Jack Johnson and Willie Mitchell participated in today’s morning skate and will be in the lineup tonight. As expected, the fourth line will be Alexei Ponikarovsky, Trevor Lewis and Kevin Westgarth, with Jonathan Quick in goal. Al Montoya will start in goal for the Islanders. More notes and quotes to come…
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Does this mean Loktionov isnt playing? what a joke!
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Beast88 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:13 am
@Paul G, I totally agree. It’s almost like Murray doesn’t want him to succeed. As soon as Loktionov finds some life, Murray switches things up, then demotes him. Same thing with Moller earlier this year.
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TJB Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:48 am
@Paul G,
Maybe DL has in the works involving Lokti?
HMMMMMM!!!!!
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TJB Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:56 am
@TJB,
*something in the works
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Al Montoya? Ok then.
Go Kings Go!
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wavesinair Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:26 am
@Stagger,
I want AM to score on AM.
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wavesinair Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:51 am
(Alec Martinez on Al Montoya in case no one got it)
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KingsKnight Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:35 am
@wavesinair,
I wouldn’t mind seeing Montoya score on himself though…
Real 7 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:12 am
@Stagger, this will be Inigo…I mean Al’s 1st start of the season….he’s impressed in two relief appearances…
35 Al Montoya 2 0 75 2.40 1 0 0 0 30 3 .900
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Lets go Kings we goota win tonight and make it a killer road trip.
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Just wish Dean Lombardi does something to add some offence.
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THEROCKNROLL80S Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:08 am
@Mike in LA, How about just allowing our forwards to be offensive minded for a change. If you look at Kings history at trade deadline, we never seem to get someone who fits. Why is that? At least not since Kuri. Dean doesn’t need to do anything.
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poe Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
@THEROCKNROLL80S, Let the forwards play an offensive game instead of every one on the team playing defense and always on the outsides. Go down the middle and in low. That will confuse all opponents who know that the boards are the Murray plays..although there does seem to be less dump and(fail to) chase
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tornado12 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:18 am
@Mike in LA, Dont hold your breath. Unless these trade market prices start going down, I dont see DL making a significant move. DL is, if nothing else, thrifty. I dont necessarily think thats a bad idea though at this point. Remeber, this isnt supposed to be ‘the’ year and why go all in and trade some of our significant assests if we just end up spinning our wheels.
They are playing so well right now, the presumption is you dont want to mess with the chemistry. The other factor is, there arent alot of sellers at this point due to the standings being so tight.The only teams i see as sellers right now are STL, COl, EDM, TOR, FLA, NYI, OTT and NJ. Who on those teams really fits with the Kings needs and if it costs a significant roster player, it just ends up creating another hole. Remember, we still have Sturm on the IR and is its a big question which way that will go.
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jason Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
@Mike in LA, its not the players, its the coaching.. i guarantee if kopi was on another team he would have way more points.. the system isnt good for scorers.. its good for D which were are doing… but there needs to be a little more freedom…
and fyi kings havent lost in 10games which makes them the hottest team in the nhl… But Murray does what he does best.. He takes the hottest team in the NHL and messes up the lines so we can start losing again.. The last game wasnt good but 2 of the goals were soft goals.. could have been a win for us
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rich, why no trade rumors and/or updates??? also what is happening with Marco Sturm and Scott Parse?
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Loskingpride Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:44 am
@Yuri, I’d put my money on something along the lines of Rich hasn’t received any news from reliable sources which is nice. Better than Eklund’s rumors of Bernier going to Colorado and Schenn going to EDM.
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lafan13 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:46 am
@Yuri, Rich doesn’t participate in rumors, you know that.
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letsdothis Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:49 am
@Yuri, i’m interested in knowing what is going on with Sturm too. Last I heard, last week he thought he was ready to go. No word since.
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Dominick Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:51 am
@letsdothis, 9 days till the trade deadline and unlimited roster.
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sloppy joe Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:05 am
@Yuri,
Yeah whats up w Marco Sturm and Scott Parse?
Not buying the tendonitis of the knee story anymore, Marco Sturm has been out too long
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Dave Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:11 am
@sloppy joe, the best reason i heard is they are waiting for the unlimited rosters to activate him so they can keep Loktionov up and not have to expose anyone to waivers.
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AZ King Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:28 am
@Yuri,
There’s enough rumors going on around here alredy, and there is nothing to update since we having made a trade.
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Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die.
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stackhouse Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:02 am
@Dominick,
Nice!!
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Chongo Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:03 am
@Dominick, lol…no more rhymes and I mean it!
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Kostamojen Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:04 am
@Chongo, anbody want a peanut?
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tornado12 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@Dominick, LOL, I love the Princess Bride! One of he most classic movie lines of all time!
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wavesinair Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:24 am
@Dominick,
TM: I think our offense is getting better.
Inigo: You keep using that word “offense.” I do not think it means what you think it means.
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tornado12 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:26 am
@wavesinair, HAHAHA…keep it going, love this stuff.
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Chongo Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:32 am
@wavesinair, LMAO
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Dominick Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:46 am
@Chongo, By guys! have fun storming the castle.
Slim Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
@Dominick, That’s unconceivable.
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Lets expose Montoya tonight, i have a feeling today is going to be a good day
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No let downs tonight boys. Even though the Isles aren’t as high in the standings, they could be spoilers. Don’t let it happen. Let’s return to California still on a high…ready to beat the Ducks…and move more solidly into the higher teams in the Western Conference. Go Kings Go!
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Dean should have acquired Stewart from the Avs. He would look great alongside Kopitar! I would have dealt bernier for him.
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PurpleNGold Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:11 am
@Eric, Im glad DL doesnt think this way. Stewart is good, but we are not trading Bernier any time soon. That would be a bad move.
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Eric Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:32 am
@PurpleNGold,
Quick is the real deal. The Kings have two very good young goalies in Manchester. I would trade Bernier in a heart beat if I could get a real power forward like Stewart.
Face it, Bernier is an “if;” Quick is simply an excellent goalie now and probably will be for many years to come.
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Dave Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:13 am
@Eric, Bernier is also 22. goalies don’t even peak until they are in their late 20s. Jones might end up being a quality NHL goalie but we don’t know that yet. trade Bernier, Quick gets hurt and the season is over. good thinking.
JayGoLAKings Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:11 am
@Eric, WOW!
Bernier? I believe goalies are much more valuable.
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Eric Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:33 am
@JayGoLAKings,
Yes, goalies are much more valuable, but the Kings have many good young goalies in the organization along with a top three in the league at the moment.
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AZ King Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:24 am
@Eric,
I’m glad you’re not our GM.
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Eric Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:34 am
@AZ King,
I’m not. This team would be a contender right now.
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AZ King Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:13 am
@Eric,
uh huh. I guess that means your team on NHL 11 is awesome, because managing a video game or fantasy is so much like the real thing.
Make sure you get that application in there the next time an NHL team is looking for a GM.
puck73 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:55 am
@Eric, No it wouldnt, you would piss away draft picks like water, and sign free agents to overpriced deals like Glen Sather.
AZ King Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
@puck 73,
No, see I misunderstood the situation here. He would be able to get all the other GMs to give us their best players for nothing, and then convice all the pleyers to get paid the league minimim. It’s a fantastic strategy, reslly…
AZ King Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
wow, I’m so blown away that I can’t spell.
* minimum
* really
Don’t let the starting of Montoya fool you. He just got picked up by the Isles and has something to prove to stay in the NHL. He was a stud in the AHL years ago (Then again, so was LaBarbara). I think he’ll either be REAL good or REAL bad. This will NOT be an easy task because we’ll have to force the focus more than if we were playing a top team.
We cannot underestimate Montoya or this game. We have to DOMINATE the play the full 60 minutes and show the league why we should be feared in the playoffs.
Anything less will be a letdown.
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JayGoLAKings Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:18 am
@Cynic, Two games in Montoya looks good (2.40 GAA) for a team who does not play defense.
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AZ King Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:25 am
@Cynic,
Montoya played really well for the Yotes a couple of seasons ago. This guy is no push over.
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wavesinair Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:30 am
@Cynic,
Yep. After an amazing trip so far, to have the only reg. loss be against the Isles would be a big let down at this point.
Of course, if we go back to before the trip began, and I said to you that we will only lose one game in regulation, you (and every Kings fan) would be jumping for joy.
Expectations are a funny thing.
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USHA#17 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
@Cynic,
Let’s see, 3 in 5 including a drive to Ohio then back to NY the next day….
I’ll take a 2-1 win, gladly,,,even in a shoot out.
Seen the Kings play down too much this year (e.g St Louis, Penns)
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By the way, the last time I checked we were a plus 25 and Tampa was a -5. Gee, who has the better record, I wonder?
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How about lets return to California with Grabner in a Kings jersey! Right now the Islanders are trying to get him extended, and with the amount of prospects, picks even roster players, the time is now to get Grabner.
He is still making an entry level 765,000 this season. It seems like the Kings have plenty of assets that the Islanders can use to speed up their rebuilding.
Streit is out, we have Voynov, and Hickey to offer, we even have Muzzin, Teubert and what the hell Forbort also.
The Islanders are also really in need of goaltenders. Zatkoff, is probably better than Montoya, and Martin Jones is really tearing up the AHL right now.
Seems like the Kings have a lot of things the Islanders can use to speed up their rebuilding, and Grabner can play left wing.
The asking prices for what is available right now Weiss/Booth is too steep. If you were going to get one of those two Booth would have to be the player, but he comes with a big warning sign due to having been knocked out a few times and had some pretty significant concussion issues.
I can tell you Spezza is not going to go anywhere. He’s one of the few Senators who will not be moved.
Funny story, my brother-in-laws parents were in St Louis, going to see Jay McClemment play for the Blues, well that isn’t happening now. They were then going to Colorado to see Matt Duchene play, which now means Matt and Jay will be playing for Colorado.
Both players were billets at my brother-in-laws parents home in Brampton. Looking forward to seeing both on the 26th of February, and then when they come back in March. Maybe I’ll cross over the Orange Curtain and see them play the Ducks also, but I’ll have to think about that.
I only cross that DMZ to go to Portillos for Italian Beef sandwiches.
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Slim Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
@Neil Shafton, I’m totally with you on this one..
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We tend to play up or down to our opponents level. Lets hope the team just plays a full 60 minutes of focused LA Kings hockey and come out of NY with 2 points. Keep the pressure on the other teams in our division and conference and some of them will fold.
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@Cynic, no surprise there. Look at the interconference records: the Western Conference has displayed a much more well-rounded group of teams. The East has plenty of skill and toughness, but only a few of the better teams play a great two-way game. Oh yeah, and way to throw in the towel again Toronto! Way to help out every other team that knows your phne number. Apparently the East likes to join forces and weaken some clubs while strengthening others (read: Boston and Philly).
Sometimes I wished we picked up the British soccer system where the worst teams get demoted. Then, they would be less inclined to dump their best players at the trade deadline just for some draft picks. That way, Toronto would be in the AHL next season instead of poaching draft picks off of good teams.
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Cynic Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:40 am
@furrylats, I know that’s been discussed on blogs and in the NHL before. It would keep teams honest at the trade deadline for sure. I couldn’t imagine my team being demoted though. We’ve had some dismal seasons. Imagine if the Kings became an AHL team for a few seasons and what that would do to not only the fans, but the franchise and it’s profitability.
I’m not sure how it works in the EPL, but in Mexican soccer (FMF), they have 2 seasons a year, so the longest you could be down is 6 months. Quite a difference from being down a whole season. The AHL would benefit, but that’s about it.
I think it could be a double edged sword as well. Some teams on the bubble of being sent down would be fighting to stay in the NHL, almost like a second type of playoffs for the teams not in the top 8. The problem is, the bottom teams that know they’re doomed will most likely sell MORE to shed payroll because of the lost revenue by being demoted. You’ll never sell an AHL ticket for the same price as an NHL one, no matter what you do, unless you make them equal leagues.
Both the NHL & AHL would have to radically change infrastructre to accomplish it, although I totally see your point about the poaching issue. DL did it too. I think it’s just the way hockey is.
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I can’t believe lotki is scratched tonite
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Westagerth in the lineup and Lokti on the bench? ssssiiiiggghhhh! If KW is a ghost again tonight and doesnt at least take the body and check and punish people than TM needs to get his fecies together and stop playing this pud! you would think that if you only get 5 minutes of ice time a game you would be able to at least put a hit or two on some people! he doesnt even need to touch the puck (would prefer he didnt) just HIT SOMEONE (cleanly please!)
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Beast88 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:15 am
@BrokeKingsFan, I didn’t realize how much I would miss Ivanans until we replaced him with Westgarth. Also, please PLEASE stop clapping of yourself after a fight, dude.
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5 hours 20 minutes until the puck drops. I’m not counting the seconds at least…
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Does anyone know the current cap space we have on our roster right now?
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wavesinair Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:54 am
$4,141,813 give or take a buck.
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Im sure ill get hung out to dry by saying this but i think we should try DD as a LW. the guy used to play a forward position before moving to D and he has shown he has the skill to do it. we have tried almost everything else and other teams have had success doing the same thing (Byflugien and CHI) Im just sayin, what do we have to loose? it doesnt work, oh well….. put him back on the blueline and we are no worse off, I mean we do have Peter Harrold who is a mainstay in the press box who is more than a capable d-man IMO
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Dave Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:16 am
@BrokeKingsFan, he is way too valuable as a d-man to move him to wing. being strong up the middle of the ice is what wins you games.
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Belexes Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
@BrokeKingsFan,
I’m sure TM will give that idea all the consideration it deserves.
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Lombardi should try to acquire Blake Comeau, has I think 15 goals on a lesser team and salary is like 700K. Will be an RFA soon though.
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Neil Shafton Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:09 am
@deedub, Wasnt Comeau the guy Talbot hit, caused a concussion, which led to the brawl during the last game with the Penguins and Islanders?
I’d still go after Grabner, simply because he is a better skater, and has been lighting it up on this same team.
Comeau isn’t the LW type the Kings need, and he’s a -16 which might not mean much considering the Islanders aren’t exactly the best defensive team in the NHL right now.
Grabner is younger, and might cost more in compensation, but his upside is much better than Comeau.
Not sure what Florida was smoking when they put Grabner on waivers, but it obviously worked out for Grabner.
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this montoya guy is a former 1st rounder who hasnt played much but from what i saw hes pretty nasty… he was all over the place making some amazing saves against boston.. hes definitely exciting to watch
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USHA#17 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
@jason, Its never easy. Even the worst teams are filled with great players who can step up at any time.
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