Some notes from last night’s game…
– The Kings lost for the fifth time in their last six games, as they fell to the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1. The Kings finished their road trip with a 1-3-0 record.
– On the four-game trip, the Kings were outscored 14-8 in regulation, scored two power-play goals and allowed five power-play goals.
– In the six games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 13, The Kings went 6-0-0 and allowed a total of six goals. In the six games from Nov. 15 to Nov. 29, the Kings went 1-5-0 and allowed a total of 25 goals.
– The Kings fell to 5-7-0 on the road this season.
– The Kings’ record this season fell to 3-6-0 when they allow the first goal, 0-3-0 when trailing after the first period and 2-5-0 when trailing after the second period.
– The Canadiens outshot the Kings 33-25, including 15-7 in the second period.
– The Kings went 1-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. The Kings had killed more than 90 percent of their penalties this season at the start of the road trip, but went 11-for-16 on the penalty kill during the four-game trip.
– Jonathan Bernier stopped 29 of 33 shots as his personal record fell to 2-5-0 this season. Bernier has allowed a total of 13 goals in his last three starts.
– Alec Martinez, called up from Manchester on Tuesday, scored his first NHL goal, a second-period power-play goal. Martinez was playing in his first game of the season and his fifth career NHL game.
– Justin Williams had one assist. Williams leads the Kings with 22 points in 21 games and has recorded at least one point in 14 of his last 15 games.
– Ryan Smyth had one assist. It was his first assist in his last nine games, although Smyth did total four goals during that span.
– Dustin Brown had team-highs with four shots on goal and five hits. Jack Johnson had a team-high three blocked shots.
– Drew Doughty played a game-high 24 minutes, 38 seconds. Anze Kopitar led all Kings forwards in ice time at 20:48.
– The Kings won 33 of 57 faceoffs (58 percent). Michal Handzus won 10 of 16 draws (63 percent).
The one Plus about this game, Alec’s Bobby Orr style move after his goal. Sweet
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GkingsG99 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:12 am
@VanKingsFan, Lol, yeah i loved that too!
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My notes from last nite’s game?
- I don’t ever want that to happen again until at least 2012.
- I didn’t watch a large portion of the last period. We left for dinner. The Kings never showed up.
- I hope the team is embarassed by their showing. Will it help? Probably not. But if they show up anywhere like that again, motivation is not the problem, it’s lack of pride.
- don’t forget last nite. Use it as a learning tool.
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NoDoughty Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:15 am
@Kingsfanone, i stopped watching after goal #4.
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puck73 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
@Kingsfanone, I will say it again..I am guessing even brother Phil was not amused.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 11:21 am
@puck73,
No, puck, he was not, but not nearly as distressed as I was. There are claw marks on the walls in our living room and my girlfriend is NOT pleased! I’m sure my brother, being extremely more “contained” and level headed, was no where near as frantic.
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
@Kingsfanone,
I watched the whole thing. One point, one question
Point–No learning took place in the 3rd period
Question–I didn’t see any King on the ice in the 3rd. Did the Kings join your family for dinner?
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Kingsfanone Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 11:29 am
@USHA#17,
Believe me, if the Kings had joined us for dinner, they wouldn’t have lost by as much!
And they would’ve had a much better time!
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Garry Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 10:48 am
@Kingsfanone, Question? Dan Boyle who we traded to the N.Y. Rangers has ten{10}goals to-date! What gives?? First Moulsen and now this. I see Dwight King being wasted on the first line because he is alway’s trailing the play. How about a few games where we just crash into the offesive zone and let fly. Was I one who saw all the potential with Boyle and not our coaches?
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Kingsfanone Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 11:26 am
@Garry,
Players getting to play with different guys play differently, for lack of a better term.
BTW, it was BRIAN Boyle who played here.
You can put whomever you want together and it doesn’t work, but then you trade the guy and he gets matched with guys that just click. A good example of it moving in the opposite direction is Cheecho. Exploded with SJ but where’s he been since. He matched up well with Thornton, but maybe he thought he had a lot more to do with it. He was wrong.
You just never know about chemistry.
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Martinez added speed, mobility, and a greater offensive threat to the blueline.
The King on Kopitar’s line experiment was worth a look but should be abandoned for the present. TM stubbornly refuses to try Simmonds in that spot. It could be the key to everything up front.
Bernier does appear to have trouble with traffic in front. He does not look confident as he did in the pre-season.
Before DL attempts to pull the trigger on a deal the Kings need to continue to explore the options within the organization. Perhaps it’s time to look at Moller again.
Morris, Emerson, Hextall and the scouts seem to be doing a good job of bringing in and developing the talent. There are some guys who can play and will eventually help. DL has done a really good job rebuilding the entire organization including staff.
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puck73 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
@Crown Royal, Very good post by you yet again..Happy Thanxgiving Crown.
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Crown Royal Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
@puck73,
Thank you and the same to you!
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That was an embarrassing performance. Shame on the whole team, including the coaching staff.
One thing on this road trip..they’ve played hard every night. Bounces and calls haven’t gone their way but the effort was always there…not last night.
Bernier’s performance was nothing short of amateurish.
His rebound control was poor..positioning was terrible and he didn’t make a big save all night. If he can’t handle the pressure of playing a game in his hometown, does anyone have confidence in him playing a playoff game? It wouldn’t surprise me to see Quick playing a lot more games. Can you blame Murray if he decided to do that? I don’t want to hear about him having to get used to part time play. If he can’t handle it, go down and learn. These games are too important.
I think I’ve seen enough of King to realize his strength is anything but an NHL 1st line player. To go pointless this long playing on the top line, just doesn’t cut it.
The leadership of this team needs to step up and lead by example. The play of Kopitar and Brown has been sub-par..partially because of King, but they didn’t make his life any easier either.
I don’t even want to get into how bad Greene has looked lately.
It’s time for everyone to step up and play the way they’re capable of playing..both at home and on the road. Remember, they have a brutal 10 game road trip still to come…If this is how they’ll be playing, April will be a quiet month for the Kings.
I’ll feel better about things by the time they play Chicago, but that game last night left a really bad taste in my mouth.
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backchecker Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:34 am
@nykingfan,
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backchecker Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:37 am
@nykingfan,
excellent point
But you need to analyze this
are the kings the team in the beginning of the season or the team playing the last 6 games
I say the later
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nykingfan Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:52 am
@backchecker,
I still say the former, but you’re not as good as you look when you’re winning, and you’re not as bad as you look when losing.
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backchecker Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 11:00 am
@nykingfan,
You are wrong they will never win 6 games in a row this season and actually may loose 6 games in a row in Feb with the 10 game road trip
USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
@nykingfan,
Pretty fair hockey observation.
Garrett Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
@nykingfan, You are absolutely wrong, Bernier was fine. He didn’t have a chance on any of the four goals- especially the one where he was interfered with. It’s the amateur team playing in front of him making him look bad. They are coughing up pucks at their own blue line and in the neutral zone, pinching when they shouldn’t, allowing outnumbered attacks, letting traffic build up in front of the net, failing to complete passes out of their zone, getting no shots through on the power play, etc… The Kings look like an AHL team every since the loss in San Jose. There are things wrong with the tram right now, but Bernier’s play has not been one of them.
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nykingfan Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
@Garrett,
Take a look at the 1st goal. We were playing well at the time. Piss poor rebound control was the cause of the goal.
It was a total team (lack of) effort..
Bernier was a participant.
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Jose Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
@nykingfan,
I too don’t get this King experiment on the first line, or any line. He is slow, doesn’t not hit anyone, haven’t seen him do any significant work on the boards. I don’t get it!
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zulov Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
@Jose,
The King experiment is the product of TM not knowing what the heck he is doing. I’ve had enough of this coach – FIRE him.
The Kings have some of the best young talent in the league – Kopi, DD, JJ, Quick, with some good gritty youngsters, Brownie, Simmer – and geezers that know whats happening.
With a coach that can put them on the right lines and in the right situations, without KING (wtf) we have a winning team. The first 15 games the other teams were waking up – same thing happened last year – Kings found themselves at the top of the league early in the season.
I know this trip there were some key injuries – but not key enough to warrant the performances lately. And the lineups out there just don’t make any sense. Not to mention the completely predictable PP and breakouts.
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nykingfan Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
@zulov,
Fire TM?
Over a bad road trip?
Did you call for him to be fired when they were 12-3?
Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate
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puck73 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
@nykingfan, Right back at ya Mr. voice of reason!
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SplattDaddy Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
@nykingfan, Thank you and to you also
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The Kings seem to have lost their grit since somewhere around the Tampa game. My wife, who never played the game, also noticed, and asked me why the boys aren’t finishing checks, hitting along the boards, etc. The only explanation I could come up with at the time, which I continue to wonder about, is the new hitting rules. I wonder if the Kings are trying to respect the new structure too much; they really seem afraid to hit.
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backchecker Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:42 am
@mcsorleyfan,
I want to sit with your wife at the next game !!
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SplattDaddy Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
@mcsorleyfan, I happen to think they’re afraid of injuries…Doughty, WM, Poni…
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45 PLUS YEARS NO CUP NICE REAL NICE !!!!
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backchecker Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:43 am
@backchecker,
I know i know its not quite 45 years well don’t worry they will make 45 years
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QUESTION ?
How many of you fans read Rich when he was with the Daily News Notice a different take he has on the kings ??
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CanadianKing Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 11:08 am
@backchecker,
Exact same.
One of the most neutral journalists I have read.
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The 25% Reaction:
We’re 1/4 of the way through the season. And it hasn’t looked good for a while. What to do?
I’m feel confident that DL will not be making a deal for LW1 any time soon, so we have to work from the inside. So …
After last night, it’s time to break up the “Geezer Line”. Smyth and Williams move up to the 1st with Kopi. Why? No one in the league is concerned with our “1st Line” at the moment.
1st: Smyth, Kopi and Williams. Let the kid star play with the adults and see what happens. Please, the D. King experiment is over.
2nd: Moller/Lokti, Stoll and Brown.
3rd: Richardson, Zues and Simmonds . The FST line (fast/smart/tough).
4th: Clifford, (yeah, it’s time to fish or cut bait) Schenn and Lewis.
It’s still a month until Poni returns.
And I liked what I saw from Martinez last night. Let’s see if he can be consistent in his play. Sure has that Orr impression down pat!
Anyway, just sayin’ …
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YoBro Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
@IceGuy, I don’t think its advisable to break up Smyth/Stoll/Williams, they’ve got some good Juu-Juu working. But I would do this; move Simmonds to LW with Kopi & Brown. Some will say, that’s not his natural position,, Who cares? He’s what? 23? If folks view him as a piece of our future, I say theres no reason he can’t adjust and play LW. It may take a bit (though I don’t think as long as this current streak of experiments) but I could see him settling in and complementing Kopi & Brown nicely.We Can worry about filling a 3rd line role easier than a first line role!
Whaddaya think?
Go Kings.
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IceGuy Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@YoBro,
If you want to move Simmonds off the 3rd, then I think Clifford should come up to play wing, and (somebody – anybody – Harry?) fills out the 4th line with Schenn and Lewis.
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Garrett Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
@IceGuy, I agree with your 1st and 4th lines. But Brown is a natural grinder and should play with Zus on the 3rd line (Richardson on the other wing). Put Simmonds on the 2nd line with Stoll and call up Moller to play the other wing.
When Poni comes back move Richardson down to the 4th line and let those four remaining players fight for their roles.
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IceGuy Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
@Garrett,
I think if you want to move Brown he should still be on the second due to the fact, obviously (I couldn’t resist) that he IS scoring. Moller-Stoll- Brown has potential I think. Moller has heart and a lot of guts. He takes a beating but he answers the bell every time. I guess what I was suggesting was that the team needs a shake up to wake up. I’m not in panic mode here, just some serious re-arranging.
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Doughty, I doubt he remembers how he used to play. Seriously he is off BIGTIME. I’ve been saying it for the last few games, he has NOT recovered from his injury. If not physically, mentally he must be apprehensive about his play, he looks it too. I agree with others here, PUT THE KOPITAR, WILLIAMS AND SMYTH BACK TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!’. At least get that feel back to the game.
Sorry Bernier, you didn’t deserve that homecoming game. Not great in front of you, but you looked bad. Quick is thee guy right now, we’ve played a couple bad games in front of Quick but he comes through in net. MOST GAMES. Go Kings Go!! Still not panicking, yet.
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backchecker Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 11:59 am
@Fabkings,
there is no doubt about Doughty and Greene as i had said in a prior blog They are a shadow of what they were last year add that Mitchell is out of the lineup and you can not win on defense
anymore and we know the kings can not win on offense
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King John Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@Fabkings,
I think we should bring Parse back to the first line: it really hurt having him injured—at least he fit enough as a top 6 forward that the two top lines were scoring.
Why’d you have to get injured, Parsely?
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puck73 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
@King John, Parse is coming into his own, too bad he got hurt.
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Jose Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
@Fabkings,
I agree with Doughty he has looked slow from the get go, does he have a lower body injury that they are not revealing?
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I was thinking.
Whomever is in charge of sending the monies to the officials to help reduce the biasness of he calls for Canadian teams.
Stop using media mail when going into Canada.
It takes forever for it to cross the border.
Federal Exp. hops it pretty quick.
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smyth had 5 goals in that span rich oh wait……..
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Been arguing with fellow King fans at work before the season began that Bernier should not be the starter but rather the backup. Well he’s the backup and he’s showing why. Been through high expectations before (Storr) so I ain’t jumpin’ on the Bernier train just yet.
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to all of you bernier naysayers So as the coaches do and analyze the goals he gave up that were his fault/bad I say 1 maybe 2 maximum you gice up to goals you should win a hockey game
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jason Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:08 am
@backchecker, you have to realize how much it takes out of a team when a goalie doesnt make saves he should.. Theres a reason Bernier is 2-5 with crappy stats… Quick has been awesome and nothing less. If bernier needs to play every game to be good then he doesnt belong here cuz as long as quick is here bernier will be backup..
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backchecker Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 7:45 am
@jason,
so the players play for quick but not for bernier ?????? hello !!!!!!
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jamesonafterawin Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
@backchecker, Actually. Players not playing as well in front of the back up is a known issue. It’s talked about on HNIC often.
best players should be on the first line… that means smyth or williams or both… Simmons hasnt been that great so maybe move him up, for some reason he plays better when he moves up.. Clifford has been good… TM stop playing Bernier if you care about the team… Just for the record, our downward slump began when we played against san jose.. Bernier was in goal.. 6 goals on 34 shots and kings let in 2 power play goals… Play quick until kings get on track… Also first line needs first line players.. If they dont wanna score at least put simmons cuz hes good on D..
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Good thing Justin Williams is on his game…at least there’s one consistent player.
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puck73 Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 10:16 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, Justin Williams, Jarrett Stoll, Brad Richardson. and Dustin Brown are flying out there every game!
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