Terms such as “playoff-like game” and “playoff atmosphere” get tossed around too often in the regular season, but if it ever applied, tomorrow’s Kings-Sharks game might be the right fit. It’s the final game before the All-Star break for both teams, so it should come with a let-it-all-hang-out attitude. Plus, it’s a game between division rivals. Plus, it’s a game between two teams that were expected to contend for the Pacific Division title but currently sit in fourth (Sharks) and fifth (Kings), with both teams out of the top eight in the Western Conference. Both teams come in with some positive feeling, the Kings after back-to-back wins and the Sharks on a four-game winning streak, and Terry Murray said he expects an intense game…
MURRAY: “I hope so. Those are the fun games to play, whenever you’re playing your division rivals. You’re going to get fired up for that kind of a game, without any need of help from anybody else. You come to the rink, you’re excited, your adrenaline is flowing a little bit faster, and you just want to get on the ice and compete. That’s what we’re looking forward to, is that game tomorrow night against San Jose. They’re trying to put it all together and get themselves going, and we’re the same, so I think it will be a real fun game.”
Kings assistant captain Matt Greene also expects a hard-fought game…
GREENE: “It should be a good game. We’ve got to even up the series here, and they need the points too. So it should be a nice battle, going into the break. The good news is that we’ve got four days off to rest up, so we can leave it all out there tomorrow.”
Let’s go KINGS!!!
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They better get it done tomorrow. We’re in it to win it, and i dont just mean this one game.
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Just don’t get caught in playing to the Shark’s pace; make positive of controlled breakouts, frustrate their fore-check with D-to-D passes back and forth until the space is there for the center to swoop in and pick up the puck from behind. Let them tire themselves chasing the puck until the breakout is there, and do not stop the deep in our zone, keep it moving back and forth until the breakout is available. Just build the pace, let the pace develop, crossing out of our zone into center ice by making short passes deep in our zone to the swooping centerman and let him get the puck early on the way out. If the Kings have speed crossing their own blue line, with time before that to assess coverage, the whole entry problem into the offensive zone solves itself; options are obvious with speed thru center, and the way to develop speed thru center is a controlled breakout staring deep in the defensive zone.
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Player-X Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
@Player-X,
correction, line 4–
there, and do not stop the PUCK deep in our zone, keep it moving back and forth until the breakout is
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Dominick Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
@Player-X,
The Kings have been having problems with teams getting the lead and flooding the nuetral zone with a 1-3-1 or a 1-4 set up. Do you think the D to D passes will draw them in enough to open up a lane for the center to drop in below the puck and advance it forward? The Kings have been fortunate enough in the last couple of games to have the lead, but at some point their going to fall behind again, and I’m hoping they figure out how to break through that nuetral zone trap.
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Player-X Reply:
January 26th, 2011 at 6:19 am
@Dominick, If the opposition comes in the D-to-D gives room and time to find the center for the outlet, or they go to the guy at the half-boarde. If the opposition hangs back, the speed crossing our blue line forces them to commit, and if the other forwards stay in line (like a power play breakout where they are literally all in a line moving thru center)then the speed allows for an obvious choice of whether to dump it or carry it in. My point was that if your moving with speed, you will likely win the dumpin and regain possession, while if the opposition cheats toward regaining the dumpin then it opens up the blue line for a carry in.
Dominick Reply:
January 26th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
@Player-X,
Other teams who have been soring first, have been dropping back with the same gameplan. Pressure the redline to force the dump, and double team the passing lanes through the nuetral zone. It almost seems as though speed doesn’t matter, because the plan is the same no matter what speed we use. Force the dump. Sometimes the speed breaks through, but the ratio to forced dump ins, and chip ins is exceptable because that speed hardly results in a play directly to the net, but to a stop up to let other players catch up to the play.
They prefer to let the Kings dump, and even invite the L1, and L2 to pressure. They try to absorbe the firstman pressure with their retreating weakside D, while 3 other players isolate the first 2 forcheckers from our L3. They will allow the cycle until they get the isolation to the L1, and L2 then outnumber to an unsupported corner.
Once teams drop back in that 1-4 it’s all over.
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Player-X Reply:
January 26th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
@Dominick, When the puck carrier has speed, those guys you are talking about in the 1-4 cannot effectively stand up. Our guy can stickhandle past a guy that is either stationary, or moving slowly backwards. It’s like trying to check a guy by coming straight at him, the guy just steps around the check. If the 1-4 is retreating, they can’t do both things: they either have to group up to stand up and prevent carry in which leaves the dump in open, or they have to fall back to cover the dump-in and leave gaps for the pass and carry in.
I don’t know what you mean by “double-teaming the passing lanes.” Guys can’t be two place at once, and they have to either clog the middle and accept a dump-in, or cover the dump-in (1-2-2) and leave the middle more open.
Just watch for Kopi as he passes thru center. When he has speed, he just skates around the first fore-checker, and then can either do the same with the second guy or pass it off. I know the first guy tries to force Kopi to one side, but Kopi and his linemates know that so they adjust; either Kopi makes a second move on second guy, or makes a short pass to a line-mate that has speed when the carry is there. If not, that same line-mate that has speed already has the jump on the D to get the dump-in back. Same thing works for both options: Kopi (puck-carrier) with speed, line-mate parallel with him moving thru center, other line-mate ahead of play at weak side blue line either waiting or moving laterally across blue line, all with speed. “Speed thru center”
Yes tomorrow game is a big one. It’s so nice having games that matter during the season. This is what hockey is all about. Good hard hitting games that match two clubs that are fighting for the same thing. I would not be shocked if this game went to overtime. Let’s hope that we come out with a fire that can’t be put out. Keep Lokti in!!! This kid is awesome to watch.
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if yesterdays Kings show up to the game we got this, and I don’t mean because we had a shutout. 60 minutes guys, remember 60 minutes!!!!!
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ok guys…..just play the same way you did against Boston and the Guppies will fall!!!! we have the Team to spank these guys and we need a little redemption from the last time we played them. If we can get this win then my outlook on the playoffs will change drasticly. we win / we have a chance! we lose / we still have a chance but momentum is a precarious thing and its hard to get things going when you dont have it. our skids this year is proof of that!
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A year ago today…
“I want to keep the bar very high for this team. I don’t know what the top is going to be with this group in particular. It looks pretty good. I really want to see us get into the playoffs, and we’re going to keep pushing toward that.” Terry Murray, January 25th 2010
This quote was pulled from just before the Kings played the Leafs in Toronto. The Kings were 29-19-3 (61pts) and stood in 7th place. Today they are 26-22-1 (53pts)and are in 11th place…that’s 4 wins off last year’s pace. Toronto, by the way, had 44pts a year ago and now have 43.
Here’s the thread: http://lakingsinsider.com/2010/01/25/who-are-you-guys/
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pr0cess Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
@wavesinair, remember this is all covered in the DL, 3rd year slump plan, nothing to see move along
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This game should be epic. Let’s set the tone for the rest of the year boys!
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Bring the same intensity from Monday and this could be a great game
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Going to the game and I have good feeling we Kings will winnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
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Kings need a win. We can gain 2 points on SJ, Phx and Chi who lost last night.
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Due to a crazy work schedule the next couple of days I won’t be able to watch the game until Friday evening. I’ll have to avoid this blog until then but GO KINGS!!!
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thanks for fixing the comments rss feed but can you fix the one for the articles?
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