Here’s my LAKings.com game story for tonight, with stats and video included. Thanks for reading, as always, and thanks for the continued patience with the blog outages.
The Kings are scheduled to practice at 4 p.m. tomorrow in El Segundo.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Bio
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He previously worked at the Los Angeles Daily News, was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar.
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Recent Comments
- King Charles of Salt Lake on Game 61: Avalanche 4, Kings 1 (FINAL)
- Scott on Sutter postgame quotes (Feb. 22)
- Kinger on Sutter postgame quotes (Feb. 22)
- TeamJMFJ on Game 61: Avalanche 4, Kings 1 (FINAL)
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I’m going to repost this in every thread I see in the hopes just ONE player will see it:
In the playoffs….
There are no ‘Off Nights’.
….only players who don’t show up.
Make sure you’re all there Sunday night because we will be…and we deserve to see you all win this SERIES like we know you can.
[Reply]
Great read as always Rich. Just more painful than usual.
One suggestion for Terry Murray. Go back to your lineup for game 3 and win the series. THEN evaluate people like Jones (Who’s 0-3), Williams (Who’s 0-2) and the guys who will sit out. A general rule in anything, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” You fixed it for game 4 and it broke. You fixed it again for game 5 and it shattered. Put it back together from game 3 and let’s roll.
Remember Terry, you said it: “It’s not about feelings, it’s about winning the playoff games.”
So let’s go win the playoff games.
[Reply]
Always enjoy your game story rich. I like when they have you on in between periods. You do a great job with that. If someone flips the bird , isnt that a game suspension. What kind of penalty is there for a gesture like that if any?
[Reply]
Ok it was the index but celebrating a fight win doesnt seem very classy . Will the nhl take a look at this . Also maybe they should look at roberto diveongo.Ok one more question for you . When was the last time you saw a coach go back to the goaltender he pulled .
peace
[Reply]
Cinic you wrong.It’s not about 2 player.The whole team
did not show up in the most important game.
There was no system,no spirit..
powerless offense
hopeless defense.
no liedership ,miserable performance by everyone
Kings are done. Finished.
The first thing for this summer…trade brown ,Green ,OD ,jones, fro ,bring JB and sign a sniper ( KOVI or…) PS Tm is not good for ontime ajastments and motivation.
[Reply]
Trading Brown would be stupid as hes the captain and part of the young core.
[Reply]
The only chance to get back in this series is to bring up Bernier. Quick has looked very shaky, and has let in way to many softies. Ersberg is not a NHL caliber goalie.
This is the Kings last chance, please don’t let Quick get blasted again, at least with Bernier in net you can eliminate the softies. Bernier’s time is NOW!! There is now way Quick will win another game against the Canucks.
[Reply]
OR
The Kings defense could actually help defend against jabronis like Samuellson, Kesler, Demitra and Bernier getting any offensive plays going. It’s like they’re playing with Doughty, Johnson, and then a couple of goons who supposedly have playoff experience (which I think is overrated anyway, look at Colorado for instance).
How about cutting the passing lanes off too? The Canucks barely have any problem cutting through the neutral zone because they have zone to zone passes that connect. LA’s guys just fumble with the puck on the boards and try to play one on one hockey all the time. When they’re cutting through the middle thats when they actually score.
Oh, and I guess it would be nice of Jonathan Quick could actually make a glove save or two on shots that are way out at the blue line, but I guess thats asking too much.
[Reply]
Wow flex, why don’t we just trade everyone but Kopi? Not like this team has been under construction for years. But of course, one playoff rout and everyone should go.
[Reply]
Kings couldn’t find rhythm. Credit Canucks for pressuring the puck at every opportunity. That’s playoff hockey. Gotta bench Jones, a.k.a. turn-over machine. Cringe every time he touches the puck. Among his weak plays tonight, especially liked his turn-over pass up center ice through 2 Canucks. Came to Demitra and Jones made his frame astinyaspossible to not touch a shot from above the circles. If you’re gonna continuously turn it over, block shots, will you? Help your goalie! Play Harrold, Drewiske, even Bailey!
[Reply]
Please, don’t curse them. Yes, it was a huge flop, but s**t happens. This team has its quality and can win. They were great during the season and it was cool for longtime fan as I am. This is the first successfull year after a long period, no matter if they will win in first round of playoff this year and I am glad for that. Next time, next year, they’ll be more expierenced and knowledgeable. This team is able to profit from own mistakes, but it can’t be tommorow. Anyway, I still believe in thrilling and exciting game num 6. Good Luck to KINGS from Europe. (Getting up in 4.00 o’clock is difficult, but it’s worth it…:)))
[Reply]
Strangely, after getting blown out last night, I can honestly say that I still love this team. They have so much more in place then they ever have. Yes, before they had Gretzky, but now they have a number of young guys who play w spirit and heart. It was a really poor game at an inopportune time. I still think at this point in time that Vancouver has more speed and skill though.
To me that shows what is needed to go to the next level. I Still think that an upgrade in speed (mainly) and a bit more skill up front would make a huge difference.
Even Philly who was so poor during much of the season is showing in the playoffs that they have lots of skill upfront and w/o Carter and Gagne, I believe they’ll give the Caps all they can handle.
DL has done it the right way building from the backend out, but now the front end could use a bit of a lift to be able to compete with the Toews, Sedins, Zetterbergs and the rest. They can beat anyone on the day, but it demands a bit more to do it in a seven game series. Don’t worry, they’ll get there!
[Reply]
and I do find it too bad that so many people come out at these times saying everyone should be traded and that the coach is poor….. if TM had someone to put in in place of Jones that he felt could do the business I’m sure he’d be playing… but it wasn’t just Jones last night that led to a shellacking.
[Reply]
Yes that was a very disappointing game last night, but just one game and we are not out of it yet guys. Down, but not out. I picked us to win in 7 mainly because I knew Vancouver wasn’t going to be a push over. We can do this. The team needs confidence and we need to give it to them by not giving up on them. Keep believing and no more talk about trading the team away. Come on people suck it up. The Kings will do it in 7, look for a pay back game Sunday with tons of emotion.
Go Kings Go!
[Reply]
Quick was horrible but so was the defense. We died when we couldn’t capitalize on that 5-3. Quick has won two of his last 13 starts and people still have faith in him. Amazing.
But TM is going to die with him so we might as well hope, just like we are all hoping that Jones can make an outlet pass that doesn’t hit an opponent’s stick.
Maybe someone will tell Frolov it would be nice to score an effing goal in this series.
[Reply]
I still believe! Kings in 7!!!!!!!
[Reply]
number 6,
After watching the game last night, depressing as it was, and reading all these posts, I still agree completely. Yes it was brutal and painful to watch, but I’m still convinced it’s part of the learning process. Even if the boys go out in 6, I still consider this season to be a HUGE success.
Seeing the core develop over the course of the season, and seeing 4 competitive playoff games before last night, I see nothing but good things for next year.
[Reply]
We should just get rid of everyone, all the players, all the coaches, and even the GM…….. One blowout in their first playoffs and now we need to get rid of everyone!!!!! You “supossed fans” are totally pathetic…. No I’m not happy about last night, but give me a break. This team will learn from this and be so much better from it and you morons can’t even understand it. When the Kings win the cup in a couple of years from now, do us all a favor, don’t hang around and pretend to be so called King fans………
[Reply]
Number 6 and Cynic, thanks for your sanity.
As for last night’s game… all I could think about was Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks: “You don’t want to work during the game. Fine. We’ll work now… AGAIN!”
This isn’t all the fault of Randy Jones or Justin Williams, but I agree, the lineup from Game 3 didn’t need to be changed. You don’t mess with a winning streak. Murray did, and they lost Game 4. Then, he compounded that by shifting Stoll off the second line. I like Richie, but he’s not a second-line center, and Stoll had been working well with Brown and Frolov, despite not scoring. He had been physical and defensively responsible.
A team on a streak has to respect the streak. If it ends with the lineup with which you had been winning, then you make a change.
[Reply]
Rich,
Did Ersberg come back to the bench after he was pulled?
[Reply]
I still think that the defense wasn’t all that great, but still Quick has to make those easy shots. I mean it is not like the wrist shots are Joe Sakic wrist shots, they are just shots on goal and somehow goes in. This team in my opinion, because of goaltending has lost confidence, one big save will make this team have hope. How did the Ducks have 3 great goaltenders in J.S, Bryzgalov and Hiller. Crazy. However, win or lose, we have exceeded expectations this year. However, we now know that Bernier will start next year and Quick the back up.
[Reply]
I definitely agree with Number 6 and P90X… It took me some time to start posting, but I’ve followed since Day 1. And I’ve come to understand why posters like Quisp and Waves have all but disappeared. As Kings fans we’re used to having all these good things build up only to have our hopes dashed, but there are too many posters quick to throw everyone under the bus, and that drives away the more sensible posters.
I hate to use this example, but look at the Ducks. They had a smart GM in Murray and they sucked for years. Then in ’03 they make the finals, before adding to the core and winning in ’07. Guys like Perry, Getzlaf, Penner, Giguere who led that team as youngsters… why? Because the Ducks sucked for so long.
Is this years our version of ’03? Hard to tell right now, but DL is a smart GM and I have full faith that he’ll do what needs to be done to get this team to the Cup. Just look at the pipeline. Never before has there been such a stockpile of talent. Whatever the rest of this postseason holds, I’m excited for it all the while knowing this team is going to kick major ass in the near future.
[Reply]
conspiracy ?? The blog was down for a hour afte the game…did Rich give everyone a cooling off period???The one thing i disagree with everyone is when they said the Kings played a bad game…in reality it was 1 1 late in the first period…and the Kings were only down 2 1 after 1 period.So its more like 2 periods of bad play and how much did the lack of goaltending add to that…
[Reply]
Whoever advocates trading brown is nuts… Yeah, it would be nice to see the captain stand up for his teammates and get involved in the rough stuff once in a while, but by no means is he the problem.
It has become evident that the Canucks are not only faster and more skilled than our beloved kings, but they’re much more physical and tough than our kings. Simmonds is the only king who gets involved in the rough stuff. It’s a total embarassment and dean should have addresses this important need. I mean, it doesn’t take a rocket science to see that the kings are not tough and physical enough. So what does he do? He acquires modin and halpern- two wimpy players.
Dean better add toughness to this team next season
[Reply]
Well, at least we didn’t lose 1-0 in OT by one of our defensman putting the puck in our own net.
The Kings will shake off last night and chalk it up to Vancouver repaying the favor from the Kings rout of them in early April. The Kings will win game 6. Game 7 is anyone’s guess.
[Reply]
What this playoffs has done is show the GM(and the fans) what boxes need to be filled next year….O.D. Jones…Halpern…etc….I also think that the coach is messing with Parse too much..He can play…i llike Clune but he is very limited to what he can add to the team…
[Reply]
People need to quick bad mouthing Quick and calling out Brown as the captain for what’s happened the last couple of games. This is just how good the team is at this point. TM probably played Quick too much this season and burned him out a little. Brown skates, hits and plays hard every night. Did my fellow Kings fans expect us to win the cup this year?
The team has gotten better because players like Kopitar and Quick have improved and DL has brought in talented players like DD, Simmonds, Richardson and JJ while making some good signings in Handzus and Scuderi. We just are not any better than this at present.
We need help on the blue line either from some of the young guys breaking into the lineup next year or thru trades. Players like OD and Jones have helped fill the gap but no team is going to win a lot of playoff games with guys like that in the lineup. Harold is not the answer and Greene plays hard but has limited talent.
Folks it doesn’t matter if Quick or Bernier or a Patrick Roy in his prime is in net. This team will NOT be a Cup contender until we have better players on defense. Be thankful for the job DL has done so far and quit getting upset. We’re making progress!
[Reply]
Maybe we fans need to practice the same even keel mindset the players have been preaching: Don’t get too excited over one victory and don’t throw in the towel after one loss.
Heck, the majority of our boys are still cutting their teeth in the playoffs, and they’ve shown a hell of a lot of fight (with the exception of last night).
The future still looks great for the young core.
[Reply]
Reading these posts I am able to guess which among us have been around as long as the Kings and those that have not. I’m not saying “bandwagon” here, they too are Kings fans. Just saying the more recent fans possibly don’t remember the multitude of good NHL stars around the league that were traded from the Kings organization just to get that one “great” player that came here and bombed.
Our team as it now exists, CAN and have beaten every team in the league on a good day. They have exceded our expectations this year, and had Roberto not swept the puck off the line in game one, we would have been up 3-0 before last night. Imagine that! Up 3-0 on a team that had the league leading GF in the season and had won 3 of 4 head to heads during the season.
We got here with the team we now have, not a team we wish for, so after 42 years, and having seen almost everything the Kings can throw at me, I still believe in these guys— so let’sgokick somebutt!!!!
[Reply]
Neil,
I agree with much of what you are saying. Parse could have helped if given more ice time before the playoffs started.
Clune might be of some help but seems to have injury issues on a regular basis. It would be difficult to see him as a part of the Kings long term.
[Reply]
I couldn’t get on to this site last night. I tried right before I went to bed and finally was able to get through. I thought long and hard on what to write, finally got it all down, hit enter and then got an error! I was too tired to try again. I had forgotten to fill in my name and e-mail in order to post. The site usually has that in place already..did the site crash, or did Rich really take it down for a cooling off period? Got to wonder.
I haven’t even bothered to go through all the earlier posts because I know what I’ll find..it’s sad. But at least there are some other believers out there. This is a 7 game series and we are not out of it yet. Down but not out. Last night was just pay back from the whopping we game them, time to shake it off and finish this thing. Stay strong fans. No matter what.
[Reply]
So when Parse scored 3 goals in 2 games & TM keeps saying he has to go with the hot player (speaking of goalies), but he benches Parse for numerous following games, what type of message does that tell a young team, much less any team? Isn’t being “consistent” being consistent?
How many other decisions are being made using this consistent thinking?
I’m just asking.
And it doesn’t seem the constant juggling of lines during the season is paying off in the end. Maybe I’m wrong & it has?
Oh well, just forget about last nite & win game 6. Lesson learned, right? Right?
[Reply]
@ Old Codger…I’m right there with you.
[Reply]
Here’s the good news: we only have to watch Frolov’s lazy ass skate one more game in a Kings jersey.
[Reply]
Way to go Old Codger and Number 6..Right on!
That was rough last night. Glad I was exhausted and was having trouble staying awake for the 3rd.
Way to go Simmonds..way to stay classy. O’Brien will get his tomorrow.
GO KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
Hockey has changed drastically over the years. I think the day’s of “fixed lines” are past, so what works in this game may not work in the next. During the course of a game, all teams change their lines, depending on how the game is progressing.
I have to admit though, I long for the days of the Triple Crown, and the LAPD lines.
[Reply]
Well here we are up against it – just burn the tape from last night – the only good thing is we get to get back out there quickly no sitting and thinking about what if – so just let it loose tom – nothing to nose – anyway it has been a year of exceeded expectations from my standpoint no matter how it turns out – already looking forward to camp – going to be a nice run for the squad for the future – how nice is it to say that – go get’em boys -
[Reply]
It will be interesting to see what King’s team shows up tomorrow. THis is a young team and I know they can bounce back! Hopefully they dont disappoint.
GO KINGS GO!
[Reply]
Does anyone want to see Raitus Ivanans on Sunday? I know I do. I’ll tell ya one thing. If it were me, I sure as hell want to have him out there especially for O’Brian. And another thing, will someone on the Kings please greet the Sedin sisters and Samuelsson with a forearm shiver on occasion when they come down the ice? It tends to make them think twice plus it gives them something to think about. If they’re gonna try to run rampant through us, at least let’s make them pay.
[Reply]
@ Old Codger
“and had Roberto not swept the puck off the line in game one, we would have been up 3-0 before last night. Imagine that! Up 3-0 on a team that had the league leading GF in the season and had won 3 of 4 head to heads during the season.”
and if Marty had not had an illegal stick (and I still don’t completely blame him alone & have told him so), Montreal wouldn’t have grabbed momentum and we would have been up in the series and probably taken it. Imagine that! Leading the Stanley Cup Final series.
and it took how long to get back to the Finals??? I’m glad some have a short memory and forget that happened.
Everyone keeps saying you never know if you’ll get another chance to win it, so last nite’s effort tells you what?
[Reply]
@Rich. IF and when the Kings are eliminated, will you continue to blog here?
I hope so, because when that happens, outside of the Wings and Hawks, all we will hear is how the eastern teams stars are doing so great. Sad, since a western team will win the cup.
[Reply]
Wow Flex you have to be joking. I guess Van Couver should have traded the sedins and sammuelson after we beat them 8-3.
Were going to win on sunday and tues will be anyones game.
[Reply]
Sorry, I’m just really disappointed in the effort I saw last nite. I do still believe, that’s why I’m still here after ’93.
and I really hate seeing the boys not only get blown out on the scoreboard, but lose the scraps in front of the net and all the fights too. Brutal nite.
That being said, I fully expect the boys to bring it Sunday and send it back to their barn.
[Reply]
That was pathetic. If we want to have any chance of winning this series, Bernier has to be on a plane to Los Angeles right now.
Quick will be the #2 next year. He looked horrible last night. Granted the team didn’t play much better in front of him, but you could see the team has no confidence in him.
You can’t win if you goalie can’t stop a bad angle shot. This is the nhl.
Quick goes down, shot goes over his left shoulder. The Nucks have him figured out.
If there is no Bernier for game 6, there is no more Kings season after Sunday.
[Reply]
Hey guys, a trivia from the past, back in ’76 when the Kings played Boston in the playoffs, we were in a similar situation coming back to L.A. down 3-2. When the Kings came out on the ice to start the game, the fans gave the Kings a 10 minute standing ovation. The Kings wound up winning the game in OT. Food for thought.
[Reply]
Terry Murray comments about Obrien after the fight is sour grapes
The kings played like wimps they were pushed around and intimidated bunch of turtles
No guts and stood up to no one
Never saw the kings so initmated without answering back
Pitiful !!!!
[Reply]
@kingsfanone. Man it’s nice to reminence(?). The things that I remember most about that series was that game and the next two went to overtime, the unfortunate bounce off of Sydor’s skate in game 3, and Carbinneau covering the puck in the crease with 15 seconds left in game 4.
Also the 3 goals the Kings scored in the final 3 games, Marty scored two of them.
Every time I reflect on the Kings history and what might have been, I get goose bumps.
I LOVE THIS GAME– and the Kings.
[Reply]
In regards to Willie & Jones, I’m trying to make the point that when you’re winning, you don’t change personnel in the playoffs unless absolutely necessary. GO with what works. Now it may not be Jones or Willie’s fault that when they play we lose, but the fact is it happens. I don’t claim to necessarily understand it, but you MUST go with the hot hands when things work REGARDLESS of your feelings.
What drives me crazy is TM said as much, then turned around and changed the lineup when he didn’t have to. WHY? I did not hear the Harrold was hurt. I did not hear that Parse was hurt. I just don’t like what looks like hypocrisy from TM. Then again, I’m not in the trenches and don;t know the whole story, but I DO know what has been working and what has not.
Flex – Put down the pipe, peace, pot, crack or hash, and read again what you wrote regarding trades. You’re delirious man. Fix that. Please.
Paul – excellent point. I think that would have hurt even more.
Again, hopefully TM wakes up and simply goes back to the game 3 lineup. Willie & Jones will get over the missed playing time if their with the team at center ice holding up the Stanley Cup. Seeing their name on it will make all the pain go away. PLEASE do what’s right here TM. We don’t have any more games for you or the team to adjust to until September if you’re wrong.
[Reply]
the kings will win game 6 not to worry
problem is they will loose game 7
look back at the beginning of the season would you not have been happy with a 7 game round playoff ???
They are not ready to be a cup contender
[Reply]
cynic…i agree i dont know how much of a difference it would make…but….it seems like this coach(and i like most of his work)has a weakness and its that he cant leave things alone..Its almost like he has to control every shift…A good coach does his job during the practices and then makes adjustments as needed…Murray makes changes just so he can have his footprint on every shift…
[Reply]
I disagree with all those who think that the “reasonable” posters have all but disappeared. They are still here, but wait for their opportunity to post during the “reasonable” times.
After a game like the one last night, there is very little reason. That the server exploded again is very much in keeping with the emotions of those who have followed this team the last few seasons on this blog. No reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one. There was much to be disgusted about last night. There is much to be happy about this season’s accomplishments. But there is still much to improve on this team.
Play-time is over for the Los Angeles Kings franchise. Getting whupped in a playoff game hurts like hell, don’t it? That experience is part of the learning process, boys and girls–get over it! The players must–and will–get over it. As bloggers we must all get over the pain of such experiences. Such is life. Get knocked to the ground, get back up!
But on to the bigger fish to fry in this meal of humble-pie. Think about what you just saw last night… Too many Canucks players have more speed than the Kings players. In a straight-line race, especially to an open puck, the Kings lose too often. Also, Kopitar loses too many face-offs. There were FAR TOO MANY POST-FACEOFF LOSS GOALS. Lose the face-off, one pass, one shot, one rebound–Canuck goal!
The Kings are just a little too old and slow. The young players in the pipeline COMING NEXT YEAR (I kid you not–the answers are one summer away…) will add speed, toughness, significant scoring skill and–yes I will say it–BETTER GOALTENDING.
This is not to downplay the contributions of Smyth, Williams, O’Donnell, Quick and others this year. Far from it… But remember what you saw tonight. This loss was not the same as the game 4 loss in Staples. This loss was a commentary about the Kings’ weaknesses and how to exploit them. For example, high glove-side shots and stick-side shots…
It may just be that Bernier is a better goalie against the snipers from Vancouver than Quick is. Bernier doesn’t rely as much upon his glove as his position to make saves. It may just be that the Kings desperately need the speed of the young D-men in Manchester to help blunt the Vancouver forwards’ speed and skill. It may just be that the Kings can’t deal with the skill of Vancouver 5-on-5 without significant upgrades–say, one Brayden Schenn, to name just one forward soon to come to the Kings.
So, y’all–wake up and smell the coffee. Smell the roses and the fertilizer, too. It’s a new morning and your favorite NHL team got its butt paddled and its face slapped last night. But it’s the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup playoffs and THESE THINGS HAPPEN! Go read the newspaper or on-line articles, then have a pleasant Saturday… Because soon it will be Sunday night and it will be time to SADDLE UP AGAIN for Game 6!
This is BIG BOY HOCKEY, y’all!
–Get Over It!–
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…kept waiting for Brown or anybody to take some runs in the 3rd period to send a message and for game 6. Where’s the message?
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@ Old Codger
I went to a couple games in each series back in ’93, and I can still hear the noise and feel the energy at the Forum. I felt much of or more of that energy at Staples this week, and there is nothing like it. I still have the T-shirts from the clinching of the division and conference, and my Father-In-Law was in the hospital for a short time recently and one of the orderlies saw my T-shirt and told me he has one still also. We talked for half an hour!
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Shake it off guys…it’s one loss. A win Sunday and we’ve got a series again.
Send the team positive energy and if you are lucky enough to be their Sunday, cheer your ass off. Leave the game without a voice cause you screamed all game.
TM and the coaches will figure it out. They know these players better than we do. BELIEVE!!!
I’ve been cheering this team on since 1970, and aside from the Great One’s cup final team, this team has the brightest future I’ve seen.
These boys are turning into men and it’s because of adversity that transition happens. Show them we’re behind them.
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It’s amazing to me the Kings are even in this series and arguably were an 1 1/2″ in game one OT and a third period meltdown in game 4 from sweeping the Canucks. Have any of you taken a gander at the Kings player playoff stats? Absolutely brutal at even strength. I think the only “+” player on the entire team is Simmer at +1. And the goalie stats just won’t get anything done. Sure, it’s not over yet but at this point a Kings series win would be a miracle. Vancouver is proving to be a better team by a long way, at least in the playoffs. Hindsight is 20/20 but maybe the Kings should have kept Bernier up. I don’t care about what Quick has “earned” by his earlier play, right now he’s “earned” a spot on the bench if there was any other option. Tough to say, I like the kid alot. OD has been just horrible, JW is a waste of roster space right now and Smyth has sucked out loud. It’s tough when your “playoff proven vets” are the one’s playing the worst. And for god’s sakes somebody win a faceoff. Lets all hope the Nuck’s get a little over-confident in game 6 and then panic and choke in game 7.
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Excellent post Bako.
“Get knocked to the ground, get back up!”
It’s the getting back up part I’m hoping to god happens on Sunday.
Getting punked again in our own building to end the series and season will have a lasting negative impact.
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waves–
It takes risks to perform great deeds…
I want more from my hockey team.
Let’s show Vancouver on Sunday.
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mk ultra
read my blog above
i agree with you 100 pct not one king took a run
they got abused and smiled the whole time
they had lost the game by the third period and still turned the check
i am embarrased for them TURTLES
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@ Bako
well said.
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Kings Fan in Idaho,
I couldn’t agree with you more.We are not done till we are done.We still have 2 games left to comeback strong.
I also had the exact same thing happen to me a few times.Frustrating isn’t it?
I once spent 20 minutes thinking out,long and hard about a post,wrote it,tried to post,just to lose the whole thing.Afterwards(exhausted)I wrote another post,to say the same thing(praphrased of course) it said “GO KINGS!”.lol
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Hey Dom–
Try copying what you are writing every once in awhile with ctrl-a, ctrl-c… Then what you write will be on the clipboard and you can just ctrl-v paste the saved portion back into the comments box if you need to.
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Also, this may have been said last night (but I wouldn’t know since the blog crashed yet again), but what the hell was Rich doing wearing a green shirt? Anyone else notice that? Perhaps Heidi helped him get dressed. Just sayin…
But seriously. Green???
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am i the only guy who thinks the staples center should be putting a black towel on every seat… the canucks have white towels, the kings are “back in black” the should have black towels…
maybe its just me.
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Boy I am so glad I was unable to post here last night. The negativity is worst I have seen here in a long time. I notice there are several posters who come out from hiding when the Kings lose and don’t have one nice thing to say. That is so sad as the Kings gave us an excellent season and finally they are in the playoffs. I personally only see bigger and better things to come with this team. If you are a fan then stand behind this team and totally support them whether they win or lose. Hopefully DL will continue to fill the holes we have especially on defense. So you TRUE Kings fans hang in there, support your team and see what Sunday brings.
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as goring19 says the kings got a big ovation for game 6.it was so loud they could not start the national anthem.game 6 will determine who who has it and who doesn’t in terms off who should be let go and who they should keep.
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Everybody knows we had tough night, players acknowledge it, coach acknowledged it and it is time to move on. We as fans have to support our team through thick and thin and these adverse times are very important for us to stand behind our team, stick together and help overcome this adversity.
We have to trust and believe in our team – this is our team – come Sunday, show your colors show your pride and cheer the team on to victory.
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Whomever said Brown needs to be traded must needs his/her head examined. Brown matured as a captain and gave over 100% percent this season.
And yes, I question TM’s decision about putting Jones outhere, When Jones is outhere, we lose, but when he’s not outhere, we win.
BakoCaKings Fan,
That is one of the more sensible posts I read in a while. People may call it bashing, but you told the truth. I know people want to cheerlead, and there is no problem with that. There are people who are excited and for the team, I’m one of them. But there are times that you have to call it what it is.
I believe next year, the hand holding should be over with and the baby steps will be big steps.
If this opinion is not satisfactory for some, I apologies.
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Which team would you most like the Kings to face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Chicago 11.8 %
Phoenix 24.76 %
Vancouver 33.04 %
San Jose 21.53 %
Other 8.87 %
This is how a poll on the Kings website came out. So people really wanted Vancouver, eh? Wonder how those same people feel now, and did they NOT recognize how good the Nucks really are? Be careful what you wish for, kids. Or maybe just put your head down and bust the door open.
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“Oh, and I guess it would be nice of Jonathan Quick could actually make a glove save or two on shots that are way out at the blue line, but I guess thats asking too much.”
This is the typical hyperbole I’m talking about. If ANY of the shots were CLOSE to the blue line, there would be some slight truth here, but they weren’t. Pointing at the goaltender for not being a god in goal isn’t going to win you a single playoff game. It’s a team sport and a team failure. Quick failed to save their asses for playing a piss-poor game. In that regard, he’s as bad as the rest, but only AS bad.
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I was one who wanted the Nucks.I always want the best,and were getting it from them right now.If we lose,there’s no regrets.It’s a mesuring stick for what’s needed.There was only unknowns going in.Would we be able to hang with SJ,Phoenix,or Chicago better?No one knew for sure,so you take what cards your dealt,and try to get a royal flush.Right now I’d say we’re all in.
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Preach Bako-
No prob w/ you Gayle. I just call things as I see ‘em too. I’m definitely not perfect though.
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I am not sure, but it seemed to me that the kings stop playing in the beginning of the 3rd per of game 4 and it carried over to game 5. It’s a team game, and guys zus and kopi, drew, seem to be taking on to much to carry the team to this point.
Well as they say there is always next year.
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@ Dominick
nice post.
I don’t play poker, but understand the all in principle. I will still cheer for a win Sunday, and if they do come through, be delirious.
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@ Dominick
I actually voted for the Shark
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BAKO -
Best post I ever read on Rich’s site! Bravo.
Foresight teaches gently; failure teaches brutally. Overcoming adversity is part of what it takes in order to learn how to be a champion. In life and in sports.
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People have the right to cheer or jeer. Most of it is blowing off steam but it doesn’t make you a bandwagon fan. I hate when fans think everything is golden…it’s not. That’s not life, that’s not sports & it’s certainly not reality.
This team is improving but we are still a level or two away from being real contenders. Bringing in younger less experienced guys from the minors will set this team back so a decision has to be made on who is worth filling in the boxes with and if a better option outside the organization exists.
We’ll find out at the draft/FA what he’s willing to do. There are ways to get this team further faster but we won’t do it internally we’re just too young and lack the skill, experience and leadership needed to get there because that takes time to instill at this level as we’ve seen over the last 8 years.
I have my list of guys that should be gone as everyone else does. We’ll see what happens, until then, this is what we have and they will have to do.
GAME 6 or BUST!
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Be interesting to see how the King’s respond to WHAAncouver’s classless crap. So glad we don’t have idiots like that on our team.
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It is nice to see that most of the posters here are staying positive.There are still a few Haters out there but it seems they are there right after the bad games and then go away and leave the blog for true KING fans.Tough loss,now go out Sunday and show us the King team that has gotten this far.I still believe we can win this series.
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What a bunch of clowns. Can you come up with something more original than blaming the goalie for a 7-2 loss….GET REAL! You’re team got schooled…next game please!
Quick looked horrible and so did the rest of the team. To point fingers at one or two players is a joke…they all sucked and it was painful to watch.
First time to the playoffs for most of these players and you expect to win the cup…talk about rookies? Biggest ROOKIE mistake was game 4 and giving the Nucks new life. Any team that has a legit chance to win the SC would have put that team away in game 4.
As for game 5, when you allow a team like Vancouver that many grade A chances their going to beat you and make you and your goalie look silly!
Hopefully we kick some ass tomorrow and force a game 7. If we get smoked that’s just the way the puck falls. In any event, I hope this team comes back next season with a lot more hunger and two or three upgrades to the roster. Until than, enjoy watching your team in the playoffs…after all that was the plan all along!
GO KINGS!
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Hey LuckyLuc13,
I agree with you completely! I like waiting until the hysteria has died down and only the real fans are sticking around before I comment.
I too believe we are not down and out yet. Smooth seas never made skillful sailors, and our boys are going to have to learn to deal with adversity at some point in order to reach the next level.
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After the beating I realized one thing… The kings had a bad game yea, but if Quick would have gotten one good save the team wouldnt of fell like they did… Then Ersberg comes in and same thing… The goaltending was crap… I think kings have no confidence in their goaltending as of right now… Since theres one game left I say bring bernier up… They played well in front of him and he played well for them…
I think thats the kings only chance for this series… Quick has been mediocre and the kings will never get on a roll or win a seven game series without a good consistent goalie who makes timely saves… In desperation, call up Bernier… Other than that i think they lose the series and have no hope
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I think Rocky Balboa says it best…
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”
Keep moving forward, boys. We’re still in this.
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Let the speculation begin. Who’s gone in the off-season?
Jones
O’D(getting old)
Harrold
Drewiske
Parse
Clune
Frolov(?)
Thoughts?
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ersberg,
Don’t forget to include Ersberg, Modin, and Halpern..
I hope everyone on the list, excluding Clune, will be gone. I would like to add Williams to the list as well. The guy sucks, period. The guy doesn’t fight back when opponents push him around, and I hate that! Not to mention, he flat out sucks (did I say that already?).
The series is not over yet, since there’s still a game to be played sunday. However, I just don’t see the kings winning game seven in vanloser.
Play Ivanans, since Dean Lombardi did not add tough players that can actually play. I’m sick of watching the kings get out-muscled, intimidated, not fight back, wimp it up, and pussy-foot around the ice. If Brown refuses to fight, come to the aid of his teammates, stand up for himself, or get involved in scrums, then he’s not captain material. Take away the C and give it to Simmonds or Greene. Sick of watching the wimpiest team in the league..
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No matter how many goals Nucks scored they took only one game and we are still only one game down. Regroup and be ready for game 6. Quick foremost. Because he has been beaten in the same way over and over. Shots went through high glove side and above the pad/under the blocker. We all know he made brilliant saves against those shots when he was on his game. If he stops those shots they are taking, Nucks have no clue for where they shoot at. You can do it, Quick. Steal one for us.
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For ALL you Quick bashers out there here is a little info that you might want to read. In the regular season the Kings earned 101 points. Out of the 101, Quick was in goal for 85 of them. That is 84.2% of all points the Kings got. Now if our centers would of won 84.% of their faceoffs, and the defense would of blocked 84.2% of the shots taken by their opponent, and OUR shooters would have scored on 84.2% of their shots imagine where this team would be. Quick Got us to the playoffs pure and simple. He can’t win and lose all by himself. I personally cannot blame one player for the outcome of any one game.
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Khan,
I agree with Williams, but I feel Clune needs to be in Man again next season.
I’m not sure who’d I elect as captain as of yet, but Brown is okay for now.
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SURE THE KINGS TOOK A ROYAL BEATING BUT THIS SERIES IS FAR FROM OVER.I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVERY PLAYER STEP IT UP AND TAKE IT TO THOSE NUCKERS AND FORCE A GAME SEVEN.GO KINGS GO!
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Khanon,
Brown’s best place is on the ice playing hockey…but I do completely agree with the lack of team toughness. I would like to see a bit more of the physical element next year; guys that can skate and play…Lappy, Carcillo, Asham, Tootoo, Moen, Kostopolus (just kidding about Tommy, he blows).
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This team CAN NOT WIN anything with players like:
Frolov ( 4,000,000)!
Smyth (6,000,000)!
Halpern
Jones…
Get rid of Smyth and Fro , then Kovalchuck is a bargain!
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read my blog above
kings were a physical disgrace
if someone pushed my teammates around i would kick ass and take names
signed marty mcsorely
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@ jonathan
On your goalie question earlier on, I can think of only ONE other coach that would do such an idiotic thing: Mike Keenan.
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@ all the people writing “aren’t you guys just happy we made the playoffs” and all that bull…
NO!!
I guess it’s the Yankee fan in me, but when my teams make the playoffs I EXPECT them to win the championship! The Yankees have never been just happy to make the playoffs. The Kings shouldn’t be either. These are professional atheletes. They have only 1 goal they are paid to reach: win the championship! Anything less from the Yankees, the Kings, or any other team I cheer for is unacceptable.
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@Paul From Oxnard There is a BIG BIG difference between the Yankees and the Kings. The Yankees are willing to spend whatever it takes to win and the Kings are not.
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@ PAUL FROM THE OX…If you EXPECTED the Kings to win the CUP this year then perhaps you should seek therapy. Seriously…5 days a week old school Freudian psychoanalysis!
The only thing I expect is for the team to come out and play their asses off (last night expectations not met). It is more than obvious that this team needs a few more pieces to the puzzle. The road to the cup and winning the world series are light years away from each other. Get a grip!
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@lenman
We know Quick did tremendous job in the regular season and got us playoffs. But let me ask this. How many game Kings won without a good goaltending? I can only remember a few of those among 46 wins. I know you got Quick’s back all the way but like TM said, in his post game quote, the goaltending wasn’t good enough there last night. We are not bashing Quick (well … some ppl are, begging for Bernier now is a ridiculous idea). It’s the simple truth about what happened last night. The problem isn’t what Quick did in the regular season. It is what’s he doing right now. If you keep saying Quick is fine, you are just blindfolded from the brutal truth. Like you said one player can’t lose the game all by himself but you also can’t deny Quick’s goaltending was the big part in this loss. We are just pointing out what went wrong and hoping they find the solution soon. Quick is our No.1 goalie. There is no substitution for him. That is why he must compose himself and bring his game back right now.
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Sorry, but I don’t settle for mediocrity. I’ve been a Yankee fan for 30+ years and a Kings fan for almost 20 years. Don’t ask me how I can be a fan of both teams considering their respective success levels over the years, but I am.
And I’ve expected the Kings to win the Cup every single season I’ve been a fan, and I’ve been disappointed. But I refuse to accept the Cubs/Red Sox mentality of being “lovable losers”.
It’s absurd to me how fans of teams can be happy with crappiness. I never am.
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@PaulfromOxnard
Enjoy most of your posts but on this one you are comparing Apples and Pluto. The Yanks, the most glorified franchise in all of sports with a blank check for payroll every year no one can match not to mention 26 championships to the Kings ZERO.
Come on Paul, comparing baseball and hockey is laughable. Anyone who follows the sport knows Hockey is the most difficult sport to win a championship with baseball being a distant 4th behind football and basketball.
We all want to see the Kings win but lets be real. Our goalie has no playoff experience. 75% of the roster has never been to the playoffs and you really expected the team to win the cup. I’ve been a Kings fan for 30 years and there are a lot more Kings fans like me…I guess we’re not smoking the good stuff like you are?
DL has them on track and for once in the 30 years I can actually see we are building something special. We will get there soon enough…it just won’t be this year.
GO KINGS!
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Barry’s Mullet is spot on. The Kings chances of winning the cup is what 10 or 15 to 1? Sure anything can happen but we should be glad we just got in. Anything more is gravy. We’re getting beat but not by much. VAN is a very good team. It all started down hill when we had many player getting caught down low in game 4.
Kings need EVERYONE’s support tomorrow to make Game 7 a crap shoot. ANYTHING can happen in any single game. It is muy importante to support this team tomorrow to get us to game 7. Can we do that all you alleged fans?
One game at a time……
GoKingsGo!
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For all you Williams bashers, there were NO GOALS scored while he was on the ice just a goal scored from his line!!!!! Grow up people learn the stats before you go bashing players!!!!
Quick looked like swiss cheese out there! Not to mention a 5 on 3 that your top “guy’s” had and did nothing with it! That was in fact the turning point of the game.
Williams doesn’t get power play time, Murray makes him work 5 on 5 for everything that’s why his stats aren’t padded like the others.
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Williams was brought in to score goals, not just prevent them. 1st/2nd line players are expected to produce in all situations and on any team. If a top-line winger isn’t producing goals, then he’s not doing his job..period. We’ve already turned Frolov into a checking winger, are we going to settle on Williams doing the same thing? NO! They get paid too much to only play a prevent type of game.
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