This falls under the category of “obvious,” but it’s still worth pointing out. The level of fun around the Kings, whether it’s on the ice in practice or in the locker room after practice, has increased significantly this season. There’s more joking around, more chatter, more guys hanging around the facility, and just a general better feeling.
Clearly, winning breeds that type of an attitude, but I wondered how it must feel to a guy such as Drew Doughty, whose rookie season had to be miserable in terms of wins and losses, but now is able to enjoy some fun and success in the NHL…
DOUGHTY: “Coming to the rink every day is a lot more fun than it was last year. Last year, you would come in here and everyone was a little quiet. You didn’t want to say too much, because we were losing and obviously we were down and not having fun losing. But coming in here every day, it’s fun. we’re loud, having fun in the locker room and the music is blaring. When you’re having fun at the rink, you’re going to perform a lot better on the ice, and the way it’s going right now is pretty awesome.”
At the same time, Doughty is aware of how quickly that can vanish, and how a team that has too much fun, and stops working hard, can risk having those good feelings go away very quickly…
DOUGHTY: “I don’t think anyone is going out there and being lackadaisical or being too cocky or thinking we’re too good for anyone. We’re still sticking to our system and staying with hard work. I think, due to that, and having fun, that’s why we’re winning games.”
Hey, we’re all having more fun, too. I like having fun. Want more of it.
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Queue “Good Feeling” – Violent Femmes
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This bodes very well for this team.
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Yuppers, you almost always see a team playing well and winning with a loose locker room, but that’s just human nature. Nobody likes losing, and the difference between even last season and this one may be small, but that is why the word epiphany is in the dictionary. Unless you “get it”, you just can’t see it at all, no matter how hard you look.
The hard part, don’t get complacent, kinda like the 3rd last nite. A nice lesson learned without getting hurt.
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I’d be estatic with about 41 more wins of fun this season please!
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Penalty by Kovalchuk just cost NJ the lead…. to TO. Good job so far
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All a part of buying into the system. It works.
Hey, didn’t we have some guy coaching who had a “great” system here??? Crawfish, Crawdaddy, Crawl Outa Here???
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I’m pretty much with Jeff here. Also, playoff fun I heard is the best fun so let’s have some April fun….so fun.
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rock on kings
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Tookie, I’m been going to Kings playoffs since the 70′s. Let me tell you, if you’ve never been to one, the difference between a playoff and regular season game is night and day.
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>Stache
You are 100% right!!!
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Sticking together when you lose defines your character.It also makes winning that much more satisfying.I hope all the SKY IS FALLING posters realize this next time we lose(hopefully after we win the cup).
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Here’s to hoping that the Kings will re-direct the focus back to the team after the Olympics.
We need you boys … make some history here.
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I do miss the playoffs, especially when the Kings do well for a time. And that Cup run in 93? Wow!!!
Electricity in the air……..can’t hear yourself yelling at the top of your lungs……..Arena shaking like an earthquake!
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You need to crawl before you can walk…you need to walk before you can run…ect…etc…
It’s called building a team from within. Many of us knew the last few years were going to be rough. But, if all worked out, and it’s only just now starting to, the rewards of sticking to the plan are beyond amazing.
Keep this thing together ONLY adding the needed pieces, not the flashy ones, and your looking at 10-15 years of this…it’s how Jersey, Detroit, San Jose, Chicago, Buffalo, Philly (to an extent), Pittsburgh…all these teams were built this way. Draft, develop, learn, grow together…walla, a bonifide contender.
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I’ve been watching and following the Kings since 93, I was 16. I was never able to make it to any of the playoff games but I watched them wishing I was there SO BAD.
My Sis and I are going FOR SURE this year if we make it. (she’s got the Hrudy jersey, I’ll be sporting Kopi)
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>mrbrett7
I am right there with you!!! Flashy is nice, but it don’t last. DL even kept saying, 2-3 years would be tough, but we really are building a bonafide contender.
GO KINGS GO!!!
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Tookie:
Give the Kings 12-13 more wins to be sure.
They’ll be IN, and you are about to have the time of your life!
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Do we really need “Kovi watch ’10″ to continue? I don’t really care till about the FA time period..
So is it the chicken or the egg? Obviously winning times and success are fun but having “fun” off ice while the team loses, although seemingly inappropriate, might be the best way to “become butter” and get back on a roll. Given that the fun times don’t distract anyone from putting in their preparatory work of course…
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Tookie: I have been to many sports events over the decades, but I can honestly say that the greatest spectator experience of my entire life was being at the playoff game where Deadmarsh scored to take out the Wings. I can still hear all 18,000 of us there that night absolutely screaming our lungs out for what seemed like an hour. Playoff hockey is an unmatched spectacle in sports (I am not counting the Olympics since they don’t happen every year). I am foaming at the mouth as I write this just thinking about the possiblity again….
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Rich.. Nice write-up on Kopi and his D skills.
Sometimes we forget of ALL the abilities it takes to be an elite player.
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Dominick, Thats what I’ve been talking about…”The sky is falling posts after losses”. Either the people that write in after a win vs a loss are totally different or these people are bipolar. It’s so funny to read all the calls for trades etc etc after losses. Its all about a little friggin patience, and some inner strength and confidence. Good thing the flailers don’t make the decisions, DL does. He’s cool and collected.
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I was at that game too Rick, what a rush!! Just thinking about it still gives me chills!
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It’s good to hear this because as a result of having more fun, you’re more relaxed on the ice, which usually means making smarter plays. You don’t want to let up on work ethic, but getting that relaxed, confident attitude on the ice is important.
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Rick:
You’re right – playoff hockey is unparalleled! I wasn’t at the Detroit playoff series, but I was there at the “Miracle of Manchester.” There were “only” 16,005 of us, but my ears are still ringing today from the noise when:
a)Steve Bozak tied it with 0:05 to go in regulation, and
b)Daryl Evans won it with his blistering slap shot at 2:35 of OT. I literally thought the Forum was going to collapse from all the cheering!
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Hey Rich
Doughty says that they play music in the locker room. Im curious to know what kind of music do they listen to?
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great, now I’m all super geeked about the playoffs already and have to wait like two months…
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also, lately I’ve been thinking back to the way we came back from the 8 game layoff and I must admit to being a little worried about the olympic break. I know we’ll have some guys playing IN the olympics but what about the rest? How is TM going to keep those guys focused to come back like they left? I hope they keep a workout reg going or the rest of the guys skate together while it’s going on. (how big of a shame is it Kopi isn’t there)
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Olympics aughta be good…
Hope Quick just gets to watch, he could use the rest.
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Hey Tookie, we’ve been waiting for the playoffs for the last seven or eight years. Another two months is nuthin!
Playoff hockey is what it’s all about. The regular season is great, but the intensity goes up about two notches in the playoffs. That goes for the fans as well as for the players.
I don’t care if we end up #4 or #8 in the conference, I just want to make it. If Dean can get us another top six forward I can see us winning at least one round.
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In the words of “the Cars” let the good times roll !
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Geez, I never would’ve dreamed we’d be sitting tied for 4th in conference right now!!! I thought we could make the playoffs this year, yes, but 4th??? Insane stuff!!!
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Jon- yeah I know, like I said kings fan since 93 so I KNOW. Just this year I’m going to BE AT one. Never really had the opportunity to go to a playoff game before so I’m pretty stoked thinking about going.
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I was at game 6 vrs toronto in 93 ,I had a sore throat for two days it was lifetime memory I will take with me forever.
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The curse of the Yotes continue
I’m calling it now
They will win in OT
I swear everytime the Yotes play someone in the west they win in OT, giving the opponents a point and themselves 2. Keep hurting the Kings
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the difference with the upcoming layoff is that ALL the teams have the same schedule.Last time we were the only team that had that much time off….
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WWAMD–
Yer ON! Blackhawks run away in the third period…
4-1 CHI
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we will just have to take care of the yotes when we play them
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WS on NHL network, right now…
Didn’t know he led the team in +/-…
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Four min pp for phe…
C’mon, CHI!
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-CHI killed it-
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Hey Tookie i’m with u. Never been to a kings playoff game. Lakers, dodgers, never kings. I’m going to be there in april. My family will get to see me(been ten years) and I’ll get to see the kings! It’z all good.
Alohas guyz and keep posting you’re intelligent post, it keeps a guy like me closer to what’s relly going on. Mahalo’s and Aloha
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why do the yotes keep on winning. No one watches them play. This is what Toronto feared and why Hamilton doesn’t have a team. A losing Toronto team next to a winning Hamilton team that treats their fans fan with reasonable prices…who would have a bigger fan base? Too bad Bettmen and any other commissioner is Toronto’s bitch.
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Jovanoski said that the reason they are winning is that they don’t want to move back into the snow…
Makes sense to me.
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WOW Burke’s son just passed away
Its sad, just the other day we were introduced to him and how cool Burke was by embracing him. Gone too soon
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I have been a kings fan for almost 20 years now and I have to say I haven’t had this much fun since the year we took the Avs to seven games with potvin in net. Also they are playing I hate to say it, But playing like the pens did two years ago
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I suggest everyone say a prayer for the Burke family tonight, as their son passed away today in a car accident. RIP.
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WWAMD:
Lookin’ more and more as though you are right!
Nice LaBarbie save!
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-wow-
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josh e.:
AMEN.
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Backo
I hate to be right
These last few games PHO has won again Nashville, Calgary and Detroit in OT.
So that gives them all 1 pt. while Phoenix got 6 pt.
NAS CAL and DET are all teams trying to catch up to us, while PHO is a team we are trying to catch up. PHO is also the team I actually fear most playing in the playoffs and it looks like thats who we are playing so far. I feel as if PHO is the biggest thorn in LA KINGS side. I truly hate PHO
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WWAMD:
I don’t fear the Yotes nearly as much as you do for the playoffs. I fear DET and ANA much more than PHX or COL. They have all that playoff experience and recent Cup wins. If their inclusion means one or both of DET and ANA don’t make it, it’s worth it.
Just watched the replay of yesterday’s game. The Kings forecheck like no other team I’ve seen this year. That is great playoff hockey (as long as you FINISH).
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Bako
thats where we differ, we play horrible against the Yotes. Thats the only team I fear that we can’t win in a 7 game serious. Everyone else in the NHL I think Kings have a chance. I just feel like Yotes are extremely lucky against us and Doan always shows up against the Kings
Remember a few years back when we beat Detroit in the playoffs. I know for a fact that Detroit fans did not want to face LA in the playoffs the following year because we played well against them. We weren’t a better team obviously, but we had their number. Thats the way I feel about the Yotes.
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oahu- are you from cal or from hawaii? I’ve found that Hawaiians who are into the four major sports usually route for the LA teams. just proximity maybe?
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battle of the former Kings goalie rejects, Huet and Labs..On now
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Yup another game the yotes win in OT….I seriously hate those Yotes!
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damn yotes!
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I can’t believe Labs won in a shootout! I can remember how awful he was for the Kings!
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WWAMD- I thought we’ve played them pretty strong this year (except the first game of course).
last game I went to last year was against the yotes and they CRUSHED us. I was so dejected.
I think THIS team can use that as motivation though this year. This seams like a team that when something bad happens they say oh yeah…and come back with the A game fast and furious. Just get all angry about being shown up.
The haymaker connects and we come back with a devistating combo.
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F- Aflac, you beat me to it! Odd that in his picture on ESPN he’s wearing his Kings’ jersey, when he sucked at shoot-outs for us!
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WWAMD:
Going on Thursday?
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Bako
Going where on Thursday?
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damn yotes.. i hate them soooo much and i think its cause of there anouncers…
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The EDM game/in the suite
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Would love to.
But A) I would probably get jumped by all the posters in here lol!
and B) I’m not from LA, I live on the East coast!
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Well, there ya go!
Too bad/I’d like to meet you.
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I’m planning on going to the Staples Center next year for a game. but If the Kings win the Cup this year, I’ll be on the first flight over to be a part of that parade. GO KINGS
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hmmm
Don’t rule it out.
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Going tomorrow vs Detroit. Its shaping up to be a hell of a game. Hopefull they will make it 9 in a row.
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Totally unrelated news, but Brian Burke lost his son Brendan in a car accident earlier today … just awful …
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=309095
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Was just gonna post that Alma. Tragic…
Lots of prayers & thoughts for the Burke family….
Damn…
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Bye Jonesy.
I’ll be making the game tomorrow. Yard house for liquid lunch; watch the Kings beat Detwa in the afternoon; and the Queen Mary for dinner. Hey, it’s a dirty job but someone……….
GoKingsGo!
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Phoenix is convincing me. Amazing that they’ve won six in a row and that’s only the 4th longest current winning streak!
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Phoenix is killing me. You’d think with an eight game winning streak, the Kings could get around them…now it’s going to take ten if you want more than a tie breaker.
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…and that’s only if Phoenix doesn’t keep winning.
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Going on the theme earlier
Drew Doughty = Steve Holt
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Damn them Yotes…….are they ever gonna lose so we can jump them in the standings? It’s that damn Tippet, he’s just too good with them.
Now we gonna have to shove 10 down to get over them. Hate them Yotes, pissing me off now. Our boys gotta put some whupping on the Dead Wings on sat.
GO KINGS GO!!!
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>WWAMD
You definitely wouldn’t get jumped by the posters here, cuz you are Kings so you are family!!!
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Kingsfanone,
Thats very nice of you to say. Thanks. And I do see you guys all as family, and I don’t mind playing the part of the pesty brother once in a while, every family needs one lol. Can’t wait till we all celebrate that shiny piece of hardware one day!
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R.I.P. to Brian Burke’s son. Died in car crash. What ever we may think of Burke, please put it aside for that one.
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Yeah, I just read about Burke’s son. Thoughts and prayers to the Burke family.
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I would also like to pass on my condolences to the Burke Family. It is a tragic loss.
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Condolences to Burke’s family. Don’t know if its been posted but NHL on the Fly did a nice video montage on the kings winning streak and interviewed Night Train.. AKA Simmer.
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Brian Burke is a great guy and great father. I read an article about his son Brendan a month ago and I had so much respect for Burke and how he supported his son sooo much through diversity. It is so sad that just a month ago I read about Brendan and his great father son relationship, and now we are hit with this tragedy. I can’t imagine what Brian is going through right now, and my thoughts and prayers are with him and Brendan’s family and friends. And lets not forget the passenger Mark Reedy and his family and friends. Mark Reedy and Brendan Burke were taken from us waaaay to soon.
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Simon Gagne needs to be a King.
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>WWAMD
That celebration could be very near!!! Nothing is guaranteed, you just never know, put all the pieces together and see what shakes out. It sure would be GLORIOUS!!!
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First playoff game was ‘Miracle on Manchester’. Hockey fan and Kings fan for life after that. No sporting event equal. Looking forward to FINALLY having some playoff hockey worth cheering about again. Wouldn’t mind seeing Ray Whitney wearing the crest…
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WWAMD:
Exactly what I was thinking, buddy, about Brian Burke and his son…
Thanks for saying that.
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God be with the Burke family now.
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I went to my first Kings game in 1979. In all the time between then and now, I have endured horrific GM’s. DL in contrast, has built us an incredible organization. We now have a scouting dept. the envy of the NHL, we now have Manchester and Ontario to develop the talent dicovered by the scouts, and for the first time ever— the patience to actually let players develop. We also have a great team on the ice this year, and the sky is the limit for this team for a long time to come. I am glad DL didn’t gut this team for Kovi, and I was pleasantly surprised not to hear calls of “cheapskate” or “AEG won’t break open the wallet”. Last summer when we missed out on Hossa, that wasn’t the case. I am glad to see that the majority of us trust DL’s vision for our team. I am not secretly DL, it’s just that after all this time, I can see this team finally subscribing to the right philosophy and I am drinking the Kool-Aid. GO KINGS!!!!!
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God bless the Burke family. I just lost my Dad a month ago. But I think losing a child would be worse. God be with them.
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What a tragedy. I’m so sorry for their family.
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Okay. I obviously don’t understand the meaning of plus-minus numbers.
JJ got a goal and three assists against the Ducks, who scored no more than four goals.
Why, then, did yahoo.sports list JJ as having a MINUS-1 for the night?
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All right. Two of JJ’s points came on the power-play while three of the Ducks goals happened while he was on the ice and the teams were five-on-five.
I get it.
But considering the numbers, I tend to feel the same as Jeremy Roenick does about this plus-minus business.
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Although our philosophy is to not worry about the other games/teams and just concentrate on the system and winning games, it may actually be a good thing that Phx is doing well. It keeps us driving to outdo them in the division and the conference. Even if they keep winning and stay ahead, we’re sure to be in the playoffs if we match them. And isn’t that the goal all along?
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I think +/- only really means something when looking at over most of a season of stats. One game means nothing. JJ played very well and I’m the first to pick on JJ if he didn’t.
Don’t get me wrong I think 99% of Kings fan give JJ way more credit than he is due, but last night he was very good.
The Kings look like a team that will do good in the playoffs. They play well in close games, they don’t ever seem to panick and they typically don’t give up leads (Ducks game aside).
The Ducks game they didn’t panick, they just lost intensity. After the Ducks tied us they only got one more shot the rest of the way and the Kings dominated.
The team that scares me most in the west for the playoffs are the Canucks. They own the Kings. I don’t think the Kings will have any trouble with the Avs. Yotes would be a close tuff series, not sure which way that would go.
Chicago isn’t that much better than the Kings. Sharks are much better on paper, but when they play each other it doesn’t seem to translate onto the ice(i.e. they look pretty close).
he Kings aren’t likely to play anyone else in the playoffs. Nashville gives us a tuff time and that would be a close series. If we see Detroit it would likely be to see who goes to the cup, wouldn’t that be something?
If we go to the cup I’m not sure who we would see. Caps are everone’s favorite right now, but I think they are peeking too early. The Pens are laying in wait.
I think either the Pens would easily get by the Kings. The game we won over them this year the Pens had major injury issues at the time and they were at the end of a west coast trip. Caps would also beat the Kings. Anyone else makes it all bets are off. Kings can beat any of the rest of them.
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I sure hope we can get back to the playoffs this year, and I really am feeling it. I was at the two game 6′s vs COL at the beginning of this decade. Playoff hockey at Staples can’t be beat – I remember at the time (not sure if it is still) we had something like 20-21,000 people in attendance to be the largest crowd ever to watch a game in the state. Sat next to Mr. T at one of those too.
Making sure to keep a Kings reserve in the bank account to make some cross-country flights in the Spring for playoff games!
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WWAMD- Very well said. I couldn’t imagine losing my son so suddenly and tragically. Brian Burke is a good man, and has given a lot to this sport that we love so much. My thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy.
As for the Kings, as bad as it may sound, I don’t really want them to win the cup this year. I think a huge part of the maturity of this team involves them finding adversity in the playoffs. I don’t want a Carolina or Tampa Bay scenario, where they win the cup then have a huge drop off the next year. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be great to see them go all the way this year, but I think for the long term success of this team a second or third round exit would do a lot of good.
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I think I’m going to have to get on a plane (yikes) in Manchester and head to LA as Center Ice and trips to Boston to see the Kings just isn’t doing enough for me. I’ve got my Peter Harrold Kings jersey, so I’m set to go, except for the part about getting on the plane.
GO KINGS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Prayers to both fsmilies in this horrible tragedy. Outliving your child is tough. Let him find the strength from where he least expects it.
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It’s kinda wierd that we haven’t played the Avs AT ALL yet this year and we’re done with our series against the yotes and sharks (I think).
Why is NHL scheduling always so wierd. oh yeah, olympics…but still.
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The Kings host Phoenix April 8th.
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Getting to the playoff picture. Remember, points don’t matter. They only count to seed the teams. At the end of the day, a 1 point OT loss is still a loss! What I look at is wins and right now the Kings have only 2 wins fewer than both the Sharks and Hawks.
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Tookie, I’m from L.A grad od grant high. Been a kings fan since 86. I admnit knew nothing about hockey before then, but been faithful every since. Been in Hawaii for 15yrs now. Blessed to have a decent job to keep me here and the aloha spirit is just that. But I will always be an angelean! Aloha guyz
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It’s been a blast watching this L.A. Kings team! Go get’em boys! beat Detroit!
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I know this is off subject, but I was watching the NJ-Toronto game and I must say that Chico Resch is terrible! He’s almost as bad as that knucklehead Hayward.
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Hayward’s not a knucklehead. Resch, though . . .
I was at a game MANY years ago when the Kings were called for a penalty. Chico skated off the ice just as an Islander forward passed the puck back toward the top of the slot — only no one was there.
The puck continued up ice toward the now-empty Islander net. Chico skated like a sunuvabitch to get back to it but he was too late. I remember him lying face down on the ice, the Forum fans cheering like crazy.
At first the goal was awarded to Rogie Vachon on the assumption that the goaltender was the last King to touch the puck. That would have been HISTORY, since at that time no goalie had ever scored.
Before the night was out, however, the scoring was changed and the goal was given to Vic Venasky.
I often think that if this had happened in Montreal, the team management would have burned the tapes and made sure that Dryden had gotten credit for the goal.
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The April 8 game against Phoenix may be SUPER-important if we’re still neck and neck in the standings.
Even though we’ve beaten them three times and they’ve
beaten us only twice, we’ve each won only twice in regulation.
We’d need a win or non-regulation loss to prevent them from edging us in the tie-breaker.
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It’s close to game time and already I’ve got wet pants.
You guys are talking a lot about winning the Cup, ploughing far into the second and third rounds, whom we should play and whom we shouldn’t, and all the rest of it — and we’re not even in the playoffs yet!
One bad week and we could be down the poop-chute.
Our Father Who art in heaven, please let us not choke. PLEASE!!
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Oscar needs to grow that beard out and braid it Viking style. That would be bad ass.
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Hahahaha! That would scare the hell out of the oppositions Dan
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Down three goals, then tie, now intermission.
I cannot take this pressure. I hate hockey! I hate it! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!
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