Off to Minnesota « LA Kings Insider

Off to Minnesota

Posted by Rich Hammond on 28 March 2010, 11:40 am

As mentioned last night, the Kings did not practice today, since they face a long flight to St. Paul and a game tomorrow. Matt Greene is expected to travel with the team, but his status for either game (the Kings also play Tuesday at Nashville) is still unknown.

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51 Comments

Scarletcat says:

March 28, 2010 at 11:44 am

Let’s hope the in-flight movie is a replay of the game last night.

[Reply]
rontheking Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 11:58 am
@Scarletcat, No! Silence of the Lambs! That would be less scary…

Speaking of movies, if the Kings were a movie right now they would be the Blair Witch Project.

[Reply]
USHA#17 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
@rontheking,

As in shaky? Like the camera work?

[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
@USHA#17,

rontheking Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
@USHA#17, Something like that…running scared through uncertain territory in complete disarray falling all over yourself with a shaky flashlight and a low budget….

On a funnier note, my girlfriend had a dream the other night in which Bob Miller was dressed up like a girl in a pink dress and bows. Try putting that one into your mental rolodex.

USHA#17 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
@rontheking,

Can I assume the two (or three) of you will be on UTube shortly?

Now, the ink blots.

[Reply]
USHA#17 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
@USHA#17,

PS Thanks for the laugh! It was a hardy one!

Buster Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
@rontheking,

It would be more like The Exorcist II: The Heretic.

[Reply]
Sebastian says:

March 28, 2010 at 11:48 am

A win would be nice

[Reply]
Barry's Mullet says:

March 28, 2010 at 12:10 pm

That was a pathetic effort last night. I’ve never seen our team play so soft. When our bitch the Dallas Stars kick our ass, when we need the two points more than they do, something is seriously wrong!

Its not an excuse, just an observation but the boys look tired. Lots of games in a short span seems to be taking its toll. I wouldn’t panic yet but its time to sit a few guys. Simmer has been MIA since the break and JW is getting way too much ice time. And what’s with letting the other team get away with beating the crap our of our captain…thats BS! Wow…how bad do we miss Greene and I dare say Ivans!

If they back into the playoffs and meet Phoenix or Vancouver, its going to be a short post season. Our young team still thinks they are smarter than everyone else and can just turn it on and off. They are as predictable as any team playing right now and they may just have to learn the hard way before they finally get it.

And can we stop with blaming the coaching staff. They got them this far…its now up to the players.

[Reply]
rontheking Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
@Barry’s Mullet, Hear hear!

My belief from early on was that the kings could and should make the playoffs. (Once that goal is achieved anything can happen…but most likely they would go out early in the first or second rounds–sorry.) But that the experience gained from playing in the playoffs will pay huge future dividends.

Having said that, if they can get back to playing the way they were–dominating other teams–before the olympic break…well, who knows?

Playoff style hockey is almost a different game because the checking is so tight…it will be interesting to see if the Kings can adjust.

But first thing’s first: the players need to fix themselves individually as players. I believe it will be critical for Quick to regain the confidence of his teammates, because without that the system disintegrates and the players in front of him become individuals instead of a team.

[Reply]
USHA#17 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@Barry’s Mullet,

Another factor is Detroit, Vancouver, Phoenix and San Jose have all improved since the Kings last played them.

Only Chicago is off due to injuries yet they schooled the Kings, too.

This Conference is the tops so enjoy the run. Its a building process that will produce an even better team next year.

[Reply]
PakiFro says:

March 28, 2010 at 12:27 pm

And calgary is up on the caps 2-0…

[Reply]
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy says:

March 28, 2010 at 12:27 pm

Look out boys…

cal 3-0 WSH/1st period, 9:21 to play

Jose Theodore is pulled/Varlamov now in goal.

[Reply]
runningman Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,

Here they come and the Kings grip their sticks a little tighter!

[Reply]
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
cal 4-0 WSH/1st intermission

This score highlights an important point, relevant only at this time of year.

With 7 games remaining, would you classify the Flames as a better team than the League Leading, likely President’s Cup winning Capitals? No? Then consider that the Stanley Cup Playoff teams likely will play 7-8 games in the last two weeks before the playoffs and as likely not completely into playing these ‘meaningless’ matches.

There are only 3 teams currently sitting out of playoff position with any realistic chance of making the playoffs: Calgary, Atlanta and the New York Rangers. They all need to run the 7-8 game table to make it.

The Kings are not yet qualified, but they are likely in and face 8 games in the next 14 days.

Kings Schedule:
MON MAR 29, 2010 –@WILD
TUE MAR 30, 2010 –@PREDATORS
THU APR 1, 2010 CANUCKS
SAT APR 3, 2010 DUCKS

TUE APR 6, 2010 –@DUCKS
THU APR 8, 2010 COYOTES
SAT APR 10, 2010 OILERS
SUN APR 11, 2010 –@AVALANCHE

Flames schedule:
SUN, 28 MAR 2010 –@ CAPITALS
WED, 31 MAR 2010 COYOTES
FRI, 2 APR 2010 –@ AVALANCHE
SUN, 4 APR 2010 –@ BLACKHAWKS

TUE, 6 APR 2010 SHARKS
THU, 8 APR 2010 WILD
SAT, 10 APR 2010 –@ CANUCKS

Similiar schedules…

Players are tired, and have not been in this situation before…

We as fans are tired, too… Of losing and not being in the playoffs.

Keep all this in mind before coming to any conclusions.

[Reply]
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Score update:

cal 4-1 WSH/2nd period, 16:06 to play

[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
If the Kings go 1-2-0 or 2-1-0 in the next 3 games,That will leave a playoff clinching series against the Ducks.Naturally I would rather have it all wrapped up before that,but would love to rub it in to Ducksfans faces if we were to clinch it against them.

Ducksfans absolutely hate me.They’ve affectionately refer to me as Domiprick.
Mwaaa haaaa haaaaa haaaaa!

Masked Man Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy, Thank you for reminding me of the randomness of hockey. That is the only saving grace for the Kings right now. Who knows they may come out firing on all cylinders the next time we see them.

[Reply]
kingo says:

March 28, 2010 at 12:33 pm

Well.. now its looking like a 5 point lead just to stay in this thing.. rrrrr.. coming from Calgary, i know this is a scary team that could run the table… kippy.. yikes..

[Reply]
garry says:

March 28, 2010 at 12:35 pm

We lack grit! So, I ask? Would like to have Molson and Segal back in place of Modin and Halpern?

[Reply]
rontheking Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
@garry, Seems like Modin’s pretty gritty to me…but s-l-o-w. Halpern’s a ghost.

[Reply]
backchecker Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
@garry,
notice what happened after you put modin and halperin in the lineup unreal dont fix it if it is not broken chemistry is gone when u had ivanis a couple of shits segal hit or two backs were covered now what baaaad move DL

[Reply]
Masked Man Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
@garry, Segal = Modin, Moulson > Halpern. Do the math.

[Reply]
RJC76 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
@garry,

Irrelevant dude, they’re not on the team anymore. Move on.

[Reply]
runningman says:

March 28, 2010 at 12:44 pm

The Kings are ok. We just have to believe in them.

Regards,

Detroit Lions

[Reply]
nykingfan Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
@runningman,

ha ha!

[Reply]
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
@runningman,

Are you actually Barry Saunders?

[Reply]
AK47 says:

March 28, 2010 at 1:05 pm

Freakin Calgary is destroying Washington

[Reply]
Klong says:

March 28, 2010 at 1:11 pm

Can’t really blame the new guys saying that the team was struggling even before they were shipped here.

This seems to be the second time where a lull in the schedule interrupted a good run and set them back a bit when the action picked up again.

To me, that’s the mark of a young/inexperienced team. This is still a very talented team, but we have to remember they have very little playoff seasoning.

[Reply]
backchecker says:

March 28, 2010 at 1:32 pm

dont panic we will make the playoffs or all the early season renewals will have to be adjusted lol
remember sign up early for season seats and get special playoff pricing lol helloooo !!!

[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
@backchecker, If we don’t make the playoffs do they take back the discount?

[Reply]
BRIAN SIMMONS says:

March 28, 2010 at 1:38 pm

calgary will win and the kings will be pressured to win tomorrow. they better pull it together orthey will be watching the plaoffs at home.

[Reply]
Masked Man says:

March 28, 2010 at 1:42 pm

Please sit Greene Mr. TM. I know you are desperate, but figure this team out before you put him in danger of serious injury.

[Reply]
sasKing Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
@Masked Man,

Is it just a coincidence that our PK has allowed 6 PP goals in 15 opportunities since Greene’s been out of the lineup?

I say, hurry back, Greene!

[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
@sasKing,
Good point there. Nothings a coincidence. It just goes to prove his value to the team… with a large callout of thanks to Darcy Tucker. The Rangers also lost two players yesterday to knee injuries on icing calls. I think they need to go to the no touch icing.
Maybe it worked when it was a much slower game in the 70′s, but it’s an incredibly fast game now.

[Reply]
Ziggy33 says:

March 28, 2010 at 2:06 pm

Let’s go finish the season with high energy.

[Reply]
number 6 says:

March 28, 2010 at 2:25 pm

Also, I am mildly concerned about JW. Granted he started out the year well, but I Still have concern about the injury bug w him. He was climbing his way out of that injury hole at the beginning of this season, he’s climbing out of it again. He Absolutely needs to stay healthy this time…. for a good chunk of time for that trade to be considered a success.

[Reply]
variable says:

March 28, 2010 at 2:43 pm

our record down the stretch in recent years…:

02-03…5-12 in last 17
03-04 (pre-lockout)…lost the last 11 in a row…12 out of 13…(!)
05-06…6-11 in last 17
06-07…2-7 in last 9
07-08…7-15 in last 22
08-09…8-14 in last 22

we need to get motivated by our history if there’s nothing else left to get angry about…in a season where so much improvement has been duly praised, it will be nice to see if the kings can end the season on a higher note than years’ past…something that should be achieved…

i got them down for 98 points…

[Reply]
Nitrohockey says:

March 28, 2010 at 2:52 pm

I’m hoping the Kings are using this time to rid themselves of “the funk.” I’d rather they stumble a bit in the regular season than the playoffs. As far as what it’s going to take to wake this team up? I don’t know. Not sure the coaching staff knows either or that they even should try. It may be best to let the players come together and figure this one out. I believe it’s time for a closed door, players only meeting. Yeah, some feelings may get hurt, but for the good of the team, it’s time to right the ship, and get back to winning hockey

[Reply]
variable says:

March 28, 2010 at 2:53 pm

watching the toronto vs.pitt game…and the toronto homer announcers claim that the leafs “dominated” the pens…

i guess the pens got “dominated” by out shooting the leafs 10-9 after the first…

my heart wants to sing “oh, canada”…but my brain says “blame canada! blame canada!”…

when you have nuthin’ left to say to yr peeps after a horrible season, i guess only getting outshot by 1 is something to get alpha-fan about – if yr a leaf booster…

[Reply]
number 6 says:

March 28, 2010 at 2:59 pm

Well put variable. I agree that it’s time to stand up and get angry about their past as you pointed out. It appears already quite clear that they’ll either play Chi or SJ. No way will they stay w Detroit the way the two teams are playing… so it’s either 7th or 8th place and Chi and SJ seem pretty clear to be 1&2.

Also, TM says they played well other than the special teams last night. Well the stats for a number of games are Not pretty. They have gone AWOL 5 on 5. Of their last 28 goals, only 14 have been 5 on 5. Nick Nickson said that averaged out to one goal a game 5 on 5. That my friends will not win you much of anything in the NHL these days.

[Reply]
ducksuck says:

March 28, 2010 at 3:09 pm

Don’t know what to say about the game thought they played fine in the 1st but wow downhill after the 2nd all i will say is some don’t like how TM is coaching some want to actually fire him.. you don’t fire your head coach going into the playoffs when he was/is the reason we got this far the team has never looked this good in years and plus we are still in the playoff’s right now. This is a rebuilding years DL said this wasn’t the year for the cup just playoff’s as much as I want the cup this management has been very effective given the LA fans a real hockey team so whatever happens go kings and hope we can fix the problems(offense!!) before we are out of the playoffs but HUGE step forward this season. At least the Kings are not a joke in the NHL anymore.

[Reply]
keyngsfan says:

March 28, 2010 at 3:50 pm

When are we as Kings fans going to realize that as long as the current ownership is in possession of this franchise it will never, ever change. We will NEVER win the cup with this ownership. They are not committed to putting the best team on the ice or paying what is needed to get that talent. All should have been clear to us at the trade deadline. We picked up who? A couple of, with all due respect to them, has-beens to screw up the chemistry in the room and not provide anything other than wrinkles? We were firing on all cylinders up to that point. Look back on the history since Bruce McNall. This constantly looks like a tax write-off team. It either costs money or draft picks to win the cup. They’re (the management) not even smart enough to play for last and get a high draft pick like Pittsburgh did. Come on!!!! We’re Kings fans and we’re not going to take it anymore!!!!! Lets go people. Demand better. Together.

[Reply]
Player-X Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 6:14 am
@keyngsfan,
This point is ancient and was never more incorrect than it is now. Lombardi has the green light to spend up to the cap, and the organization has spent huge dollars in many ways raising their image around L.A. What exactly do you want the onwers to do?

[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 7:55 am
@Player-X, Typical, he doesnt know…..

[Reply]
puck73 says:

March 28, 2010 at 4:03 pm

couldnt agree with you more ducksuck. 42 wins is 8 more then they had last year.under Dean there has been improvement every season and the rest of the league knows it. At the rate they are improving I think they will be elite in the next 1 to 2 seasons. I think just as important,Manchester also is improving.People forget that even during the Mcnall era we had a minor league affilliate named the Phoenix Roadrunners,they were an understocked joke. The Kings would get an injury then make a trade where they would gain in 1 area and lose in another all because they had no depth. You cannot continue to do business that way and thankfully Lombardi is also the president of this team so we dont have Leiweke making decisions anymore ! Speaking of Tim, I wonder how many of you remember when Tim said at a season ticket holder meeting 10 years ago that the reason he was getting rid of the black and silver uniforms was because too many gang members were wearing our gear. Fast forward to 2009 and the team is wearing black and silver again. Well I just want to congratulate Tim on getting rid of all those gang bangers ! After all, Tim wouldnt risk our safety if all those gang bangers werent gone !

[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
@puck73,
Let’s say rather that they have the potential to be elite. There are no guarantees. IMO they absolutely need more team speed and clearly a goal scorer. Than yes, they could become it. W/O said elements I think they’ll be a very good team. But too many teams as someone pointed out not long ago on this blog have lines with at least two superstar caliber players (see SJ, Chicago, Wash, Pens, NJ – yes I consider Parise and Kovi in that group, even though Kovi has struggled a bit, and that’s assuming they resign him). There may be at least another team or two that would belong in that group as well.

[Reply]
Stillkingly Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
@number 6,

I agree that we need a sniper, but there were long periods during this season that we were elite.

So we can do it, it just needs to come together. Yes more talent makes it easier, but we have proven that we can.

That is what makes this so frustrating, we have beaten the best, on a long winning streak, now we can only beat ourselves.

[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
@Stillkingly,
Actually I was responding to someone’s prior post saying that w our improvement every year under DL that in a year or two we would be elite, and I was saying that that isn’t a given. We could be, but if we start to flat line where we are this year then we’d be a good team, and stay a good team, but not an elite team. The things I mentioned were parts of what is needed imo to become elite. It’s not the whole picture, but I believe an important part.
Jeremy says:

March 28, 2010 at 10:16 pm

Woo! I like “4 Wins and We’re In” better than “Back in BLACK” right now. A game in hand against everyone, two with Nashville and Calgary.

The most points Calgary and pull if they run the board is 97, and thats if they win out all their games! Playoffs here we come, its a new season when we’re there.

Ottawa was the #4 seed in 2006-07 and they went to the finals. Edmonton was the #8 seed in 2005-06 and they lost in game 7 in the finals!! Pittsburgh was Seed #4 last year above #8 by only 6 pts. Believe everybody, we can pull together and take off come playoffs! The Penguins were in 8th place last year in the beginning of March and people wrote them off as a wild card just like us. They acquired Guerin at the deadline, very similar to Modin for us. They finished off the year going 4-1-1 in April, something we can match if we come together and believe we can play the way we started this year. I feel a surge coming on, and I think someone is going to light a fire under these guys tomorrow in Minny. We can be tied for 5th tomorrow!

GO KINGS GO!! We can do it!

[Reply]

Off to Minnesota

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