Tonight’s game story (Feb. 19)

Posted by Rich Hammond on 19 February 2011, 9:15 pm

Here’s my LAKings.com game story for tonight, with stats and video included. Thanks for reading…

With no games until Wednesday, the Kings are not scheduled to practice tomorrow and are scheduled to return to practice Monday morning in El Segundo.

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91 Comments

LA KING BOBchi says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:18 pm

Again the boys are leaving right now to come home in aboout 6 hours.. A hell of a trip and lets stay posative!!!!!!!!!

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King John says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:19 pm

Go Bob Berry!!

Go Butch Goring!!

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King John Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Where are you, Mike Corrigan?

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LA KING BOBchi Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
@King John, Wow name in the past #11

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Dominick says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:22 pm

Welcome home boys. Get some rest and comeback ready.

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LA KING BOBchi says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:28 pm

Good news V.C 3 DAL 1 6 MINUTES TO GO

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DesertKing Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
@LA KING BOBchi,

This and the Sucks getting creamed made today survivable.

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LA KING BOBchi Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
@DesertKing, yep, but the yotes keep winning..

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LA KING BOBchi Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
@DesertKing, And the fish!!

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LA KING BOBchi says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:28 pm

OPPS 3-2 NOW

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:29 pm

The Kings embarrassed themselves. That’s all there is to it. They haven’t looked very good for about three games straight. The last time that happened, they went on a losing streak. They better wake up and smell the coffee before they play the waterfowl that shall not be named.

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LA KING BOBchi Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, Calm down, really everything is okay…

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Kenny44 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
@LA KING BOBchi, Kevin Bacon, is that you?

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
@LA KING BOBchi, No, it’s not, and if they think so, they’ll slide right out of playoff contention. The good news, is they had a good roadie and stole a couple points toward the end they really didn’t earn. If they get their asses kicked properly in practice, things might turn out okay.

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xeropoint Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, There’s really no other way to describe it. You kind of felt like the team’s been living on borrowed time last few games. Let’s hope the’ve finally figured it out…

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ColoKingFan Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, the quacks got stomped.. kings beat them, everything is right as rain.

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pr0cess Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
@ColoKingFan, sorry but he is right, you going tell me the islanders are better then the ducks? we can easily watch the season slip away.

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ColoKingFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:22 am
@pr0cess, not sayin he’s wrong, but the ducks didn’t exactly look like world beaters themselves… and the Islanders have been playing pretty well lately (5 straight now I think).

ColoKingFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:27 am
@pr0cess, it seems like the Kings thrive on confidence and went that goes it all goes to hell, so if the ducks lay another egg like they did against st louis i cant see the kings losing to them.. and theres your confidence right back… seems like a reach but when a team is as streaky as the kings have been its pretty hard to ignore.

kevin from toronto Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 7:43 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, hey now… the 9th game of a road trip is never easy. things (like finally coming home) could have been on their mind and distracted them.
a mental lapse against a better team than most people think…

it was a phenomenal road trip! can’t wait to see them play some Pacific teams!

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:55 am
@kevin from toronto, It didn’t start last night, though. It started a few games ago…just as the previous collapses. We can only hope they see it and respond this time.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:56 am
@kevin from toronto, Oh, and the sloppy play was after talking for two days about how sharp they had to be.

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Paul G says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:29 pm

this is exactly y Richardson should NOT be on the 1st line…

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Ryan says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:35 pm

I’ll be watching their practice, Im annoucing championship games that day, so I think it will be inspiring for the kings if everyone came and cheered them on during practice.

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LA KING BOBchi says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:35 pm

Wow, Van Couver has exploded Its now 5-2 with 3 to play

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Ravens says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:36 pm

I’m hoping comming off a good road trip with a bad taste in thier mouths, might make them a little more pissed and edgy when they face many pacific division rivals,,,it might not be such a bad loss

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LA KING BOBchi Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
@Ravens, Hey, I agree with that . Again we had had to loose and to loose to the Islanders did not hurt us that much.. We can not win them all

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Michael_J Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
@LA KING BOBchi,

Hopefully the Kings won’t hang their head too long after this one. Good point about losing to an Eastern team-that helps some.

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KC23 Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
@Ravens, Yeah, good call on that one. They won’t have back aches from patting themselves on the back for this one. I’m hoping they’ll be in a real bad mood for the Ducks. Trouble is, Ducks are going to be in an even worse mood after the thumping they got tonight.

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ColoKingFan says:

February 19, 2011 at 9:42 pm

love the new lines. great tweak murray.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
@ColoKingFan, Funny, I thought the same damned thing.

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ColoKingFan Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,

if its not broken, break it already for ****’s sake!!

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Player-X Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
@ColoKingFan, expert criticism on coaching from a guy that doesn’t even know the difference between “break” and “brake”. Wow.

Jason4Kings Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
@Player-X……
I think he got the break thing right.:)

steve Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 6:02 am
@ColoKingFan, expert criticism on word choice from a guy who doesn’t even know the difference between “break” and brake”. Wow.

Player-X Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 7:52 am
@ColoKingFan, Sorry ColoKingFan, I don’t know what I was seeing. I apologize.
bbb7 says:

February 19, 2011 at 10:25 pm

The horrid PP and offensive system aside, before these 9 games I was hoping the Kings would go 5-4 and felt that would set them up well for a closing 23 games of which 14 are at home, so their 5-1-3 record beat even that by 3 points.. so I have no complaints. That DOESNT mean there arent big issues to deal with – ones everyone here sees but for some reason the coaching staff ostriches on – but regaining their swagger at home should bring the team into the playoffs.

Looking forward a win against the Ducks, and then taking 4 of 6 on the next home stand should put them solidly in a spot. Just have to do it, is all.

But blow up that PP and start over!

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Michael_J Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
@bbb7,

As disappointing as tonight’s game was, they did pick up 13 points! Best of all is that the Kings will finish where they deserve to finish. They are in position to move as high or low in the standings as they deserve to. If they play well, they will win the division. If they go into another funk…

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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 12:12 am
@Michael_J, Right again.

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kinginsaltlake says:

February 19, 2011 at 10:30 pm

Well people I guess we are going to see what this club is made of. They fought hard during this road trip. Forget about tonight. How are we going to play come Wed vs The Ducks. Really that game will be the one that will be interesting. I know that all is tight in the Pacific every team has a shot to win the Damned thing. We haven’t won the title in how long? Look the post season would be great, but winning the Pacific would be outstanding, considering the up and down season we have had. Let’s hope we stay focused. Teams are a gunnin and if we don’t match teams intensity we won’t go no where. Shake this loss off and get ready for these last 23 games. It’s going to be as crazy as Ron Artest shooting threes and Dennis Rodmans make up. So here’s to all you Kings fans. We are back in this. All we can do is sit back and watch. Brown if your reading this, get your game back I’m putting it all on you. Captain’s are leaders. I know that you are the quite type of player. you like to show by exsample. Shout shout, let it all out, these are the things we can do without. shout shout. a little tears for fears for your intertainment value. Just get this train rolling. We are ready to party it down. We need you guys to win win win …… I’m drunk……..nite folks

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Michael_J Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
@kinginsaltlake,

and drop the gloves Mr. Captain…

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Scot Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
@Michael_J,

Yeah, didn’t Brown used to fight?

Should he be the captain?

Is he the captain, kind of by default, because there isn’t really a better option?

I’ll say this, it’s easier to trade the captain than strip him of his captaincy…

I can’t think of a player who would be a “better” option for captain. Kopi isn’t ready, not vocal enough.. Doughty.. don’t need to say anything else. Smyth is juuust past the point in his career where he should be the captain, IMO. Last year, I felt Handzus was more qualified, though usually you want a little more point production out of a captain. So I guess that leaves Brown, which is, OK, I guess.

In all honesty, I don’t put much, if any, stock into reading online rumors. 99.9% of them don’t happen. But I did hear somewhere that it wouldn’t be entirely unwise of the Kings to trade Brown, if it helped acquire an absolute franchise player.

I’ve followed Brown’s career since a few years before he was drafted, and he has been one of my favorite players, I own his jersey in fact. But if push came to shove, and he were dealt, I wouldn’t be 100% opposed. He would fetch a heck of a return in a “hockey trade,” not a salary dump or money deal.

Look at yesterday’s hockey trade, and what St. Louis got back for Erik Johnson. Both clubs have to be happy with what they got, but especially St. Louis.

That being said, I would MUCH RATHER have Brown return to form, drop the gloves, stick up for his team, get back to the 30-goal mark and lead this team. He’s one of my all-time favorite Kings.

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Jason4Kings Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 12:00 am
@Scot, I think I’ve only seen Brown throw down once, and I may be mistaken here, but I want to say it was with Toews earlier this season.

Jason4Kings Reply:
February 19th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
@kinginsaltlake, I love your drunk posts. Hopefully we win in Anaheim, your vital organs may depend on it.

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Scot Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 12:08 am
@Jason4Kings,

I think so, or Troy Brouwer. I love when captains fight. Jarome Iginla fights sometimes, when he has to. One of the best captains in the NHL, I think. More like, ultimate leader.

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Gmo says:

February 20, 2011 at 6:04 am

Why change the lines? Why not keep the lines that kept us going through this whole roadtrip? And westie for lokti?ok that move I just don’t get

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linny Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
@Gmo, don’t try…it’s Murray and Lombardi and nobody can figure them out. Sure is lucky they took Lokti out for Westy, huh? Nice going tm & dl…it really messed up the lines that were working on this trip…still think they would have lost though…they didn’t look sharp the last 3, but they shouldn’t have messed with the lineup.

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Carolina Kings Fan says:

February 20, 2011 at 6:32 am

Let’s all remember that we just picked up 13 out of 18 points (9 games) trip. That’s pretty damn good. Let’s get some rest and then beat up the Ducks. Its kinda funny that on this middle part of the trip I didn’t see the Kings lose when I was at the road games (DC, Phil, and Col. I also saw them win in Bos earlier this year.). I come home and we lose in a shootout to NYR and then lose to NYI. I am going to start a fund if you want to contribute for me to be at all the road games. My pockets ran dry until the playoffs. Come on Kings. The schedule now favors you. Lets take advantage of it and keep the points coming. Go Kings Go!

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number 6 says:

February 20, 2011 at 6:37 am

I don’t have a problem with TM. I really like DL though I do have some questions about the ‘shape’ he’s given to the team as it’s not necessarily imo geared towards the way hockey is being played since the lockout.
That being said, there is unquestionably an issue with the powerplay and the offensive approach to the game.
No question that they had a great road trip, but also no question that they still are offensively challenged and the powerplay didn’t work regardless of only one loss on the trip. How many of the OT losses could have been regulation wins with a better powerplay?

It is so incredibly predictable. Last night 10 seconds before the JJ to DD pass that was intercepted Kopi had the puck at the half boards and I thought, omg, what are you guys doing out there? Guess the Isles knew the scheme.

Some posters on this blog have pointed out things having to do with spacing (offensively in general) and on the pp about no east to west movement. None – or almost none. I totally agree with them.

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Kings Fan Vancouver,WA Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:52 am
@number 6, I agree on the PP funk they are in. Umbrella play does not make it happen. Look at Detroit, lightning, even the Canucks change it up. If they need to shoot the puck more they need to get th puck into the slot more IMO. Those shots from the blue line get blocked way to much. They need to change to a real shooting play and I think Kopi needs to get in front of the net more often. DL brought Smyth here to teach the guys about net presents and Kopi is never there. Granted he is a “sniper” but he hasn’t seen the net like he did in past seasons. He needs to change his game. Put Stoll on the half boards and Kopi in the slot with Smyth down low and keep the blue line the same.

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Badger57 says:

February 20, 2011 at 7:45 am

Hey the team needs to start making more hits. Slow the other team down, or start thinking they might get hit by the Kings. When we start pounding them more, it will get back to the 7-0-2/8-0-2 streak that he had before the last two games. GO KINGS!

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nykingfan says:

February 20, 2011 at 7:45 am

Time to put that stinker behind quickly. Being at work will suck next week..

Look, this was a successful road trip no matter how you analyze it. They were coming off just a horrendous homestand and facing a 10 game road trip in some of the toughest places to play.. against top teams they’re not familiar with. The season was pretty much on the brink going into this trip..so what happens? they come back sitting in a playoff spot right near the top of the division. They..meaning coaches/players saved the season for all of us.
Way to go guys…Just keep going hard.

Go Kings!

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kevin from toronto says:

February 20, 2011 at 7:52 am

To the people that live in LA: Who is bigger in the city, Blake Griffin or Anze Kopitar? (before last night)

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Chongo Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:17 am
@kevin from toronto, I am being 100% serious….who is Blake Griffin?

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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:56 am
@kevin from toronto, that is hard question to answer! there is probably the same amount of Clipper fans as Kings fans so its probably just more of who you ask. I would probably say Blake Griffin just because the NBA is more in the national spotlight.

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Poorman says:

February 20, 2011 at 7:55 am

As psyched as I was about Murray’s line changes in Washington, I was equally not psyched by his horrrrriiiiible decision to bench Loktionov. I put the Isles loss and potential future tailspin on him. How many of you knewthat was a bad decision the second you heard about it. It seems small, but that move could have demoralized a team that was getting points in every game with him at center. TM, who I nick name “Stern Murray” for being so set in his ways, is so intent on preaching defense to every single King including gifted young offensive players, that he lets go obviously promising future solid players such as Moulson, Boyle, Purcell, and Cammilieri. Then he benches Loktionov who has mad offensive skills for minor defensive lapses despite the fact the team got a point in that game. You guys blame Kampon all the time, I blame the coach for forcing everyone to have to be great defensively even if they are gifted offensively. You can’t cookie cutter every player’s style. I sure hope that small coach’s scratch doesn’t derail the huge momentum that the road trip created up until yesterday.

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Chongo Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:20 am
@Poorman, I agree 100%…the healthy scratch of Loktionov made absolutely no sense. There is no way to know how the game would have been different with him in the line up but I believe it would have been just the same. Wasting a spot on the lineup with Westgarth.

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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:27 am
@Poorman, maybe its a name thing but i agree with you 100%! TM and his stupid ass decisions and his suffocating D first mantality piss me off to no end. Lokti and schenn will turn out the same as Kopi(which in all honesty is not that bad)! A great two way forward (with marginal goal tallies) who COULD be a 40 or 50 goal scorer on a team stacked with great two way forwards if the damn coach would just allow them to.

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puck73 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:44 am
@Poorman, I gotta say Jimmy that this is easily the best, most rational post you have ever written.

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nykingfan says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:04 am

Future tailspin because of the Loktionov benching?
Dude..5-1-3 = 13 pts out of a possible 18 on the road.

They win because of defense.

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Poorman Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:08 am
@nykingfan, garbage. They need to be more well rounded. Kopi could be scoring a lot more if Murray hadn’t forced him to focus so much on defense when he first took over the club.

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Jonsey Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:09 am
@Poorman, That goes for Frolov, Brown, and others as well.

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Poorman Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:13 am
@Jonsey, agreed. Didn’t Boyle score four goals in his first two games and then they sent him down to work on his defense?

nykingfan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:44 am
@Poorman,
Sure and then you give up more goals. Which way are you more likely to succeed..2-1 or 6-5?
Well rounded would be a nice thing, but you want him to open the floodgates and let every odd man rush come back to our end. Funny how you mention well rounded and Kopitar..by becoming a 2 way center, he is well rounded.

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kevin from toronto Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:23 am
@nykingfan, thank you. one loss and everyone on this site hits the panic button… it was figuratively the last game of the road trip and their 1st regulation loss!

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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:32 am
@kevin from toronto, true, very true! but……. TM’s system along with lack of skill (something Lokti has a bunch of) will not produce the offensive punch that is needed to take this team to the next level.

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:06 am
@kevin from toronto,

http://lakingsinsider.com/2011/02/19/tonights-game-story-feb-19/#comment-366588

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Jonsey says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:05 am

Still waiting for that trade Dean. Our team played very well here, but our loss to NYI was inevitable because we are not an elite team. We might simply be an average team at this point. Average amount of goals scored for. Above average in goals alowed (close to lowest in league). We have average scorers, none except Kopitar in the top 30 in scoring. We have average coaching with long losing streaks but a record that looks very similar to any other team. We have an average GM, who, like most GMs, is not making any moves. Let’s see some guts from the entire team from top down so we can at least say we gave it an honst shot. Why play for a year if not to win the cup? That is the whole point. Why play if not to make the playoffs? Why play if not to be the best.

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Poorman Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:11 am
@Jonsey, I am so in agreement with you even though I try and stay positive.

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neil Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 10:22 am
@Jonsey, you cant have it one way………………..Kings are ABOVE avg in goaltending…PK……Goals against……

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pokerdaniel says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:40 am

I could have made some money on this game >.< The kings can't beat these unpredictable teams! I hope nobody got injured because there were some cheap shots being thrown in that game! I knew the minute the lines were being changed around I should have bet lol. Sadly I would never bet against my beloved kings even though I knew they wouldn't win this one! They came in thinking it would be a walk in the park.. The truth of the matter is that they need to play even harder against weak teams than they do against the best teams!

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1HKYLVR says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:42 am

Give the boys a day off they need it and they did good

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BrokeKingsFan says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:44 am

we need a replacment for TM! i realize the guy has taught our boys some serious defensive hockey which makes us one of the best defensive teams in the NHL but thats about it. people say D wins you chaampionships, which might be true but you need the offense along with the D to get you there. How can you win a championship with defense if you cant get there? we have a center right now who is the best two way forward in the game IMO and thats a tribute to TM but Kopi and the other skill players we have that will be on the roster in the next year or two need someone who is going to put as much time and effort into offense as defense! otherwise why do we draft skill players? I appreciate everything you have done for us TM but your time IMO should be over.

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Gmo Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 8:56 am
@BrokeKingsFan,
100% agree with your post

GKG

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fsd1 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:26 am
@BrokeKingsFan, 100% disagree with your post

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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:34 am
@fsd1, i knew you would! your like my arch nemisis on this sight!

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puck73 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:47 am
@BrokeKingsFan, I agree with you too. Thank you TM for everything, but we need to make a change,
nykingfan says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:47 am

What is his record with the Kings again?

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fsd1 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:27 am
@nykingfan, a winning record

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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:38 am
@fsd1, yeah….. and what more does he have to show for his winning record? absolutly nothing but a first round exit! sorry but a winning record doesnt always get the job done. Just ask Berry Trotz!

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puck73 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@nykingfan, You are always putting a positive spin on things, and you can very persuasive with your opinions but quite frankly this team is awfully painful to watch….even when they win it can be a real snoozefest. Me personally, I would like to see Dean make a change with both TM and Kompon, but I am 99% sure that probably wont happen if at all until AFTER the season. This team for the most part has not improved much this season over last. Did I expect them to win the cup this season ? NO ! I still think they are 1 to 4 seasons away from that goal. That being said, this team should be at least 5 to 10% improved and there is no way you will convince me of that….my eyes dont lie.

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Jason4Kings Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 11:21 am
@puck73,

Some nights they just really look off, like the players are either not the right match for the system, or they’re not completely buying in and competing within the system, only going through the systemic motions. I think that’s what got exposed last night. The speed and nothing to lose attitude of the Islanders just tore right through that. In my opinion, TM should make adjustments according to the personnel he has. Benching Loktionov because he hasn’t got the system down perfectly is a waste of talent that we don’t have to spare. Was that awful pass into the slot by Handzus last night part of the system? Of course not, players will make mistakes. I could see sitting a player like Lokti for a game if we had as many wins as Vancouver, just to make sure Lokti was completely ready for the playoffs, but we’re fighting here. We’re not out of the woods by any stretch in this playoff run just because we had a great road trip. Of course, this is only my opinion, i’m no Terry Murray.

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puck73 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 11:54 am
@Jason4Kings, I agree with you, rational post.
Ryan says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:52 am

I don’t think we will be seeing Nabokov in an islanders jersey at all.
I think it will be Montoya and DiPietro when healthy.

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deadcatbounce says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:53 am

It’s like I said before, it’s a damn good thing the Kings were so focused on not being ambushed yesterday, as TM was saying, or else the score would have been a lot worse. Oh well, as a long-time Kings fan I suppose that I should just be happy that the Kings are in a playoff race this late in the season…

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Gmo says:

February 20, 2011 at 8:54 am

100% agree with your post

GKG

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What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

February 20, 2011 at 9:04 am

For people saying “they had to lose sometime,” you’re not acknowledging the whole picture.

Last night they just plain did not show up, after two days of harping about how sharp they had to be. If they lost 2-1, it would be different. The previous game, they were almost as sloppy, but managed some offense, and escaped with a point. The game before that, Quick stole another sloppy game.

The bottom line is it didn’t start last night, and I expect the Kings to look in the mirror, recognize that, and do something about it. I’m not talking about a bag skate or anything like that. I’m sure they’re tired. I’m talking about getting back to the business of playing their assignments and being prepared. It’s a tough thing to ask, because they’re sleeping in their own beds for the first time in a couple weeks, and that was only a day or two, but if they get too comfy, they’re going to fade away.

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puck73 Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 10:02 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, Good morning Ken, I sure am glad TM took Loktionov out of the lineup last night and replaced him with a player that will at least try and play sound positionally like Westgarth…hopefully the kid learned his lesson last night…that we suck without him ! lol Please Dean, for the love of god, get rid of TM and Kompon…this team is so painful to watch wether they win or lose.

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Dave's a Killer Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, Gotta agree. Every winning streak this season hasended with a bad loss and a string of very poor play. We all hope that the team will shake off the road trip and respond positively, but it certainly has not been their history to do so. Now, more than ever, they need leadership, both on and off the ice.

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Chuck says:

February 20, 2011 at 11:58 am

Great road trip, horrible ending. Not the effort of a playoff team…

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#1faninvegas says:

February 20, 2011 at 12:43 pm

HOLD THE PHONE… I am back. Here we go again, same comments from last year, when Quick struggled. You all wanted Quick to hurt himself or get benched so we could recall Bernier up from the minors. First thigs first. TM should remain Kings coach. YES, I do disagree with some of his decisions, but he still has us running for the post-season. I mean out of all the coaches we have had, who is by far the better coach? Andy Murray? Barry Melrose? Larry Robinson? Marc Crawford? or Terry Murray? I give credit where credit is due, and say Terry Murray is by far the better coach. Yes, we have had an up and down season this year, but so did every NHL team. Washington did the same, and they dont go trading away Ovechkin. Pittsburgh same, and you dont see them firing Dan Blysma or trading Malkin and/or Crosby. So, yes, Terry Murray has made some bad decisions, but we arent last in the NHL, we are fighting for a tight Pacific Division title, and I see us making it and celebrating the top. Secondly, this road trip was far more exciting than I thought or even imagined. 10 games road for a total of 20 points. I saw us getting half of that, so they have far exceeded my expectations on this road trip. Only downfall I have with this team is the powerplay. That needs to pick up. Other than that, enjoy this exciting Kings team, and root them on. They need all of our support. And remember this key thing… positive thoughts bring positive results, negative thoughts bring negative results. So, all my fellow Kings fans, get your head on straight and think positive. GO KINGS GO!!

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