As noted earlier, Jonathan Quick will be back in goal tonight for the Kings, after Jonathan Bernier started the two previous games, went 1-1-0 and allowed four goals in six periods. Asked for his assessment of Bernier’s play, Terry Murray said, “I thought he was good. In the first period, he had some big stops, with three power plays.” Murray also broke down the two Dallas goals, attributing one to Drew Doughty’s inability to deflect and intercept the cross-ice pass that led to Jamie Langenbrunner’s goal, and the second to a deflection that he seemed to indicate Bernier should have stopped.
MURRAY: “That pass (to Langenbrunner) just cannot get through. That’s his responsibility. You see him, you pick him up and you know he’s coming to the net. That’s just body positioning. And the first one, I’m not crazy about the first one, quite candidly. That’s a play you see in the NHL today every game, the high tip coming from above the hash mark. That’s a play that goes to the middle of the net, and that’s a play we have to have. If it goes top corner or if it goes just inside the post, you say, `They got a break on that one. It had some eyes.’ That’s the way it is, but we need those ones that go to the middle of the net. That’s a drill that we work on. Unfortunately, and I’m not pointing the finger at anybody, we just needed a big stop on that one.”
Also, the puck was never cleared after a clean face-off win;Scuderi had full possession but it didn’t go out, instead being caught by the point man and kept, followed immediatley by the goal.
[Reply]
kevin Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
@Player-X, I am glad someone else noticed that.
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
@kevin,
me too
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
@Player-X, …not to mention the soft point pass to Richards that totally fooled Martinez.
[Reply]
This road trip decides the kings season….save us Quick, save us all!!!
[Reply]
KingsFanFTL Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
@Dave, he been saving us but he cant do it all the time the team needs to score
[Reply]
He is a piece of work blame every one but yourself.
[Reply]
nykingfan Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@kevin,
Yeah
I noticed Murray not taking out Langenbrunner on the 2nd goal. I also blamed him for the Arizona shootings and the Jets wiining on Sunday
[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@nykingfan, lmao!
[Reply]
Doughty needs to wake up, or, shave the mustache.
[Reply]
hockeysureshot Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@koti, He played so well Saturday night. That’s what so frustrating for Kings fans this year. INCONSISTENT play all year! I was at the Kings 4-0 domination of the Sharks at HP Pavilion and felt that team could be a Stanley Cup contender. For whatever reason, they don’t play consistent. You see flashes of brilliance, then lack of confidence, and stupid penalties, bad losses at home to teams like Toronto, Columbus, and Minnesota. Makes you want to pull your hair out, cause the team has talent.
[Reply]
i wonder TM is in fact referring to JB in re: the second goal… sure, it may have gone thru a sliver of the crease, but from where i was sitting, it sure looked like DD could have done more. and it was, let’s be fair, a great pass. richards was doing that all night.
covering #91 was the problem
[Reply]
King o' Philly Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
@King o’ Philly,
and by “where i was sitting”, i mean in my living room…
(i avoid dallas at all costs — won’t go unless paid to)
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
@King o’ Philly,
Yes and also lends creedence to my repeated ramblings about what some skill up front can do for you. However poor the Stars were (supposedly) they’ve quietly assembled a pretty good bunch of personnel up front. Loui Erikson (highly underrated), Richards, Ribeiro, Morrow, Jaime Benn. Not that bad and they can fly.
[Reply]
Glad to see Quick in net tonight as he should be well rested and motivated. Let’s hope we see some creativity in the offensive zone and let’s get some chances through the middle of the ice for a change. No more of this along the boards nonsense. Kings need to play desperate and be focused every faceoff and every shift. Which player on the Kings do you think is holding the players accountable lately? Smyth, Greene, Scuderi? The coaches can only do so much. The players have to lead also. I saw that the Sharks made a couple of moves, albeit not earth shattering, but they did something. They addressed team speed, which in my mind the Kings clearly lack. Look at the successful lines in Kings history. The Triple Crown Line, the Gretzky, Robitaille, Kurri or Granato lines. The LAPD line with Deadmarsh, Allison, and Palffy. Successful teams have a playmaker, net presence, and a speedy winger. That’s what Kopitar and Brown need badly. Watching Ales Hemsky on Edmonton on Saturday night made me realize although he’s injury prone, he is the type of player the Kings need in my opinion.
Just my two cents, anyway go get ‘em tonight Quick!
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
@hockeysureshot,
Man, I was harping on about this all of last year. Regulars here either know it – or are maybe fed up with hearing it from me – but everytime I see someone else address it I’m happy (the speed issue that is). Honestly, it makes me wonder how clearly very intelligent hockey men such as Dean Lombardi aren’t aware of it. Either that or they simply believe in good ole time Philly hockey. And they have every right to that belief. It’s only my opinion that the league doesn’t function that way anymore. It’s a Very very fast league. If you’re slower, you’re not going to get to as many pucks, and if you don’t get to as many pucks that leads to less possession and less in the way of scoring chances.
I don’t know. It just seems Logical to me.
[Reply]
MDKingsFan Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Not a long-time regular, but long-time Kings fan on the East Coast… I spent all game thinking that there is no team speed, no ability to create off of the skate… every goal will be a struggle until some speed is obtained.
I’d like to see Mollar come back up as well. Thought he was playing well when he was sent down.
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
@MDKingsFan,
Welcome to the site. Nice to have your comments. Although I know I’m not concocting these scenarios in my head, there are moments when you wonder…. so, nice to have some positive reinforcement.
Thanks.
Terry lost what little respect I had for him. To blame Bernier on that goal is outrageous. The high tip is one of the most difficult shots to stop. The deflection cannot be picked up and the angle of deflection is more severe than a crease tip. It is beyond comprehension than an NHL coach would make such comments. Physician heal thyself.
[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
@Bobby Scribe, come on Bobby, it went right between his legs, should not have been available, it was a bad goal.
[Reply]
Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
@fsd1, It went off the forwards’ SKATE. Do you realize how difficult that is for a goalie to pick up? 80% of the time, those deflections go wide or hit the corner because of the severity of the angle and they give goalie’s fits because they have to react to the initial shot and completely change their position. It is the equivalent of the hardest save to make which is a high to low deflection.
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@Bobby Scribe, Hmmm. I thought it was pretty reasonable. All he said was JB needs to stop the middle shot, which he didn’t. Covering the middle is pretty basic.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
@Bobby Scribe, Funny that TM can see that high tip above the hash marks all the time in the NHL, but can’t see it when the Kings are on the power play.
[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@Dominick, someone has to pass it. And someone has to get open. TM doesn’t have skates on.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
@fsd1, I challange you to find me 1 example of the Kings even trying that play on the power play in the last 20 games. It doesn’t exist. I know because I’ve been waiting to see it.
wavesinair Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
@Dominick, I wish Kopitar would plant his ass in the high slot more often instead of doing that same old half board ‘make a move then pass it’ play over and over again. You make a good point. You know, the same one you’ve been making for about a year.
[Reply]
nykingfan Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
@Bobby Scribe,
Hang on a second
If this is something that’s worked on in practice..then what’s your beef?
You hate Murray and that’s your perogative, but read the quote then make the comment..
[Reply]
Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
@nykingfan, Do you attend many practices? If not, you have no idea what they work on. Have I seen the goalies play the tip in practice? Yes. Is it a point of emphasis? Heck no. Does practicing it make it more likely than during a bang bang play off a player’s skate the save should be so automatic that a coach would actually criticize his goalie for it? Come on. The goalies “practice” to stop all kinds of shots and face all kinds of shots during the game. I suppose that makes any goal they give up a bad one with that logic right?
[Reply]
Erik4Kings Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@Bobby Scribe,
Bobby, just ignore the homers. Anyone who knows TM history as a coach knows he underachieves with this talent and loves to blame everyone else for lack of execution.
Yes it is true the players need to play hard and execute well. But it also helps a hell of a lot when the leader sets the pace of the pack…
1- TM chooses to play dump, chase and cycle hockey every night. Not sure how many of you play hockey, but I do, all the time. That is a very, very physical style of play. Because you are constantly grinding. There are two issues with that, one, that strategy means you are planning on your team winning the physical battle every night (RETARDED), two, this isn’t the NFL where you can just be overly physical for 16 games and be a champion…players quit on that strategy.
2 – TM plays the scapegoat game all the time. I can give you examples left and right…
Poni – hammering Poni for poor play? so if Poni is poor play what the hell is Westgarth? Nonexistant???
Sturm – we just got the guy off major reconstructive knee surgery, history proves it takes a full season playing to really recover (reference Justin williams, we got 4 goals from him that first half season and he was great outside of injury last year and is arguably team MVP this year) yet TM was already coming down on Sturm after two games??? you’ve got to be kidding me.
3 – TM makes excuses like there is no tomorrow. I’ve heard all of the below from him this season:
- schedule is too busy
- schedule is too slow
- lots of injuries
- unforunate bounces despite good play
4 – this win and you’re in strategy this late in the season is a joke. It just put the nail in the coffin for the team he has no idea what he is doing. that in essence is putting the goalies backs against the walls when the goalies have hardly been the damn issue on this team.
5 – the issue is conditioning and mental fortitude. you ever go to practices? our conditioning if you can call it that is a freaking joke…that explains why teams out play us at the end of EVERY DAMN GAME. as far as mental fortitude…TM is a negativity coach, he has players so scared to screw up all they do is think on the ice instead of just play damn hockey…
TM was the worst hire, i never wanted him in the first place and this is just proving it…
we have all the talent but no one to help teach them to mature into winning talent, not just random nightly highlights.
[Reply]
THEROCKNROLL80S Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
@Erik4Kings, How right you are. We’ll go nowhere until either a new coach or this coach with a different approach. Hell, TM would make Crosby a 20 goal scorer.
[Reply]
losing hope Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
@Erik4Kings,
Your point #1 is spot on! My biggest frustration with this team is the “system” that they play..dump chase and cycle. I do play and know how much energy that drains out of you. I also know that you cant score when there is nobody in front of the net! We have two guys cycling and the third fwd is up high to protect. Who the hell is going to score? Cycle, cycle, pass to the point…wide shot…cycle some more. Its terrible and its all from the Coach.
This dump and chase, then cycle system is for teams that have very low talent level. I think we have enough skill to play another system. How many cross ice goals or two passes, then score have you seen the Kings score this season. Not very many..because nobody is EVER cutting to the net or cutting back door. They’re always behind the net, or along the boards waiting for the cycle to come back to them. Which brings me to our power play…also terrible system. We mess with the puck on the half boards..pass down low..then back to half boards or to the point…wide shot from point then start it all over again..no creativity or movement..nobody cutting to the net for the tap in goal. Always happens to us though…funny.
Ok, I’m done venting now. Sorry.
[Reply]
Roxo Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
@Bobby Scribe,
Agree with you 100%! My thought as I was reading this was, your gonna hate on the one player who kept you in the game!?? I thought bernier played real good considering the circumstances…
[Reply]
Tonights game story will only have on word changed, “Kings turn back on Quick”.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
@Quiet You, Your name cracked me up! LOL
[Reply]
Anytime the Goalie and defense gives up 2 goals or less and still loose the game, the problem is with the offence. Not to mention both goals were on the PP.
[Reply]
Sebastian Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
@NOT IMPRESSED, Special teams can win or lose the game for you. How pathetic was the Kings PP?
[Reply]
uknojata Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
@NOT IMPRESSED, you make a good point. However I’m glad to see Terry calling out DD on his weak D-play down low. He has been making those kind of costly mistakes all year.
But as you said, our offense, or lack there-of, was the problem last night. If your gonna play a dump and chase game the team has to buy in. If your not entering the zone with speed and on an all out mission to dig the puck out your just gonna turn it over time after time. Our forecheck failed us last night.
Below Jim Martin brings up another good point, call up some new blood from Manchester! We are so deep with high caliber youngsters, time to make that work for us. Lokti and Moller are both due for another look. It’s time to shake things up before its too late. And if you all are waiting for Terry to get the axe, your going to have to wait until we miss the playoffs. It’s just not Deano’s style to make a change like that mid-season.
[Reply]
last game wasnt Bernier fault for once he kept us in the game so who fault was it really the Offense they cant score for their life depends on it..Smyth,Kopi,Williams needs to be split up try it three games now and its pathetic no scoring just bad scores that it KEEP Doughty and JJ split cause have u guys notice everytime they are together we loose the game
[Reply]
Sorry to say this but At some point you need to ask yourself is this TM fault or the players, and I feel it is TM there is no way this team should not be able to score goals there are too many good players the system needs to be changed. We have no power play to speak of and the players seem to have stopped playing for him.
[Reply]
This team as a whole sucks. I’ve been a fan since 67-68. Bad passing, inconsistant goal tending, backing down from the physical play. Stupid mistakes, lack of team speed. Its time to bring up the speed guys from Manchester, namely Loki and Moeller. They both have the agility to escape checks. These Kings are like standing trees with the puck, they cannot elude a check. They have four guys that can enter the offensive zone with speed Kopitar, Brown, Simmons,Sturm and maybe Stoll. The rest of them looks like watching the game in slow-mo.
[Reply]
Chuck Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
@Jim Martin,
Coach is slow too. He acts like hes on a tranqualizer or something. Where’s the passion and the fire? Somebody do something soon, or there will be no playoffs.
[Reply]
Hockeysureshot Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
@Jim Martin, I disagree. The team does not suck. Just so damn inconsistent. But you’re right the team does lack speed. They play a very predictable system offensively. Especially on the PP.
[Reply]
Shotongoal Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
@Jim Martin, I’m not so sure that Moller or Lokti are the answers right now. I think this team looks slow because of the system that the coaching staff has them playing. This is not an aggressive, up-tempo system and I think it is finally holding the players back to the point where they are not performing to their fullest capabilities. Does anyone remember Ted Nolan? I’m just thinking out loud!
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
@Jim Martin,
Moeller scored a nice little goal vs. Detroit A) on the road and B) at a very important juncture of the game…. not just the 4th goal in a blow out of CBJ.
Agreed they need something cause at the moment (Especially w/o Simmer) the 3rd and 4h lines pose virtually no threat.
[Reply]
john olive Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
@Jim Martin, Amen! Time for Murray to go!!!
[Reply]
Oh jeez, TM. For not pointing fingers, you sure did a great job. How about pointing it at some others too, while you’re at it? Or figuring out why you weren’t able to adapt to Dallas when they adapted to you?
Ugh.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
@DLB, Getting out coached by the coach you replaced is just wrong. Hopefully things change soon.
[Reply]
now TM is scapegoating – the end of the TM reign is near
[Reply]
Although the goaltending hasnt been stellar lately it’s not been the problem. It’s nit-picking for TM to call out that first goal when your team only gets ONE GOAL. If you need your goalies to have a 1.0 GAA to win then you are delusional.
Tell me if you can recall hearing ‘the Kings with a quick counterattack’ more than a few times a game EVER. The only quick in the Kings is in net. The deliberate system (on both 5-on-5 and PP) has been nullified by pretty much every opponent and yet the coach seems to think ‘working harder’ is the answer. How about working smarter? How about having a damn offense that catches our breath occasionally instead of making us continually sigh.
[Reply]
john olive Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
@bbb7, Couldn’t have said it better then that! I think it’s time for Murray to go!!!
[Reply]
kingeyes Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
@john olive, Agree every night a new line no chemistry is being built and why did johnson get penalty shot
[Reply]
let’s hope that Quick has overcome his case of the yips. I get nervous everytime he handles the puck.
[Reply]
Shotongoal Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
@HeyChief, I think “HE’ gets nervous handling the puck!! LOL
[Reply]
It could be worse? Sharks just did a little dumpster diving by picking up Wellwood and Eager.
[Reply]
Can we bring back Felix Potvin to turn the season around?
[Reply]
Sebastian Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
@bob, or Ersberg or Sean Burke. Goaltending is not the reason the kings are not winning.
[Reply]
Why? Bernier is playing better then Quick!! The real problem is a coach who lets Jack Johnson take a penalty shot! What is his problem! I’m getting to the point that I won’t watch the games. I’m tired of hearing “Wait til’ next year”.
[Reply]
GKG Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
@john olive,
A player on the rink at the time of the infraction had to take it. That was clifford, handzus, poni, JmfJ, Doughty or stoll…JmfJ has been very strong in shootouts over the course of his career. I might have used Doughty or Stoll if it was me, but JJ has had success in shootouts and was not a completely terrible choice.
The truths are:
1. I can not remember one time this season we have needed a power play goal in a critical situation and got it. Last season our power play came through when we needed it to.
2. No team can expect to win consistently without goal support (except apparently Nashville). This team has never received consistent production from all 4 lines at any time during the season – even in our early success, line 2 was carrying the scoring…
3. The dump and chase/low rotation is a very effective system for grinding down the pace of a game, enhancing the physicality of a game, and keeping a team with fewer offensively-gifted players “in the game” against a team with more talent/scoring ability.
4. No matter what anyone tells you, the Kings are not a speed team. Furthermore, speed teams tend to give the Kings fits (like Nashville and Edmonton until recently, when both became so bereft of scoring talent that they simply couldn’t put us away no matter how fast they are).
5. The coach DOES implement the system, but no coach can tell the players what to do as the play develops second-by-second. It is up to the players to make the plays. Terry preaches taking the puck north and south and getting it to the net with pressure/traffic there. We dump and chase as much as we do simply because the players decide that this is the best play to make. Sometimes it is – rather than turning the puck over at the blue line, get it deep. However, if you are going to dump the puck into the offensive zone 40 times a game, YOU MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECOVER IT. In last night’s game, F3 was nowhere to be found, and, as a result, defensemen had to back off instead of trying to hold the puck in the zone, and the forecheck was nearly non-existent.
6. I have no beef with Doughty letting the puck go through his legs on Langenbrunner’s goal. He was in excellent (inside) position on that play, and knew where Langenbrunner was. Sometimes you simply fail to execute, or your opponent executes a little better on a given play. The fundamentals of position and awareness were there, and I expect he’ll execute (block the pass) next chance he gets…
7. The Kings only employ 3 TRUE Top-6 forwards, and they can not be expected to score every game.
8. When Brown is not physical, he is invisible.
9. Ditto for Ponikarovski.
10. If you have a guy demoted to the 4th line (Handzus), maybe he should be removed from the ice when you pull your goalie in an effort to generate offense.
11. Speed without hands makes opposing goalies look good (Richardson).
12. Clifford is a better all-around player when he has a chip on his shoulder – for chrissakes, punch someone i the mouth!
13. Lewis disappears for games on end, but showed great instincts last night getting open for that shot in the first period that hit the post.
14. It was sickening to see our Mammoth 4th line losing physical battles along the boards to the likes of Langenbrunner, Ericson and Jamie Benn – these guys should not lose any physical battles to anyone smaller than King Kong and Godzilla.
BEST WAY TO FIX THIS TEAM – simple…
FIND THE PASSION, AND BRING IT WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT…
[Reply]
For sure TM would never be a goaltender coach especially after his assessment of Bernier’s play last night.
[Reply]
You guys are hilarious.
“put smyth, kopi, Williams together”!!
“smyth, kopi, Williams line sucks”
“give the lines more time to get chemistry”
“3 games is enough the line isn’t working”
“TM needs to start calling his players out”
“TM needs to look at himself instead of pointing fingers”
“put in Bernier”
“put in Quick”
They are losing, an losing bad so any decision will seem like the wrong one in hindsight. Fact is, TM isn’t perfect. He’s made some mistakes. But this team, the guys ON the ice are not playing up to par. That’s on them, not the coach. This team was built on defense. They are a grinding, tough hockey club that expect to keep any team to lowshots and low goals. Anybody who looks at our line up and expects high scoring every night is kidding themselves. TM is working with what he has been given. These are his tools. Sadly, his tools look pretty dull at the moment and show very little interest in improving. A lot of their mistakes are basic hockey fundamentals. Pick up your man, make safe plays, pans show some heart. Every time they have talked about going back to fundamentals, they’ve shown pretty good success. Then they relax and start making basic mistakes again.
[Reply]