Some notes from last night’s game…
– The Kings clinched a playoff spot with their 3-2 shootout victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
– The Kings are assured of finishing in the top eight in the Western Conference, but can still finish anywhere from No. 4 to No. 8.
– The Kings have tied the franchise single-season record with 46 wins. They set that mark in the 1990-91 season and tied it last season.
– The Kings improved their shootout record this season to 10-2, as Michal Handzus and Jarret Stoll scored and goalie Jonathan Quick stopped two of three attempts.
– The Coyotes outshot the Kings 35-33. The Kings have recorded at least 32 shots in three consecutive games and in four of their last five games. It was the third time in the Kings’ last four games that they have allowed 35 shots on goal.
– The Kings went 0-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. The Kings are 0-for-12 on the power play in their last five games and have allowed only one power-play goal in their last six games.
– The Kings improved to 25-12-3 at home, 36-11-2 when scoring the first goal, 5-11-2 when trailing after the first period and 22-8-6 in one-goal games.
– Jonathan Quick stopped 33 of 35 shots in regulation and overtime and improved to 10-0 in shootouts this season.
– Jarret Stoll scored a first-period goal and also scored the deciding goal in the shootout. Stoll is 9-for-10 in shootouts this season. Stoll’s first-period goal was his 20th goal of the season. This is the second time in Stoll’s seven-year career that he has reached the 20-goal mark. Stoll scored a career-high 22 goals for the Edmonton Oilers in 2005-06. Stoll became the sixth Kings player to reach the 20-goal mark this season, following Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Penner, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams. The last time the Kings had six 20-goal scorers was in 1992-93, when it was done by Mike Donnelly, Tony Granato, Jari Kurri, Corey Millen, Luc Robitaille and Tomas Sandstrom.
– Kyle Clifford scored a second-period goal, his seventh goal of the season. Clifford has two goals and one assist in his last four games.
– Dustin Brown had one assist, his 28th assist of the season. Brown has three goals and three assists in his last six games.
– Wayne Simmonds had one assist, for his 30th point of the season. Simmonds has one goal and two assists in his last three games.
– Rob Scuderi had one assist, his 13th assist of the season. Scuderi has 15 points this season, one short of the career-high 16 points he had with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-09.
– Jarret Stoll recorded a team-high six shots on goal. Dustin Brown was credited with a game-high eight hits (which tied his season high) and four Kings (Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and Rob Scuderi) were each credited with a team-high two blocked shots.
– Drew Doughty played a game-high 27 minutes, 44 seconds. Michal Handzus led all Kings forwards in ice time at 21:15.
– The Kings won 28 of 59 faceoffs (47 percent). Jarret Stoll won 11 of 15 draws (73 percent) and Brad Richardson won 5 of 14 draws (36 percent).
Way to work together Kings, a great team effort last night.
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Last night was HUGE! It wasn’t pretty, but it’s still two points. Congratulations, Kings. Nice job. But lots of questions still left to be answered. Yeah, the Kings are in, but they can finish anywhere from 4-8, so that is intriguing.
Work on that Power-less Play and let’s beat those Ducks!
GO KINGS GO!
Kind of ironic how the Sharks got blasted 6-2 by the Ducks after blasting the Kings 6-1 Monday… what will happen this weekend in the home-and-home???? Can’t wait to find oot.
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Goring 19 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:18 am
@mash-ola, regarding the Sharks, what goes around comes around. haha
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KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
@mash-ola, Sharks had no answer for the Perry line which are on fire. The Yotes don’t have anything close to the Perry line, I doubt the Yotes can take two from SJ.
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At the game last night, what a great crowd. Richie’s line was awesome. Can’t wait for 2 Duck games. Shut Perry down and crush them twice! Go Kings!
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Pretty sure the faceoff stats are a bit off. Either way, the 13-15-17 line was flying out there!
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Rich Hammond Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:01 am
Fixed…thanks.
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The Third Vopat Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
@Chris, Call em the Dirty Harry Line as in 357 Magnum!!!!
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can the NHL PLEASE put shootouts in the playoffs? just this year! PLEASE!?!?!?!
QUICK & STOLL are un-freaking-believable.
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Will Hutchison Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:30 am
@M.T. Net, That’s funny! I feel the same way, but just this year.
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Lets win those Ducks i dotn want to see a 2 kings win and ducks win 4 that be BS for us
Make it a 3-3 or 4-2 us
Its Ducks season again and hopefully final this year Go Kings Go!!
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9-for-10 in the shootout if phenomenal!
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hockey junkie Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,
WHOLLY STOLLY!!!
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I love how everybody in the building knows Stoll is going top shelf glove-side, and NOBODY CAN STOP IT. hahaha. OWNED.
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KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
@M.T. Net, Actually 2 of his 9 shoot out goals were to the blocker side.
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what is the kings record against nashville? i think nashville is the team i want to play in playoffs.
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39scars Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:19 am
@jkking, Wings, they have goalie issues
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jkking Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:25 am
@39scars, wings play on a whole different level in playoffs. we won’t compete.
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39scars Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
@jkking, bad goaltending and no zetter is a sweep waiting to happen
hockey junkie Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
@jkking,
We have beat the wings before in playoffs! Playoffs is a whole new season.
KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
@jkking, Wings would struggle against the Kings, even without Kopitar. Their goal tending is horrid and Zetter went down. They are a high seed upset waiting to happen. I think the Kings match up better against the Yotes than the Preds. My list of who I would want to face:
1)Yotes
2)Detroit
3)Preds
4)Ducks
5)Chicago
6)SJ
7)Vancouver
Great game
Best left wing play in a decade of games. There has been a Penner sighting, by far his best game wearing a crown. I should apoligize about the beening gassed comment yesterday.
The odd teen line just listen to their coach and BAM. Great effort, great composure, great result.
Jonathan “Potter” Quick and his crooked wand had another out of this world save.
DD, JJ, and Marty put pressure on the Yotes D all night long.
OM may not be able to hang with the elite teams yet, but he is an NHL player.
Brown is on a mission and he was not to be denied his invitation to the party. Let’s hope it was engraved.
The best part was hearing the excitement in Bob Miller’s voice like he may yet have a chance to say “And your Los Angles Kings have yet won the “.
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AZ King Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
@jet,
You mean her Doc Emerick say it, since Versus does all the final games. I would love to hear Bob say those words. Sadly, even when we win, I don’t think we’ll get that chance.
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If I’m Murray, I’d be doing what I can to get my centers more shots on goal. In particular, I’m thinking of Stoll and Zeus.
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GkingsG99 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:31 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, Yep i wish they’d set up Stoll for that wicked shot he shows in shootouts.
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HAving attended last night’s love fest, I could only find one thing that was disappointing, but not unexpected.
Having to carry the weight of Kevin Westgarth on his line, reduced the playing time for one of our best forwards over the last several weeks, Trevor Lewis. He was down to 8:34 minutes, and along with him, Poni dropped to 10:21.
There seems to be no reason for Westgarth to see the ice at all. I understand wanting to go with the team that is in LA, but with fighting almost non eistent in the playoffs, and the need to show major self control to avoid bad penalties, wouldn’t we be better either bringing up a responsible winger from Manchester, or at least double shifting from the other lines, spreading around the etra minutes and giving Poni and Trevor a chance to perform.
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Chris Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:18 am
@40 year fan, Willie will be back soon and that will drop OM to the 4th line and Westy out.
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Tmik Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:19 am
@40 year fan, It willbe a non issue if Williams return is sooner than expected.
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40 year fan Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:45 am
@Tmik, As much as I LOVE Williams, let me remind all of you of how his rushing back from injury last year in the playoffs ended up. I repeat what I said when Kopi went down….we win games 2-1 and 3-2. That is the way we will continue to win games. If our goldtending stay strong, our defense stays strong, and our forwards remain responsible, we will prevail in most of the games we play. I would probably prefer Williams to stay down for the first round and hopefully be at much fuller strength if we get to round two, which I believe we can do without him.
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istilmiszhitnik Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
@40 year fan, There is a huge difference between the injury Williams sustained and time out of the line last year to this year.
LAPD line Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
@40 year fan, 80 percent Williams is 10 times better than 100 percent Westie…… Can someone check my math please?
KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
@40 year fan, Apples and oranges. Nothing remotely similar about the situation. Nothing at all.
anonandonanon Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@40 year fan, Diasagree vehemently!
There’s a reason, and after 40 years of watching, I know what it is. Cheap insurance. A team can still get run out of a game in this league. Way too important to not dot your tees and cross your eyes.
Even more important in the next two. Dux are nasty. And unless we take on the Redwings we should expect a continuation of this practice.
Rock and roll, we’re gonna halfta.
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40 year fan Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:42 am
@anonandonanon, In reality, with the Ducks PP on its game, we should do everything we can to avoid fights. Not saying we should let ourselves get pushed around, but truth be told, Westy loses more than he wins, and with Clifford, Simmonds and Greene, we should be able to hold our own. The man is dead weight. Perhaps the fighting is what attracts you in the first place?
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anonandonanon Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
@40 year fan, And perhaps not.
All I can tell you is that most coaches at this level use an enforcer.
You are gonna have to accept that they know what cooks
It is not because they are attracted to fighting.
Having Greene or Clifford injured in a scrap is unacceptable.
Moller is not a good choice for the bottom six.
Belexes Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:30 am
@40 year fan,
TM has stated in this blog that he doesn’t roll 4 lines. If anybodys minutes were down it’s either coaches decision, or more than normal special teams chances.
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Capt Jam Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
@40 year fan,
When I was at a Kings practice last weekend, something occurred to me about Westgarth and how we could get a little more use out of him.
Put him on the power play. Seriously.
Westgarth in a Holmstrom-type of role of creating havoc in front of the net and nothing more could open up a little space for guys like Smyth and Brown to pick up the garbage and put it in the net. I watched Westgarth play a traffic cone in front of the net for the rest of the team as many of them practiced one timers from the blue line. He seems to know what to do down there.
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anonandonanon Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@Capt Jam, I expect the Ivy leaguer knows if he wants to stay in the league the skill set has to improve. As a rookie there is still some expectation of improvement.
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KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
@Capt Jam, I would be interested to see that.
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Will Williams be back for the playoffs to replace Westgarth!?!?! Will he be 100%? Anyone ever have a separated shoulder?
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:25 am
@LucsoundslikeLuke, he might not be at 100% so most likely nope
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slovenian fan Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:35 am
@LucsoundslikeLuke,
better Williams on 80% that Westgarth on 100%
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I just wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to Frank, Rich, and anyone else that arranged the Insider Green Room experience last night. My brother and I surprised my dad-a 25ish year Kings fan-with those tickets (he had no idea until we picked up the credentials that something was up!). He and my bro were stoked the whole time. Seeing the boys coming out of the locker room and getting a fist-bump from Cliffy made my season. And the win for the clinch was icing on the cake. Thanks again.
Oh, and it was nice meeting all of you as well!
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Kings need to work on thier PP with these new groups BIG TIME, come playoffs…
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fanokings Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 11:53 am
@GkingsG99,
I was waiting for TM to put Richie’s line out for the power play. I mean, why not? They were moving the puck well, getting chances and and working their tails off. Just do it TM. What do you have to lose???
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KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
@fanokings, Nah, they’re dump and forecheck types, not set piece stick handleing types.
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I woke up this morning with an image in my head of Penner actually hustling (at times). Was it a dream, or did I really witness it???
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Capt Jam Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
@rick,
Was Smyth in your dream? He was flying last night as well.
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KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
@Capt Jam, Sounds like you were both dreaming.
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There were definitely flashes of what Penner can do last night. Just flashes, and maybe that’s what frustrates us the most. We see a little and want more. Kinda like a Gentleman’s Club.
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Melissa Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
@40 year fan, Are you calling Penner a tease?
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39scars Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
@40 year fan, Thought u wld hit a wall w/ ur comp. Still funny
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I’d still like to see the Ducks get bumped, if possible. Dallas could and should win their last 3. If Dallas wins tonight, Anaheim will be sweating their games against LA for sure. Along with seeding higher, this should be motivation for the Kings to not let up.
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Does anybody know any sports bars or pubs in LA to watch friday Kings game on TV?
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Capt Jam Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@bear777,
With the Lakers playing at the same time, that will be a tall order. However, you might wanna try ESPN Zone at LA Live. They might spare one or two tv’s for the game.
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Looking ahead to the weekend, it would appear that NAS may have the best path to fourth place. Their last two games are against CLB on Friday and at STL on Sat. CLB, without Rick Nash, shouldn’t prove nearly as difficult to beat. STL, however, has had some success this season against NAS, so that may be the Kings’ best chance for help with holding off NAS for home ice.
As much as it pains me, I can’t see the Kings sweeping the ANA games (even without Emery). 2 points are probable, 3 points possible. I wouldn’t be surprised to see TM play Quick in both games since Quick will have at least 3 days off before the playoffs start.
PHX has the toughest closer: a back-to-back against SJ. PHX is 0-4 vs. SJ this season and they haven’t beaten SJ since 12/09. They seem to be the team most likely to not keep pace this weekend.
So I think we’re looking at 4-8 ending up as NAS, LA, ANA, PHX and CHI.
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KC23 Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
@Capt Jam, Nashville has struggled against the Blues all year. Once they even lost 10 – 2. The season seriers is 3 – 2 in the Blues favor. And it is the 2nd night of a back to back with travel from Nasville to St. Louis. Far from automatic, I bet the Blues are favored in Vegas.
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