Here’s my LAKings.com game story for tonight, with stats and video included. Thanks for reading…
The Kings will have tomorrow off and will return to practice Monday at 10 a.m. at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.
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i hope the main focus of practice will be the power play. Because the Kompon system absolutely awful
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NoDoughty Reply:
April 9th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
@Jon, how would focusing on it during practice help? Kompon is still the coach!!!
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Jon Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:01 am
@NoDoughty, True…..He better be gone this offseason, the pp was great against vancouver last year but his luck has run out…..next please!!!!
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NoDoughty Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:10 am
@Jon, AMEN
Brian D. Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:16 am
@Jon, Double AMEN
DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:56 am
@Jon,
Exactly. If I were him, I would be embarassed to say I was the PP coach.
CB14 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:13 am
@NoDoughty, LOL, Great point!
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OldKingsFan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:36 am
@Jon, It not only the PP it’s the offensive in total. We see no creativity at all. Beyond that this team has no offensive chemistry. Missed passes and no systamic attack approach in the zone. The PP is more of a paasing drill than anything. On 7 PP not once did I see anyone sitting at the backdoor or any type of play formation. It looks like a pick up team hopeing if they toss enough pucks at the net one by pure luck will get past the goalie.
I hate to say it but this team is doomed in the playoffs, 4 and out unless a miracle occurs and they find a cure for offesive woos. 44 shots and 1 goal. A blind squirrel finds an acorn more often than that
RANT OVER
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Dominick Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:48 am
@OldKingsFan,
Offense is pretty bad. Some posters believe that it’s the players we have and that if we just had more offensive weapons we would score more. I truely don’t see it that way. We are 25th in the league in scoring, and I seriously doubt that 24 other teams in the league are better equipped to score then we are. I also highly doubt that we can’t score without being solid on defense. Well coached teams have to balance the 2 out, and I don’t see 20 players who are all defensive (as some suggest). I see a defensive system that demands defense above all other concerns from all it’s players. There needs to be a balance.
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Bonvivant1 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:49 am
@Jon, Maybe would should not even work on the power play. Apparently whatever they are doing is not working. Just let it be and hope for the best.
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centericeman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:03 am
@Jon, News flash:
It isn’t the system!
We have plenty of time in the zone, so what is the problem?
The exact same thing as non-powerplay time.
We have a team full of plumbers!!
The other players that we have are playmakers.
Both of these are necessary, but not exclusive of scorers!!
We may actually have some scorers in the system, but if we continue to coach our scorers into being plumbers 1st, and then after we are behind then you can play that game?
Sorry guys, we are a team destined for a VERY early exit from the playoffs because we can’t score goals. Even against a marginal goalie such as Ellis!
A sad fact came to the fore last night, we had more zone time for most of the game than the Ducks did.
But they have goal scorers and when they did get in the zone, they have the ability to scorer. If the game rested on zone time, we would win.
But the last time I checked that wasn’t on the big board.
It is now time to decide if we will allow our team to have goal scorers or are we just fine with the one or two ugly goals that we get, like the one we got in the Ducks game?
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Here’s a suggestion on how to improve the PP: Put shock collars on all the players in practice and give them a little jolt if they hold onto the puck more than 3 seconds. Learn to play with tempo, get the D running around a little. Practice at so fast a pace a good pace in a real game will seem slow.
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Dominick Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:50 am
@bbb7, I think it’s more than just player execution.
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D. Evans comented after the game how the Kings need more skill….period. I guess we have to look at this team as not a finished product yet. Next year you can add speed and skill with Schenn and Lotki and that will help alot. Right now we are playing with 2 third lines and a 4th line in reality. BTW I thought Martinez played a great game tonight…
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bbb7 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:05 am
@neil, Yeah, that was painfully obvious even before JW and Kopi went down. I think Penner will be decent with a surrounding skilled corps, but he just doesnt have the fire to produce on a cycling team. We need at least two faster, skilled forwards and it’s going to be time to trade more of our stockpiled D and goalies to get them this summer.
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CB14 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:24 am
@neil, As much as I hope that both Schenn and Lokti will be with us next season, I don’t see that happening as long as TM is the coach. He doesn’t like skilled players who aren’t “big and heavy” and who can’t “grind”. I remember TM saying something about Moller earlier this year that he would be a good player on an NHL team, just mabye not this one. I might be paraphrasing that but you get the jist of it. TM doesn’t like fast skilled players who can’t play a grinding style of hockey. DL has given him players who fit his style, Penner fits the big and heavy part but not so much the grind part, and we still can’t score on a consistant basis. TM and his 1995 based system need to go if we are going to have a shot to go far in the playoffs next year. Oh, I almost forgot JK, he needed to go 5 months ago.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 5:50 am
@neil, Actually its 3 third lines and 1 fourth line.
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wannabeking Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:09 am
@Bkrs-Bud, not really a fourth line. I don’t think any of the coaching staff looks at this blog to see what the fans really think bout keeping a player on the bench to throw into the game for 2 mins so he can fight. why take up the space? why not play someone that might be able to contribute? guess we’ll never know.
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this game showed us why the kings are sponsered by bud light
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Seriously, this game has got to be the most embarrasing moment of the season. We finally got all the help we needed from the other games, all we needed to do was win and get an “easy” first rd vs nashville. Instead, we blow it big time, and watch those smug, unintelligent Anaslime fans walk out of our house with home ice in their pockets, stolen from under our noses. I truly believe Kompon only has his job because of last years playoff domination and that 15 game stretch when we were money on the PP. Fire him over the summer and get a real coach. TM should have started Bernier, and I’m a big Quick fan too. Detroit better win tomorrow or we’re looking at another one and done playoffs with Vancouver.
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YoBro Reply:
April 9th, 2011 at 11:57 pm
@Bailey Fan, I would have liked to see Bernier too. Quick did this fade job last season too, and yet we keep on playing him. I just don’t understand. If he’s winning, play him. If he’s not, play him anyway.??
Go Kings
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Ravens Reply:
April 9th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
@Bailey Fan, Vancuver is sticking pins in red wing voodoo dolls tonight
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TiredOfIt Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:03 am
@Ravens, Doesn’t matter…..We’re done. They wont make it to game 6 this year. Thanks Kings for the great effort to end the season. Love you too.
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McDonalds Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:55 am
@TiredOfIt,
come on man, we’re missing our second leading scorer and our franchise player/leading scorer/pk guy/pp guy…its hard to overcome that. It’s just a bummer, not a lack of effort
jkking Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:48 am
@Bailey Fan, it woudln’t of mattered. we can’t score…
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So what…it’s over. It became perfectly clear tonight watching these “guys” get their asses kicked in that they have given up before the fight has even started. Oh, how bout this? Their playing possum trying to lure the rest of the conference into thinking that their out of it and there’s no hope for them so they can pound Vancouver and take four straight? Yah right.
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HockeyNerd Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:28 am
@TiredOfIt, Re-read the posts from tonite, then tell me again who it is that has given up before the fight has even started….
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Cynic Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:37 am
@TiredOfIt, Now you commented on my earlier post, and this post maked me think you read mine the wrong way.
No way in HELL am I giving up. We play the right style of game for our roster and we can go DEEP. Defense does win championships, but we need a few goals. If we tweak thinks, we can get them.
TM is a geinus defensive minded coach. Nobody should be doubting that. My belief is the offensive side is where he is struggling, and in his defense, you are only as good as the players who execute. I don’t know what TM has told them to do and if they’re following direction or not. TM may be more frustrated than we are, although we’ll mever know it.
I’m tired of mediocrity and ‘settling’. Our mental focus has to change. It has to be ‘Cup’ or bust. Last year it was the playoffs: Accomplished. We were happy. This year: Go deep. Problem: We can go all the way if we just focus on THAT instead of jut going DEEP. I want more public talk by the organization about WINNING THE CUP. Play the part. Create difficult expectations so you’ll be forced to work harder. Push yourselves as far as necessary. That mentality is slowly coming, I think we’re ready for it to just come FULLY. That’s a compliment to this team.
Giving up is never an option.
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kings fan in temecula Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 6:19 am
@Cynic, another awesome post by cynic
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Kyle Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:22 am
@Cynic, Thank you Cynic. Well said.
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centericeman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@TiredOfIt, Given up?
as I have stated the Kings dominated zone time the whole game.
No I will not state that this team lacks effort, that clearly isn’t so!
We lack goal scorers, I won’t go any further my thoughts on that topic are documented.
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Its clear we have no offense right now.. i love cliffys line and there doing what they can, but its just not there we are going in for some pain…. we had a ton of shots and has 1 goal to show for it… I hope it all comes together and we have some luck… but ya i think you all know how this song will end…
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The game started with a fluke high stick on the Kings’ Ryan Smyth, who, covered in blood, rushed to the bench to investigate the source.
The Kings anemic power play barely managed to do anything for 4:00 entire minutes.
A Stoll skirmish against the man he was traded for led to an interesting 5-4 man advantage for the Kings.
The pathetic power play ended with a Kings penalty for too many men on the ice –which immediately cost the Kings a goal. How many times did the Kings take that penalty this year?
The Kings failed to do anything with more than 3 power plays and got out of sync.
The Ducks then got on the power play.
The Ducks’ defence then attacked Richardson who was thrusting at a loose puck fumbled by Dan Ellis.
The Kings then received another penalty during the Ducks power play to put them down by 2 men at the end of the period.
The Ducks scored on that power play to make it 2-0 after a truly awful effort by the Kings’ special teams.
The Kings could then only ever hope to score 2 goals themselves (their maximum) to pull it to OT.
A slow lumbering Westgarth-Parros fight reminded Kings of another effective player they lost for nothing.
After 20 minutes, Kings fans had given up chanting go kings go.
Despite all the Kings momentum in the 2nd, the Ducks took a 3-0 lead.
Jim Fox saying that “When you look at the overall skill, it really isn’t there” said it all.
Doughty didn’t seem to connect a single tape to tape pass tonight (at least to a fellow King).
After about 400 pizza bites, Doughty and I had something in common –we both wanted the Freeway Faceoff to end before it got uglier.
Kings were then 0-5 on the power play.
A breath of life at the end of the second?
The Kings apparently did not want to get shut out at home and got another power play! Jack Johnson got his second point in about 25 games. 16% might just be the Kings’ power play key number.
They never scored again.
What a lousy game. The Kings lose again by only scoring 1 goal. I feel bad for Kings fans. Oh wait. I AM ONE.
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oh yeah, and off topic, but i just went on yahoo and saw the comments for the game. ducks fans proving once again that they are the absolute WORST and classless fans in California. literally calling for richie to be thrown out of the league for his hit on selanne, while ignoring the fact that they’ve been in the top 5 in pims the last 5 years. pathetic
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408KingsFan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:47 am
@Bailey Fan, Sharks fans are worse
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A few points :
Our PP was pretty horrible again tonight, only 1 for 7. Its 14.3% tonight was even below our already low 16.1%. Not good at all. Sarcasm on, Of course we were playing a team ranked 19th in PK%, and starting their 3rd string goaltender, so it was kind of expected. Sarcasm off.
Interesting stat of the teams with the highest PP%, the top 5 teams are all in the Western Conference, and are in the top 5 spots in the West. Van, SJS, ANA, CHI, and DET are the top PP teams in the league and the top ranked teams in the Western Conference. The Kings are ranked 21st on the PP.
Sarcasm on, Good thing KW played tonight, the Kings would have missed his 2:09 of ice time, 1 fight that did absolutely nothing to change the momentum of the game, and roughing penalty on which Anaheim scored their 3rd goal. Good thing he played tonight instead of Harrold. Sarcasm off, And unfortunately it looks like he’s going to play in the playoffs as well.
Off Topic, but looking back at it what was the point of putting Marco Sturm on waivers? So that we didn’t expose Harrold or DD2 to the waiver wire, only to play Harrold in exactly 1 game since we lost Sturm, and DD2 in exactly zero games since we lost Sturm. Good thing we didn’t expose PH or DD2 to waivers as their play since that point has been meaningfull to this team’s success. I know Sturm hasn’t been lighting up the league in WAS, but he’s a veteran who knows how to score in the playoffs and a fast skater who could play instead of KW.
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Brian D. Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:34 am
@CB14, Check his point totals, might equal that of Penners???
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CB14 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:52 am
@Brian D., Actually exceeds Penner’s by 50%.
While they were with the Kings only Stats.
Name, Games Played, Goals, Assists, Points.
Dustin Penner, 18 2 4 6
Marco Sturm, 17 4 5 9
Sturm leads in all catergories.
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Kings x Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 1:11 am
@CB14, DOA Penner
Scot Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:54 am
@CB14,
Agreed, the Sturm thing hurts us a bit right now, but only until Williams gets back. Penner more than replaced Sturm, though I could see arguments against that swaying my opinion due to Penner’s play after his first 7 games, but DL simply couldn’t anticipate the injuries that have taken place. I think we really have to chalk this season up to some bad luck with injuries, because the momentum seemed to be going totally in our direction right before they happened, and we collectively felt that wind come out of our sails the minute Kopitar tried to get back up, and fell back down.
Very interesting stat about the top 5 teams in the West being the top 5 PP% teams. Shows how valuable a good power play is. It literally wins you games, and loses you games. I would love to see the percentage of games that have been decided by special teams in the NHL this year, I bet it’s high. We could have won tonight’s game alone, if we had a solid PP.
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I am so depressed there are no words. I enjoyed this season so much, right up until that moment I watched Kopi go down. No I am fatigued, dejected and forlorn. I know we’re going out in 4 or 5 games and then I have to shut it down for the entire summer, gear it up again in October and hope to get right back to this point in April 2012. Wahhhhhhhh!
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jonsey Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:14 am
@Krusher, Agreed
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pr0cess Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:17 am
@Krusher, world ends in 2012… this was are last chance…
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kinginsaltlake Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 3:33 am
@pr0cess, The world will not end until December 21 2012. That means we still have got one last chance to win The Cup. Well actually 2 chances if you count this year. As far as I’m concern were not dead, till were dead, still breathing means still alive.
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Eggplant Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:36 am
@pr0cess, It doesn’t end until December, so we have one more chance.. Although it would be fitting if the world ended with Kings in the Stanley Cup finals, Game 7, with 2 minutes remaining, leading by a wide margin.
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Brian D. Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:31 am
@Krusher, It’s just sad that other teams overcome adversity of losing 1 or 2 players, but we have nobody that steps up to make those needed plays. Our lack of depth is obvious, or the lack of leadership to find and play the correct depth players. Chi dropped in Ben Smith and he performed big time. Just hope that the youthful Lokti and Schenn bring a newborn energy next year. This big, physical, ‘cycling’ O is not working for us. I would love to see speed and creativity. Take some pressure off the D guys thinking they need to constantly chip in to only make errant passes and give up odd man rushes. It’s back to next year, but hey we’re Kings fans right???
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neil Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:11 am
@Brian D., we do have depth…they are just not available right now…Schenn..Lotki….Parse….
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Duck fans are built for the playoffs… Seriously, why is it that they come to our building yet forget to go into their own? Tampa, Carolina and Anaheim Cups have done nothing to help the league. Only 80% avg capacity this year and they just won the Cup in 07.
I don’t hate the Ducks, I respect them and REALLY repect their coaching staff. However, their fans should be ashamed.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:59 am
@Ready for the Cup in LA, i dont respect that team that team sucks!!
Ducks Sucks no matter what they do
I dont care if they beat us 4-2 this year They Still suck
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testing, testing, is it safe to get on here now. Wow, so much negativity.
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Brian D. Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:50 am
@Happy Lappy, You lose your last 4 of 6, what did you expect?
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neil Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:17 am
@Happy Lappy, What did some of these fans expect???Lewis,Cliffy,Richardson, etc are not going to replace the scoring of Willy and Kopi.Deep down the players know that they are done for the year. The players are not going to admit it but when the team lost Kopi it ended the season. Now maybe they can win a game or two or pull a upset and win a series but the Cup??? Stepping up is overused phrase.Grinders dont become snipers cause a teammate went down. Lets not forget how great this team was playing until the injuries and how we do have young players with skill coming up…
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Kings did horrible
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Not one person gets it, you see TM has got this all figured out. First, we lost these last two games so we would be guaranteed to have “road ice advantage”, that’s where we are best, on the road.
Secondly, our PP has been purposely bad in order to keep our “secret PP” from being seen before the playoffs. Thirdly, we have to go against the top teams in the first round in order to make SJ or Van. overconfident, then we overwhelm them with our “real PP” and “real offense”. You people are looking at it the wrong way, TM and Kompon are geniuses! Now, I hope this little talk has helped to enlighten you all, rest easy everyone……Goodnight.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:32 am
@Happy Lappy, LMAO yea the best LA team will come in the Playoff
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neil Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:18 am
@Happy Lappy, and Kopi really was just resting this whole time to get ready for the playoffs…
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OC Hip Check Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:17 am
@Happy Lappy, hahahahahaah. This made my morning. Let’s hope your right!
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I guess my sarcasm is lost on everyone, well let me just say, I SO WANT TM TO GO!
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kings fan in temecula Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 6:25 am
@Happy Lappy, loved it
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I still love my kings. They will be better next year
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:32 am
@Kings x, ten times better
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C. Marshall Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:20 am
@Kings x, I’m getting very tired of saying that to myself. Sure
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So who is opening day against ahaha
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goldielocks Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:00 am
@Subby, And who’s gonna broadcast our opening game in Europe? hehehe
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Ive played ice hockey for over 30 years…andthat was the biggest disgrace ive everwitnessed.
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I don’t care what anyone says right now including everyone on this blog. I’m gonna cheer the Kings on to the bitter end like I have since ’74 So the Kings PP sucks, oh well, our PK is exceptional. So the Kings offense is bad, our goalies and defense have been stellar for the season. I know DL is gonna work on the offense in the offseason, don’t think he can’t see what’s going on. The one thing that really hurts is Kopi down, everyone knows it. I can never get enough of Kings hockey even when these things happen. I don’t want to go months without listening to Bob call the game so I savor every minute of every game even if the Kings are getting their heads handed to them. But all in all I’m still gonna cheer for my team. This is what makes us all true fans unlike the quack fans that vacate when things go bad. I’m looking forward to the playoffs next week and I don’t care who we play. GKG
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KingsFan in OC Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:27 am
@Goring 19, Thanks, I really needed that this morning. All the negative posts on here were making me very frustrated. Good to see another positive Kings fan. I will be right there with you through thick and thin! GO KINGS GO!!!
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Goring 19 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:45 am
@KingsFan in OC, that’s why I posted it, I’m sick of all the negative comments. Statistically, defense-wise and wins the Kings had a great season but it’s still not good enough for a lot of people.
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What’s worse then cheering ducks fans at staples center when things aren’t going right ? A couple of so called kings fans bashing the kings the whole game like they can fix our problems. Do us kings fans a favor and just stay home. Team almost hit a hundred points in a super competitive conference and even tougher division. No matter the outcome of the playoffs they have definitely continued their progression towards bringing the cup to LA. Whether it’s this year , next year, or the year after it’s going to come. As for these last two games , as much as I HATE the ducks they have been playing incredible hockey as of late. Whatever “reset ” button Brown is talking about let’s hope it helps put a few pucks in the net so we can win a series or two.
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Goring 19 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:46 am
@Framer, well said.
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on a good note Jack Johnson set a new personal best record for +/- this season. He finished with a -21. Hes a total liability anytime hes on the ice. And his partner scuderi also suffered the second half of the season finishing with a +1. last 2 years and the first half of this season he has been over +15. If kings want to use this system and be a good defensive team, johnson has to go. Hes had many years to learn it and though he is still young as kings get better, he gets worse.. Worst part is hes getting more ice time that better D players like martinez and greene
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jason Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 2:33 am
@jason, another interesting stats.
2 of trevor lewis 3 goals were game winning goals and 2 of loktionovs 4 goals were game winning
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Kings just lost plain and simple i wish there was some bright side on this side now they have to score more then once
The Hockey Gods have to love the LA Kings
But i bet someone on the Team did something to make the Hockey Gods curse us by losing JW first and then they still did something really bad to make our best Defensive forward we had Kopi and then Lost back to back against the Ducks and now have to face a team that the Hockey Gods Favor Great
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@DesertKing,
Props and Kudo’s!! Nice post!!!
Elvis is dead?
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DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@JoeKing,
Thanks JoeKing, but it looks like the original was deleted (??). Not sure why but I hope no one was offended (??). Maybe the Men In Black do know more than us and Elvis is alive and decided to remove it. Rich, please let me know if there was a problem so I can be sure to not repeat it. Thanks and GKG!!
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Newsflash: I was right Quick fans. Year two. He is not coming through at the conclusion of the season again. Quick and Bernier are equal in terms of pressure performance. Quick is not number 1 when it counts. So lets speculate. Murray and a lot of you Quick supporters will say: “He got us here, so let’s stick with Quick.” I continue to say, he is as unproven as Bernier when it counts. The big difference is Murray keeps wheeling out Quick based on early season performance. So, let’s speculate. Quick will face Vancouver again. The Kings will be 0-2. Then we’ll finally see what Bernier is made of. As I’ve said to the annoyance of many of you, Bernier will show you that he is a great goalie and make the big saves when it counts as Quick should have done against the Ducks. Until then, prepare to continue to lose. You’re 0-2 entering the playoffs. You will be 0-4 when Bernier finally gets his chance. The team will rally when Bernier is in the nets, and team chemistry will change, They will score. Wait and see.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 4:18 am
@Poorman, how was u right when the Offense score once both games and it was Smyth that did it??
I believe ur right when the offense score more then once..like 5 and then Quick Blows it i understand that but they didnt
and today’s and yesterday game the offense was pathetic they only score once
i wish people stop blaming the Goalies for once not their fault at all when we get one goal they have to protect it…what if the other Rookie Goalie Jones or that other dude comes up…is Bernier next to throw under a bus???
yea Bernier great, but if he was better than Quick u would of think he prove it in the beginning of the season, but nope he failed at it, Quick is number one this season..so please get off his back already he earn it just the Team that failed to do the right thing to score more..We had 6 or 7 PPs and we only score once… thats pathetic…u want Quick to score well guess what he a goalie…we have our Shots on the PP but we nothing to it,the offense failed like they always do… Bernier would of fail just like Quick
Now i dont want to make the playoff Cause we get Kick out its going to be Quick fault not the team..its Quick fault….The team can sleep go slow as they want the Fans will love them but when it coems to Quick the Fans look at Quick with all his heroics things he did for this Team but yet we hate him…How pathetic
Everything is Quicks fault TM fault for Putting Quick in the Net Quick such a loser after all he took us to the playoff twice ..2 times,, almost three times but two times but he not number one Give me a break already.He did what he supposed to do now the Kings needed to back him up but no one was there like always…. yea he has bad games,, but u people or forgetting Bernier had bad days too.. so u want to single out his game ,,but not Quick?? i forgot like talking to people that never understand at all.. they do is blame one of ur great goalies in a long time we had for one lost.. i understand if it was 7-5, but its not it was 1-3……
Games Over.. Playoff most likely not going to be Quick fault either we are going to play against Elites Team Bernier not ready for those Elites team.. u want to kill his fire?? because u have high hopes for him ..i dont think so when we dont have enough scores next season is his season if he doesnt take it then i dont think he meant for number one
I like both Goalies but what i hate the most is when fans want to throw one of them under a Bus because Bernier has lost his couples of games so when Next season if he takes over number one i be happy but if he doesnt oh well i be happy still cause w ehave two great goalies
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jason Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:05 am
@Poorman, uh look at the teams bernier won against..
edm, nash, columbus, phoenix, min, wash, anah, carolina.. 5 of his wins were against teams that didnt make the playoffs.. he has been good the last few games but quick has been great all season… even when the kings give him absolutely no help he keeps him in the game
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Poorman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:23 am
@jason, Ellis, a journeyman, plain and simply played better than Quick in both Duck’s games. Yesterday, the third goal was soft, fellow Kings fans. Keep telling me Quick is #1. Until Bernier is given a chance to play in pressure situations, I’m not buying it. I look at the results. Losses. You have a world class goalie in Quick? Show it when it counts Jon and I’ll shut up.
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Eggplant Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:58 am
@Poorman, Allow me to retort with a quote from Rich’s Quick feature a few days ago: “There is no harsher Jonathan Quick critic than Jonathan Quick.”
He’s the kind of a player that I want to see in the team I’m rooting for. He gets the job done, and if he doesn’t, he does in the next game. Everyone has an off night every now and then. These last 2 games were not. You say Ellis played better than him? In this game, I think they were pretty much equal. Last game, Quick had no chance on the shots that went in. No chance. Ellis let out some really juicy rebounds, but we didn’t jam them in. Tonight, the first goal, no one stopped the guy from surfing right through the crease, finally batting the puck in the net from mid-air. Quick’s fault? The Koivu goal, yeah, definitely Quick’s fault…. I didn’t see the third goal because i was banging my head against the wall after Brown failed with his break-away attempt.
But yeah, I’d say it’s totally Quick’s fault we’re in the postition we’re in. Heading for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 2nd year in a row.
Guss Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:51 am
Do u watch the game and smile every time quick gets scored on?? Don’t praise the rookie so much, yea he’s played great, but to sub him for quick , at this point no way, his record is great, and face it, we don’t give him much support, where would we be if we could give him 2+ goals a night ? He’s stolen many games this year. give Bernie another year with more games under his belt,
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Poorman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:54 am
@Guss, So, let me get this right. In your opinion, when they play Vancouver, we should go with Quick even though the Cannucks have beaten him time and again?
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fsd1 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:20 am
@Poorman, yes, 100% yes
Goring 19 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:53 am
@Poorman, do you ever have any commentary other than Bernier should start? I’m not trying to be mean or sarcastic or anything but dude, every post I see from you it’s the “Bernier not Quick” thing. What’s up with that. How about some analysis for a change, I’d like to know what you think about our wins/losses without the goalie thing.
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Poorman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:58 am
@Goring 19, TM is way too conservative with the offense. They should have kept Schenn and Lokti. We need Tippett as coach. How many years does DL get? 5 More? 10 More? There. …and give Bernier 1 playoff start and I promise to shut up.
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Bra-a-a-a-aaaaalffff!!!
Wow, I took that game well. I suppose it’s pointless to expect an overnight improvement heading into the play-offs.
Then again, everyone thought we’d go in straight sets against the Oilers in 1982. Even Mike Eruzione — who played in the biggest upset in Olympic history — thought we’d be swept off the ice.
Of course, in ’82 we had some guys who liked to put the puck in the net . . . Taylor, Dionne, Simmer, Nichols . . . and a coach who’s guiding principal was, “Go out ‘n’ lay the ol’ lumber on ‘em!”
We’re more sophisticated now. But so are the Canucks and the Sharks.
Nevertheless, Go, Kings! Go!
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Have a serious question. Since the offense is horrible right now what are the rules in calling up players at Manchester? We won’t win with with we got and if the Kings management knows that why not “spin the wheel” and call up some youngsters to provide the offense? I’m watching all of the other teams call up kids from AHL why not us? What do we have to lose? We will not be able to compete without AK and JW will not be 100%. Thoughts?
Go Kings Go!
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 5:13 am
@Carolina Kings Fan, yup lets throw me out and see how badly they get injury
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Carolina Kings Fan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 6:21 am
@Rob, Yep! The playoffs are turning into a very depressing beginning.
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Game, set and match…DET has nothing to play for today so CHI will absolutely steamroll them today. And then we have to suffer an easy five game workature from the Canucks. The Kings have only themselves to blame. ANA has way more skill and their D and goaltending has been better than expected. Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, Selaane, Koivu vs our grinders? Who do you think is going to score more? DL needs to start drafting some offense.
At least they made the playoffs…I don’t know if I can even watch the beat down they’re going to take from the Canucks…AGGHHH! (More digital venting)
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Go Kings GO Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 6:27 am
@Mass Kings Fan, Detroit may not play their best a full amount, but they could win. Chicago has to win or Dallas could leap frog them. It’s not all bad, look at it this way;
1) Nashville is dangerous! They are stingy like the Kings, but they are like 39-4 when they score three goals. Ducks may be going home early.
2) If we have any business winning the cup, then beating Vancouver or San Jose should not be a insurmountable. If you deserve the cup, you should beat anyone, right?
3) Remember the 1981-82 Kings against Edmonton, a real David and Goliath story. So heck yeah, I’m going to watch and hope this years Kings want it more than the other guys.
4) We have talent, but we lack cohesion. As for Quick vs. Bernier, the regular season shoot out monkey is off Bernier’s back. TM needs to go to JB at the first sign that JQ is not 100%. We can’t recover from more than 2 goals, so hesitation will be fatal.
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Mass Kings Fan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:41 am
@Go Kings GO, I admire your optimism. Really, I do. It’s just a very disheartening weekend. And Vancouver is so hot right now, I can’t see them losing in the first round. (Unless the Sedins both get assaulted before the playoffs begin).
At least the ’82 team had some players who could put the puck in the net (Dionne, Simmer, Taylor, Doug Smith). Kings just don’t have the firepower to get very far this year w/o Kopi.
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408KingsFan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:50 am
@Mass Kings Fan, S
408KingsFan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:51 am
@Go Kings GO, someone needs to pull a Tanya Harding on the Sedin sisters before the playoffs start.
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WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.That’s all some of you whiners do. Brag and praise when the Kings win and cry and criticize when they lose. Sickening. After a few years of not making the playoffs, this young team now has back to back playoff appearences. Give some credit where credit is due and have some confidence that they can be somewhat successful this year.
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number 6 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 6:01 am
@JD,
They have been somewhat successful this year. They did well on the road And they made the playoffs again.
However, to believe they will beat Vancouver in a seven game series is Not realistic whatsoever. They are hard pressed to score more than 1.5 goals a game. Vancouver is hard pressed to Not score at least 2 in a bad game for them, and more likely 3-4 per game.
Vancouver has the Best PK in the league, and the Kings are 1 for their last Seven games, some against Anaheim that is Not a good PK team. So, you can take what I’m saying as negative if you wish. But at the end of the day it all depends on what your definition of ‘somewhat successful’ is.
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Poorman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:09 am
@number 6, Agreed. Can’t share your enthusiasm JD. I look at it it as the Kings need to win a playoff series now. How many years has it been? Until then, they are “somewhat less unsuccessful.”
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JD Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@number 6,
No negativity from me number 6. I’m a firm believer that even the best can be beaten as we saw last year with the Caps. I’ve always said win each shift, win each period, win each game. I’m an optimist I guess.
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I’m personally going to bat for some of the posters here. Some people are negative no matter what…. but when both Daryl Evans And Jim Fox say that there is a lack of skill on the team, can you really blame people for being frustrated? There has been a lack of skill on the team for too long, especially with high draft picks (and a lot of draft picks) in four or five consecutive years.
No mistake there are a lot of good things about this team. I think the question is: does the type of structure that they have – a grinding type of game, work if you want to win a cup in this post lockout nhl? It’s just a question and probably each person has their own answer to that.
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Poorman Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:14 am
@number 6, Absolutely, must question the coach and GM. DL has had five years now. How many does he get? The Ducks made several trades during the season, and they’re paying dividends. The Kings kept Clifford at the NHL level and not Schenn or Loktionov.
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fsd1 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:23 am
@Poorman, if anze and williams were not injured I’m sure you and alot of other fans would be singing different tunes.
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Can any of these people who are complaining about the negativity in here provide ANY reason why people should be positive about the Kings’ play recently and their chances in the playoffs?
I mean, come on. The team stumbles into the playoffs, losing two straight to the Quacks, and will most likely face the best team in hockey, and people should be all smiles and giggles? Pass along whatever it is you’re smoling.
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Open letter to DL. Fire TM! Get rid of this clown! Any coach that can have a team get beat as bad as the kings have in the last couple of weeks and find anything positive just doesn’t get it. The Kings have heart but 50% of the team is just going through the motion. The Penners of the team need to be called out. This is no way to build a hockey team! Where is the emotion!
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jonsey Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:50 am
@renorick, If they were playing the way WITH Kopitar, then he might, but Lombardi is too cautious. Maybe he doesn’t want to have to say he made another mistake. Two first round exits in 7 years. Woo hoo.
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Penner = MONUMENTAL fail.
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Mass Kings Fan Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 8:52 am
@mike morbid, True ‘dat regarding Penner.
Weren’t the Kings supposed to be better this year? Wasn’t last years’ playoffs all about “gaining experience” for this year? They’ll get some experience for sure this year: a quick 4 or 5 and out vs Vancouver. (Det has nothing to play for today vs CHI)
DL has to make some shakeup deal to land a proven scorer if the Kings want to get better. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Penner.
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DellaNooch Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:20 am
@mike morbid, I don’t disagree with you here, just find it interesting that so many people on this blog have wanted Penner and for DL to make this type of trade and in the end, it’s failing like 90% of the deadline deals made in the NHL
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The Sharks and Canucks are basically the same team. They both score a lot of goals. They both move really fast. They both have great records. They both are north of us. We have no advantage in playing either. The Sharks have the goalie who won the cup last year. VAN has the two leading scorers the last two years. We will really have to do a better job than we have to beat either of them.
Our best hope: CHI loses and DAL wins.
We play San Jose.
San Jose chokes in the playoffs.
We have played them many times and could possibly keep Big Joe and Little Joe from doing what they do.
We get Williams back for the 4th or 5th game.
HE doesn’t lack like he did last playoffs.
We forget Oscar Moller and call up Schenn.
He’s ready.
He scores a goal a game in the second round.
We somehow beat DET.
Western Conference final vs ANA.
We somehow use Quick’s “mind control” to score on the other team.
We play Montreal in the finals.
McSorley comes in on the high wire and takes out their best players.
We are assessed a penalty and they score to win the series.
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DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:07 am
@jonsey,
Very nice!
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YoBro Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:37 am
@jonsey, I hope Quicks “mind control” works better from the bench!
Go Kings
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The Penguins lose Malkin and Crosby early in the season and they can finish as high as 3rd in the east with one game to go. We lose JW and Kopi a few weeks ago and we struggle to beat good teams. We lack depth offensively…then again its not like we were lighting it up WITH JW and Kopi anyway. Our D is top 10, our O is bottom 10….we need O. Ponikorovoskinskylikovsly is a bust and Penner is useless. Our D men consistently shoot wide and we have zero passing skills. The effort is there, cant question there heart, they just dont have it.
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bbb7 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:18 am
@thustable, That about sums it up!
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neil Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:25 am
@thustable, the East is not as tough as the west….
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fsd1 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:25 am
@thustable, you answered your own complaint, penguins lose their top 2 players early in the season, we lose ours with 2 weeks left, big big difference
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YoBro Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:39 am
@fsd1, EXACTLY! The Pens lost like 9 of their next 12 after losing SC, THEN they righted the ship.
Go Kings
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Kyle Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:30 am
@thustable, You need to look at the facts. It took the Pens a while to adjust to losing Crosby and Malkin. It did not happen overnight. The loss of Williams and Kopitar happened late in the season and the adjust time was minimal. As for your take on the rest I respectfully think you are flat out wrong (with the exception of the heart comment).
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I don’t post often on the blog, but read it religiously. I, like many others are concerned about the lack of scoring that we’ve seen and the potential first round match-up the Kings are facing. It is disheartening that all we needed was 1 win versus the Ducks for potential home ice for the first round against an opponent that would provide a possible better matchup.
What I disagree with is all the posts saying that it’s over. I’m not naive to think that there is a good chance that the Kings can take out either the Canucks or the Sharks with the current lineup….but the bottom line is there is one. It is going to be extremely difficult even if JW does come back. Heck even if Kopi was healthy it would still be difficult. But the playoffs are not supposed to be easy. Bottom line is as long as their in there they have a chance. And I’m going to be there cheering every step of the way…whether it’s for 4 games or 28 games. GKG!
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Alicia Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@RJC76,
Thank God!
I as well do not post often but am so glad to see another person who still believes. Kopitar and Williams did not send the team to the playoffs alone contrary to what alot of people are making it seem. Yes they are extremely valuable but they are not the difference between being able to succeed and failing.
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Dean Lombardi—where have you been the last two months? With a power play that stinks worse than Limburger cheese, Kompon is still on the payroll and we, the fans, the ones who buy the tickets thst support the payroll, have to watch a powerless power play. 1 for 7 says it all. Yes, a team needs grinders, but an entire team of grinders is suspect. We need playmakers, creative players who are offense minded—not always defense, defense, defense—cycle,cycle, cycle….back to the point, go to the boards, flub pass after pass,avoids the middle and crashing the net like the will get a disease. Yes, Murray has done okay, but his playing guys who do nothing but get penalties just does not work anymore. Last year it was Randy Jones, this year, Kevin Westgarth who takes up a roster spot, plays 2-3 minutes a game and wears every one else down.Please, please Terry Murray, go to Ottawa to be with your brother and let Dean find us a new coach, providing you take Kompon with you.Perhaps the Hocke Gods will take pity on us fans and let us see a couple of wins in the first round so it is not 4 and out.
Amen.
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kevin from toronto Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:42 am
@poe, apparently you’re not pleased with making the playoffs 2 years in a row?
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kevin from toronto Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 9:44 am
@poe, and tying franchise records in both seasons for wins… terrible job Lombardi. Fire him…
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DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:14 am
@kevin from toronto,
I don’t think firing Lombardi is what POe was getting at. His point was for Lombardi to get rid of Kompon. The Kings are a great team and DL has doen a tremendous job. The goal is not just the playoffs. Tne goal is to become and elite team that dominaes its opponents and wins a Cup. I agree with Poe, that if we are to get where we want to be, DL needs to find a new PP and Offense coach, which is what Kompon coaches. After being at last night’s game, it was readily apparent that our PP takes too long to set-up and never goes tol the net. Them opposing PK just sits ion their box formation and waits for the shot from the point. As long as they keep the crease clear, they have no worries. If we went to the net with the puck, the defense would have to shift or collapse, creating more movement and more opportunity. With 8 minutes of PP in the 1st period, we should have buried the Ducks then and there. We didn’t, and instead left the period down byu 2 goals. The problem is the PP coach and his system, not DL or TM.
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kevin from toronto Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:45 am
@DesertKing, Don’t forget the Kings’ best offensive players are on the shelf.
Building a team like you’re referring to doesn’t happen over night. Lombardi made a great offer to Kovalchuk and it just didn’t work out. Had he signed, the PP would look a lot more potent. Things obviously didn’t work out, but you can’t fault Lombardi for trying.
Many will agree than Lombardi has done a tremendous job building this team. Not too many teams become elite with homegrown players. The Kings are on the brink of doing just that – with the exception of a few players of course, but the majority of the team has been with the Kings their entire career.
I think they are one or two pieces away from becoming a top 3 team. Unfortunately, none of those pieces can be brought in this year so it’s another year of gaining valuable playoff experience. Who knows what can happen though with Williams set to return. It’s frustrating seeing the team under -perform like they have lately, but it’s a building process.
I’m just trying to deflect some of the negative attitude, after the Kings just finished another fantastic season!
DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
@kevinfrom toronto
Yep, I think you hit it on the head.
Okay,
I agree with alot of the comments on here regarding the need to improve our PP (or dare i say start having one) also i agree that our offense needs alot of help, we lack skill in comparison to other teams!!
At the same time i do feel that the playes are going hard and playing with hart (maybe i would not include a couple of players in this group; such as the disappointment that is named Dustin Penner)but last night they had a ton of shots on net, they spent alot of time in the offensive zone, and they played to win. Unfortunatly, Ellis came up with saves both easy and impressive ones.
one of our other problems was JQ. Don’t get me wrong he is a great goalie, but he seems to either be a superstar or just a let down. The ducks did not get a ton of shots on net, so the skaters were doing their job. Quick just couldn’t come up with the saves tonight. I still think he is an amazing goalie and his stats show it.
I still think that the kings have a shot facing both Vancouver and SJ they are a completely new team come playoffs, and as long as they go hard, and remember that they won’t be able to win it on defense alone, they are going to need to take offensive chances, they have a shot at this thing still.
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We can beat the Sharks I know we can. We are not “done” yet. There is a chance things start clicking and bounces start going our way. If Brown and company can average one goal per period our defense can take care of the rest. Thats all we need to be sucsessful
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number 6 Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:24 am
@408KingsFan,
One goal per period. That may be a lot to ask of the team w/o Kopi and JW. They haven’t scored an average of one goal per period in any game since Kopi went down with injuries so that would be quite a surprise.
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Hey rich how come you never interview people like Richardson?
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