Here’s my LAKings.com game story from tonight, with stats and video included. Thanks for reading!
LATEST NEWS- Kings Playoff Quiz – 2013 May 19, 2013
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Where do Daryl and Nick do their work hammond? I heard sirens.
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I’ve noticed that at the end of every game, Randy Jones waits by the bench and high fives everyone on their way back in. What’s up with that?
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Bernier another shutout. Azevedo and Holloway on fire.
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Clune was a study in contrasts tonight. His timing withhis teammates seemed off as to his timing entering the zone and on shift changes. But, his timing on going to the net and checking was perfect. His timing on the quincey hit on the first shift of the 3rd was classic. He waited until Q turned up ice a little bit so he could open up Q’s inside shoulder and drill him into the boards. Also, on the first goal he was two strides behind Richie and had inside ice on his man in case there was a rebound. Great effort, great game.
Scuds was not there mentally tonight. I think this is the first time I can say that. Even he looked like he was saying, “What the heck was I thinking on the boarding penalty?” He also let a player get inside of him in the D zone.
Anyway, it was a fun game. I wish all the boys good health on and off the ice over the next couple of weeks.
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We waive Segal and he turns around and has a goal and an assist tonight for Dallas.
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Segal is gone, forget about him. Our guys played a good game tonite. It was a needed win, for sure, going into the break.
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Nice work, as usual, RICH, thank you!
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Just saw that Rich is one of the insiders on that NHL twitter page nhl.com links together for the deadline.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=58679
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Let me clarify. His are the most recent as I type. Can’t promise you can find them when you read this (it is after midnight).
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The Stars played the Yotes. Segal’s game winner was to help the Kings in the standings. Nice guy.
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Wow jet! Put him on wavers and he still wins for us! He got 2 points to make sure the ‘yotes didn’t! Thanks Segal! lol
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REM — did you notice that “one of the personalities” of the poster with multiple screen IDs brought up Segal in the ‘Doughty postgame quotes’ thread? This poster use to always threw out Kovi could have been our savior. But Kovi has 1 goal in 6 games with the Devils. He was a minus 2 tonight. More importantly, Jersey was 35-17-3 without Kovi and 2-4-0 with him. I don’t hear Kovi would have given us the cup any more. The silence is deafening, but enjoyable.
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Kris — Mikus sent Segal a stick for his next adventure. The Mikus touch worked.
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Was at the game tonight. Was a great game to watch. I’m liking Clune a lot. He’s a smart kid and quick enough to play in this league.
Decided before the game I would really watch Fro. He was invisable. Did next to nothing. He look like a player who has packed it in for the rest of the season.
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Big deal. Segal had a goal and assist. Clune had 2 assists, drew penalties, fought, agitated and contributed. So far, he seems consistent. Something Segal wasn’t. I agree with the other posters, he’s gone for a reason, so let’s move on. On that note, Kovi who???
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KC23- noticed that too about Fro…BUT…what also noticed is him taking the body and forchecking TONS more…i think he’s playing his role and just needs to balance the scoring. He’s year behind Kopi in accepting the system…
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DL’s rebuild is finally starting to come together, and what does he say is the right way to rebuild? Through the draft, right? You build a team from your goalie and on out, well look at the goaltending for the Kings & Monarchs tonight, both Quick and Bernier got shutouts, Quick making 22 saves and Bernier making 34..
Do you think Moller and Clune get sent back down to Manchester? OR does the roster freeze mean you can’t even send players down either?
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Makes the whole season that much better when you win before going into the break. Great momentum. This is the best I have felt about the team in a long time.
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Dont be hating on FRO, he does what he does and nobody can get him off the boards with the puck when he cycling in offensive zone. I don’t see the same critique of Kopitar, when he went on a streaky 10 game skid of not scoring(Before our successful winning streak)
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i wonder why didnt the kings picked up cheechoo from the senators. he was placed on waivers just before the olympic break
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It’s a team game, no doubt, and the Olympics is a whole ‘nother thing, but you gotta be impressed with Quick’s results versus the other Olympic-discussion goalies. Beats Boston/Thomas (twice) and Buffalo/Miller (once) in shoot-outs, where at that point, the goalie really can win you games, and he shuts-out Colorado/Anderson who many felt could go to the Olympics. Quick has really justified his selection
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I’m guessing Moller & Clune get called back down for a little bit
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gcheng…notice nobody picked up Cheechoo. There is certainly a reason. Perhaps it’s because he gets paid like 4M and has 9 points this year.
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by the way – super classy by the Kings that during their Olympic send-off after the game they also included clips for Avs players along with Kings.
it’s an interesting relationship the teams have – it started out with the Blake thing but the Deadmarsh Night at Staples (2 yrs ago?) was sorta a tribute to his time with both the Kings and Avs (as the the game was a Kings/Avs game)
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Tookie,
Regarding Fro: Last night: I didn’t see him taking much of anything, save maybe once. For the most part he stood at the top of the slot guarding empty ice when his line mates did the dirty work down low.
Clune played far better than Fro. Can’t imagine why TM is letting him get away with that weak of game. He seems to have completely gone away with the cycle down low.
On the positive side I don’t know what has happened to JJ, but ever since DL took a pot shot at him in the press he is playing outstanding in his own end. He did get caught up ice once, but not by much and was close enough to effect the Avs rush coming the other way.
Did I hear right on the radio on the way home? Is JJ playing the opposite side and that is why his game has improved so much?
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Great game last night all around. I was really impressed with the PK on the 5 min major as well as Moller’s knucklepuck goal. I am also impressed with Clune’s play and I think he may be a good playoff agitator/pest. He plays with grit, hits, fights, and so far no dumb penalties. Great way to head into the break.
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Well, I’m glad my premonition about the Kings calling it in last night was completely wrong. Overall, that might’ve been the best all-around game the Kings have played since the Rangers game. Still not sold on Clune, though. Guys who live on the edge like he does usually cross the line one too many times and end up being a liability. We’ll see…
That said, it’s amazing how far this team has come in less than a year. The Kings are just one point shy of last season’s TOTAL. With 21 games to go, 100 points is not out of the question. Fantastic. TM would be a serious contender for the Jack Adams Trophy if PHX wasn’t such an amazing story in its own right.
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i havnt seen any posts mentioning that Johnson has been paired with DD. This is why JJ is playing better…
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Forget about Frolov for now, come playoff time, I think a player like Fro is going to be huge for us. Look for him to be an impact player in the post-season.
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I hope you’re right bob, but I wouldn’t count on it.
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Great posts by everyone the past couple of days, Kris, 23, Holly, W, Shakes, everyone.
Are the olympics over yet?
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Jet
Good point about Kovy. That was my fear if the Kings got him. The players around him are changing their game and deferring to Kovy…On the other hand, Kovy is trying to get them for involved instead of just playing his game.
That’s why he was a better option after the season with time to gel.
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Great game by the Kings. Just a great team effort, and perfect way to go into the Olympic break.
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Great game by the guys last night. They came out to play hard from the beginning. The best player was their best player..Kopitar.
Good game for Clune. He was involved and on the ice when good things were happening.
I like the D pairing of JJ and Doughty…Once they get some time together, they are going to be a nightmare for teams to defend against.
Another solid performance by Quick. He was good when he had to be and deserved the shutout.
I’m probably putting the cart before the horse a little here, but I think the playoffs are well within our sight and I think this team can do some special things once they get there. With a core of Kopi/Doughty/Quick..I’m confident that they have great things ahead of them.
Enjoy the break and come back ready to play.
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Thank heavens the Kings won so we don’t have to listen to the haters for 2 weeks telling us who to trade, and which Brass to fire…
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Well, the penalty that earned the Kings a 2-minute minor was worse than the play that earned the Avs a 5-minute major, and it was Durno’s second deliberate penalty, obviously in retaliation, so The Kings should send a tape in to the league WRT that. I don’t know what was up with that, but I’m glad it didn’t figure into the score. In fact, it looked like the Avs inability to get anything going on the major penalty cost them the game, since the Kings picked up some energy on it and scored a shift or two later.
The Avs announcers were actually very gracious–it was those guys’ best game I’ve seen (since I live in the Avs blackout zone, I had to suffer through it, though I also recorded the FSW replay that came on later, and watched it, too.)
I’d say the Kings outplayed the Avs, but not as severely as the score shows. Let’s just say they beat them, but the Avs didn’t exactly suck. Again, the power play was the difference. What a difference WRT that, since the last couple games! Quick was great, of course. The Kopitar goal was incredible. One of the Avs young players–forgot which one, made a sick Kopitar-like move in front of the net, but mishandled the shot. Next year, he’ll probably be burying that shot.
Kings look in good shape to catch Phoenix and stay ahead of the rest, approximately, before the season’s end (though it’s still 1/4 season to go.)
Overall, a very good game; I’d give it an “A” without reservation.
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Belexes
I couldn’t agree more,but I still think you’ll see it till the trade deadline is past.Then as soon as we lose again they’ll say we should of got Kovi or some other guy we didn’t get.
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Rich,
two questions you may or may not get the chance to ask, but might be interesting to have answered.
(to Rich Clune) Was that your first multi-point game as a professional, and did you ever expect it would come in an NHL game?
(to Dustin Brown) Given the opportunity, in the heat of patriotic passion, if the situation presents itself, will you hit Drew Doughty with the same verve and gusto that you hit opponents during a National Hockey League game?
Thanks,
Marc
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The good thing about Brownie is that he hits it if it moves and is wearing an opponent’s jersey: yet, he never hits dirty. If he sees a hit on Doughty, he will take it, but it will be a clean hit.
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Kings within 1 point of Yotes but with 2 games in hand. As long as they stay at least that close, they have a potential 4 points that the Coyotes can do nothing about.
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I think Cluney is here to stay! Could be a HUGE addition to the 4th line
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Van
If Canada wins Gold I’ll be the first to let you gloat.If the US wins though,I hope you know I will be more than happy to rub lemon juice in any open wounds you might sustain from the loss.
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Marc, that was not Cluner’s first multi-point pro game.
He had a Gordie Howe against Providence this December.
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I think he meant NHL pro. Those were his first 2 points ever in the NHL, but only his 2nd game.
Seen a couple of good games from Clune, but consistency will take time to prove. We’ll see.
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DOM,
haha trust me, if we lose I will be so devasted emotionally that the lemon juice might actually feel kinda good to distract me from the pain of a loss…Lets be honest, the world wants to see Canada vs Russia in the finals. Crosby vs. Ovechkin.
Quick shout out to Bo Bandy Jones for his play last night. 3 blocked shots. Some quality minutes. Good call TM
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Great win tonight — a needed win heading into the break.
Hope we can pull the trigger for one more piece so we can make an effective playoff run.
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Re: “invisible,” I hate when people say that. There’s more to the game, especially when a player embraces a defensive role, than being conspicuous. It’s also hyperbolic, in any case.
“super classy by the Kings that during their Olympic send-off after the game they also included clips for Avs players along with Kings.”
Yes, it was. I also noticed that the Kings players were getting applause and the Avs players weren’t (except one–forgot which) and either the Staples crew or the Fox crew went out of their way to mute all the applause so as not to bring attention to perceived insult of the Avs players. I thought that was also thoughtful.
@ bob, I think you’re right about Fro. I expect Fro is one of the players that “has another gear” come playoffs.
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I don’t know about that Kenneth, the sections that I could hear 106, 107, and 108 cheered loudly for the Avs olympians. Didn’t notice any muting going on, but that could be because of how loud I was.
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lexigirl, I’m talking about muting of the sound on TV (whether it was the field mic being muted or Fox Sports muting it.)
Just tripped over to the Denver Post web site (I live here), and they have trolls that spazz out on their site after losses too! They have their realistic fans calling out the trolls too. I LOL’d.
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Kenneth: In the upper bowl 321 there was plenty of noise for all the Olympians. Maybe your Korean TV has a sound level problem?? I was proud of the crowd for giving them all a fine and loud send off.
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thanks Holly for the memory refresher (i actually did know that at one point.) No, KC, I did mean “pro” — I knew that he was not one to pile up the points over the past few years.
He got pretty lucky last night with those two assists, but if he plays good positional hockey and TM continues to play him with people other than Ivanans, he might get a few more
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I agree with lexi and iceguy,
the cheers were pretty loud for all of the players. There was a USA|, USA, USA cheer that went up when the Americans were announced, but other than that the crowd was appreciative of all of the players. The second part of that was the number of fans who stayed. I would estimate 80% stayed and that is saying something in Los Angeles.
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Mrac Nathan — I would love top hear the answer to the Brown question also.
Do you really believe that first assist was luck? I that Dobe worked over his guy on the half wall to win the puck. And then he went straight to goal. No?
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Fro-haters go away. The line combos were all over the place and our “cycle wasn’t there on any lines, really. Still was fairly invisible, too, but there were a number of Kings looking out of synch. Besides, if you think Fro is worthless out there it just shows that you don’t know much about the game.
Great win, but really wasn’t a ‘strong’ game. Quick’s blocked save in the second was unreal. Could have saved the game right there.
TM doesn’t always wow me with his lineup selections, but his system has sure impressed. We play such solid 2 way game, I love it. And Kopitar is playing like the game-changer he IS. Just makes me believe even more that he was playing through injury a couple months back. And, it looked like Smyth might be banged up right now as he had nothing on his shots or passes, so I’m glad we have two of our top forwards sitting the Olys out.
Kopitar = Ryan Giggs. One of the best players in his sport but his country never makes it to the big show. There was a great commercial during the last World Cup of Giggs at home watching the WC and juggling the ball all the way to the fridge and back to the couch.
Good game for Jones and no big miscues. I’d prefer Harry but good to see Jones can focus in and play well, because we need the depth.
Anyone know a good link for the Olympic hockey broadcast schedule in the states?
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Re: assists. It seems like they’re handing them out like candy on Halloween. If Richardson passes to Scuds and then tips in his shot, should there be a tertiary assist? Not ten years ago.
If Doughty’s shot goes ten feet over the net, and Johnson picks up the loose puck, skates behind the net and passes to Kopi who leaves a defenseman spinning and shoots through a screen for a goal, should Doughty get an assist? Maybe. The NHL, I think, wants more scoring so I guess maybe they’re more apt to hand out points.
Nevertheless, Clune looks good, and he fits TM’s style. He should try and stay out of the box, however, and allow the Mclouds to give us PP’s like a true pest. If he’s not on the 4th line the 5 minute penalty really messes up the line combos.
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Jet, you’re right, alot of the fans did stay after the game for the ceremony, which does say alot about the fans, in all good ways!!! It was a really good night all around.
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Iceguy aka Lexigirl: read my lips: the Fox Sports or the guy operating the field mic messed with the sound. I don’t have a “Korean TV,” and what you heard in the stands would not be the same as what they broadcast if they muted the sound. I still have the recording on my American ReplayTV unit.
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