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:06 am

LA Kings on the road to playoffs needs 82 games,wining Stanley cup needs(someone should know better how many games are there sorry)aprox.16 games, but seeing KOPITAR playing like real KING thats pricelles:)

Go kings all the way to the end only sky is the limit:))
SLOVENIA supports all of LA.(kings and Lakers,KOPITAR,VUJACIC)

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nykingfan says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:27 am

I still don’t see it as relevant..
It still doesn’t take into account, who JJ’s going against on the ice….who’s actually responsible for the goal occuring….is it a forward not doing his job? Is it JJ not doing his job? DiD Quick blow it?

The only way to make it a relevant stat is to go back and look at every single goal JJ’s been on the ice for at even strength and determine which one’s he was responsible for.
Good luck to anyone willing to undertake that task…Not me!
Also, don’t forget to look at the goals for that he’s on the ice for and determine how many he actually had a part in….

Or…consider it completely meaningless

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Carol Vadnais says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:30 am

Quick won the game for us last night. If he doesn’t stand on his head the first ten minutes, we are down 2 or 3 to nothing.

There is no question he has become our MVP and completely transformed his game (First 25 games to the next 25 games).

If they keep winning and grab a four or five spot, I’ll be extremely hopeful. If we keep winning, grab the 4 or 5 spot AND GET KOVY — we can upset Chicago and San Jose.

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Barry's Mullet says:

January 29, 2010 at 9:55 am

I’m in agreement with everyone…the +/- stat is useless, even coaches don’t look at this.

Last time I looked, a Vancouver player was a +26 and he has 26 points for the year. Now we know VAN has played a ridiculous amount of home games already this season due to the Olympics coming to town. Lets see what happens when they go out on the road. Other buildings are not going to be so generous with those stats no matter how good this guy plays.

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Carol Vadnais says:

January 29, 2010 at 11:38 am

I’m in complete DISAGREEMENT about the plus minus. It is VERY TELLING with respect to JJ. I’ve watched almost every minute this year and JJ is constantly on the ice when the opposing team scores and he usually is RIGHT THERE neither playing the man or the buck. Hence, his plus/minus rating is apt.

On the other side, Doughty is a PLUS 16. The reasons why are OBVIOUS.

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VanKingsFan says:

January 29, 2010 at 11:48 am

How do you explain Scott Neidermayers terrible +/- then? Is he really that terrible. The simple factual answer is NO

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nykingfan says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:16 pm

Carol Vadnais

so how do you explain Doughty’s brutal +/- last year?
He certainly wasn’t as bad as the numbers indicated.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:38 pm

“I’m in agreement with everyone…the +/- stat is useless, even coaches don’t look at this.”

You apparently don’t agree with everyone. I compare the +/- to my recollection of recent performance and team performance. Team performance has been good lately, but not Jack’s, so the +/- is plausible. I agree with Carol in this case.

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HawKings says:

January 29, 2010 at 12:55 pm

Hey Rich, I am sure you have a lot of stuff to do today, but if you get a chance can you find out about the +/- relative to Kopi’s first goal. In case you did not see my earlier post, Simmer got an assist when he made the long outlet pass to Smyth, but was off the ice when Kopi actually scored and Brown was on the ice. Who got the +? Thanks

For what it is worth, I always had an issue with the +/- and whether it is really relevant, but it is funny how I keep track of it when I am playing, or my kids are playing. Also for what it is worth, Dennis Potvin, who was a pretty good player, mentioned on XM that he thought it was a relevant stat, even when giving high praise for DD and JJ

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KC23 says:

January 29, 2010 at 5:41 pm

If plus/minus was meaningless they wouldn’t be taking the time to keep it. I do agree that it doesn’t mean much with a small sample size such as the first month of the season, but this far into the season it clearly shows tendencies.

Consider this: JJ’s -18 is the WORST plus/minus in the ENTIRE leauge for defensemen. There isn’t a single defensemen on a team with an above 500 record anywhere near as bad as -18. The defensemen nearly as bad as JJ are from the worst teams in the NHL.

So not only is JJ’s plus/minus the worst in the league for defensemen, he is worst in the league playing on a team that has a plus/minus that is +13 overall.

Make no mistake. JJ is a liability, not an asset to the Kings.

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