Terry Murray’s postgame thoughts…
(on the back-to-back wins…)
MURRAY: “They’re very big points. Any time you play a rival team, a division game like this, it’s critical that you come and play your best, that’s for sure, give yourself an opportunity to get those points. I think, in both games, both teams played very hard. There were stretches in the games where both teams had good things happening in the offensive zone. They tied the game up; they had a big push. They really came at us hard. Quicker held his ground defensively. I think we competed hard in front of our net, just to get things calmed down. Made it exciting at the end. They tied it up and it was an exciting finish.’’
(on the shorthanded goals…)
MURRAY: “Those are a bonus, I think, any time you get a shorthanded goal. The people that are scoring them for us, that seems to be part of the m.o. that they bring, along with their play. I’ve seen it in the past. Gagne is an excellent penalty-killer. He’s got the speed and is a very skilled player who can take advantage of opportunities. So it’s a bonus tonight, that’s for sure.’’
(on Voynov’s play…)
MURRAY: “He has played very well. It was a big goal. Gagne made a great play on that pass to him, and he gets himself at the right place at the right time.’’
(on the delay at the start of the third period…)
MURRAY: “It takes some readiness away from you. You’re sitting there. You’ve got to get the goaltenders warmed up again with a few shots. Guys have to move around, get their legs going. But they’re hockey players, and I think when the puck hits the ice again, everybody is ready to go.’’
Gkg
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TheZamboniMechanic2 Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 5:53 am
@WAKingsFan,
Still seems to be problems on PP…entry over blue line, dumping instead of passing. Static positions instead of cycling. Kopitar not the best QB. Duck’s 1st unit PP dominated.
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Räikkönen Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 9:30 am
@TheZamboniMechanic2,
I’m seeing the exact opposite. I like their new drop pass entry, that’s a nice addition to the repertoire. I also like the speed and puck movement that is being displayed. It all works, top 5 PP in the NHL so far.
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Kings Fan Vancouver, WA Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 7:05 am
@WAKingsFan, Where ya at in WA? Good to see more Kings Fans in the PNW.
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Duckbasher Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 7:50 am
@Kings Fan Vancouver, WA, – There’s lots of us up here in Bend, Oregon too.
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Kings Fan Vancouver, WA Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 11:06 am
@Duckbasher, Sweet. I am heading out to Bend in April 2012 for business. Maybe sooner.
WAKingsFan Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 9:28 am
@Kings Fan Vancouver, WA, I live in Prosser, near tri cities
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Kings Fan Vancouver, WA Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 11:07 am
@WAKingsFan, I got some friends in Kennewick. It’s awesome out there.
Nothing better than going to the Ponda Center and realize the Kings fans are just as loud as the Ducks fans…The arena music had to be turned up full blast to drown the GO KINGS GO and DUCKS SUCK chants.
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ChiTownKingsFan Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 12:10 am
@Gustavo, amazing. warms my heart.
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Nick Nickson said it seemed to energize both teams for a spirited 3rd. Hard not to agree so I guess they both thought like TM said here and decided to give that extra effort to not fall into that lull. Great game tonight. The atmosphere was awesome and the boys played a solid 60.
My only fear, and I hope TM sees it, a few guys are sliding into that passing mentality and even bypassing shots for passes. There were times I saw less north south play through the neutral. I hope we don’t fall back into that passing the puck too much thing. We’re playing really well overall right now. No need to go back.
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nice two sentence blurb on Slava…. better send him back down before he makes the coach look like a bigger idiot. Oh and please rush Penner back in before we get too many wins in a row.
I really dont want to go back to sucking again, so I am savoring this line up for this short period of time
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Ten For Instigating Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 5:33 am
@CTD, One day people will figure out the coach is not the GM
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tacomakingsfan Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 6:04 am
@CTD,
I think you may be confused. It’s the job of the coach to use the tools that he is given. The GM is responsible for bringing players back and forth from the minors and what not.
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KC23 Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 7:48 am
@CTD, Yep, that is the GM’s call, not the coach.
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CTD Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 8:40 am
@KC23, Ok then I was wrong in a way….. I still think the coach is an idiot and he supports it by putting moreau and hunter on the power play, and he will continue to support it by using Penner the minute he is available to destroy our team chemistry.
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Räikkönen Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 9:35 am
@CTD,
If anything, it’s Voynov making Murray look like a genius. Murray has been a believer in Voynov for some time now. He’s been singing praises ever since he watched the Monarchs in the playoffs, and has given Voynov every opportunity to make the team and impress the management.
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CTD Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 11:17 am
@Räikkönen, point taken, I am on board with that take… however, whose decision is it to make the power play lines? if we agree that it is the coach then you also might agree that our first line has the chemistry on the team? maybe if you agree with that you might also agree that the second line is trying to establish chemistry and that every time they move penner off of that line they seem to do better? so why wouldnt you, as a coach let the first unit be the first line take the first pp shift and let the second line (especially with lokti up) take the second shift and continue to develop chemistry? I think brown richards an lokti would benefit from it and yu could have stoll and VV play the point on it. AM is not bad at all, I wouldnt say he is a shlepp out there, but VV is just better on both ends. it just doesn’t make sense to keep him down in the minors anymore
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I have to say I have been one saying hte Kings need a new coach. Terry Murray seems to have changed his coaching style a bit over the past few weeks. I give him credit, usually an old dog cant be taught new tricks.
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Kasey9 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 11:31 pm
@Puckindnet, Untill we lose a game then everyone wants him Fired
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Caleb C Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
@Kasey9, cause usually when we lose we look bad. really bad
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ChiTownKingsFan Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 12:13 am
@Caleb C, People want him fired when we win. “We didn’t score enough on the 5 on 5,” ” Why did we back off in the third,” “Why don’t we put drewskie on waivers and keep voynov on the nhl bench.” It’s never ending and rather obnoxious. He’s a coach; he’s not the second coming of christ. Lower your inflated expectations.
Shakes Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 2:35 am
@Caleb C,
TM is no Tebow
goldielocks Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 11:50 pm
@Puckindnet,
I give TM credit that he didn’t use ‘shot mentality’ for the first time in a long time.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 8:39 am
@goldielocks, He didn’t have to, the team seems to be getting the message finally.
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370455vinSD Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 11:47 am
@goldielocks, I loved it when Foxie used it to describe Doughty’s accidental shot on Quick
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Räikkönen Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 9:41 am
@Puckindnet,
Not entirely accurate. Nothing has changed as far as defensive identity goes. It’s still the hallmark of the Kings. It’s more about having offensive weapons that Murray can utilize, thank-you Dean Lombardi for getting them! Gagne and Richards make a HUGE difference, it just comes natural on ice. Those are Murray/Lombardi/Philly type players, and they are executing the coaches gameplan to a tee.
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Kings with Voynov are better than the Kings without Voynov.
What happens to Martinez?
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Scot Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 11:42 pm
@Will Hutchison,
Trade him to Columbus for a 3rd Rounder. They need him more than we do.
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 12:44 am
@Scot,
He’s better than a 3rd rounder. He’s a legit NHL d-man. I’d trade him for a D prospect on a two way contract, so they don’t lose the depth.
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Perro Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 7:26 am
@FKA PakiFro, I think we should take what we can get for him. It’s better then loosing him on waivers. Columbus would gte first crack at the waiver wire so they may not be the best trading partner. Carolina is looking for offense, maybe package him and penner for one of their struggling wingers.
LB Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
@Will Hutchison, that’s what I’ve been saying…anybody STILL think he should go back to Manchester ? They should just trade drewiske.
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luna Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 1:03 am
@LB, I agree with u completly, send drewiske away for a two way d prospect maybe or juggle around penner if he continues his slump. Get a better winger put lokti on a lower center and keep voynov sending Martinez down. Then again. I liked todays look …..
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 8:21 am
@Will Hutchison, Very tough decisions ahead and I’m not sure whether Deano or TM or a combination of the two makes the call. Voynov appears to be a very special kind of defenseman that does not come along often. His contribution on offense is great, but his instincts and poise on the defensive end are something that can’t be taught and rarley seen in someone his age. He never seems to be chasing the play, rather he’s always gliding effortlessly to where the play is going to end up. Martinez will be healthy soon and decisions will have to be made. I know 5 or 6 games don’t make a superstar, but how do you send this kid to Manchester??? I don’t think Deano planned on having to solve this problem, but what a great problem to have.
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KingsFan1971 Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 10:26 am
@40YearKingsFan, I agree totally,I love Voynov and Lotki I think they are ready and its showing. It is time to trade Martinez,Penner and Wiskey for what we can get and move forward,
I know we still have incredible depth in Manchester. And with DL and Hex we should keep that depth for years to come.
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I liked the flow a lot better at certain times of the game. The second pass coming out of the nuetral zone was scouted out a little by the Ducks, and they pressured the reciever more than the last game. Solid effort through the nuetral zone overall though, and the Kings did a good job getting it through with speed, and possesion.
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It really IS kind of funny how all the fans on here have been clamoring for Loktionov and Voynov to be called up for so long, and… Look at what’s happening. We aren’t dumb afterall! I think we all owe ourselves a little pat on the back!
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Kings x Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 2:04 am
@Scot, Slava is on his game now. Foolish to take him out of the lineup. Lotki is doing ok. He will find his groove in time. He still is better than parse penner and any one else we have out in his spot. Time for a trade!
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Jim Martin Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 7:20 am
@Scot, Nice observation Scot, I have been berated King management since the start of the season to bring up the two Russians.
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Well, there was a lot of talk before these back-to-back games about both the Kings and the Ducks wanting to turn things around. If there was any momentum to gain from this, it certainly went to the Kings. The Ducks played well, too, so I guess both teams can build off of this. At the end of the day, though, Kings got 4 points out of these 2 games, Ducks came out with 1. So, the Kings should carry the gained momentum to the game against Detroit on Saturday. We should be able to win that game, especially since Detroit’s been struggling recently. If we crush the Wings, then we can start talking about a winning streak. Let’s make the most of this, now! Go, Kings, go!
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Last 2 Games…
Loktionov-Richards-Brown 9PTS
Voynov 2PTS
Kings 4PTS – Quacks 0PTS
Well played, sir, well played.
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Andrew: the second coming Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 1:56 am
@Kman, 1 pts for the ducks.
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Oops,
Quacks gotta point
Dang
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Kman Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 1:56 am
@Kman,
Oops 2
L-R-B 6PTS…
Save some for wings
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Very good effort by the Kings last night. My only concern is the way Quick is getting pressured in the front of the net. The D lines need to step up and keep things clear so he (and Bernier) can see whats in front of them. Really happy to see the offense coming around too, since it seemd we were stuck in 1st gear for a few games earlier….Looking forward to seeing the game on Saturday in person.
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Michael J. Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 7:23 am
@Seals2Kings,
A former Seals’ fan? That was my team… until they moved… when I was 12…
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Seals2Kings Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
@Michael J., My father would take me and my friends on a friday or Saturday night and sit in the rafters. Fond memories though not the greatest games…
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Raunq12 Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@Seals2Kings,
I agree. The Kings D-men need to be mean in front of the net; they need to start clearing some bodies out of the crease area
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I was not impressed with Doughty and Johnsons play in the third period last night, they were backing up too far, giving the Ducks too much room. I was glad to see Murray make a fast change and put Scuderi and Michell out on the ice. He probably seen the same thing as I did.
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Sure wish that Colin Fraser gets more ice time. Only seven minutes last night. I hope he’s not hurt!
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@Seals2Kings, Agree 100%. It’s been a recurring circumsnatnce the Kings must overcome in order to be cup contenders (I’m talking past 1st round)
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I like the compete, if we are trying to change and open things up for more offence than I dont mind letting TM hang around a little longer. I think he deserves the chance, if, if they start to create scoring chances 5 on 5. Lets not get too excited it was the ducks afterall. We have to improve if we want to even think about a long playoff run.
Two things I would change
1. What has Moreau done to deserve PP time? Besides take bad penalties.
2. It seemed to work last night but on our 2nd PP unit we only use 1 D-man, fine, but you wouldnt think it would be a rookie. Maybe switch slava with Drew.
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Let me see…Penner is out, Kings win…Penner is out, Kings play hard, in-your-face, strong forecheck…Penner is out…Kings take a home and home from the Ducks…Penner is out…Gagne plays well, Richards scores…Penner is out…GREAT!!!!
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Great to get four points from the Quacks. Wish they didn’t let them tie the games in the third, (they should have put them away with that four minute PP, but oh well).
I agree with everyone that Voynov is the real deal. But I have to say, in the first period, it seemed that he and Mitchell were being chased around the back of their zone and had difficulty finding a way to get the puck moving forward. They eventually got on track and did better with that as the game went on, but it seemed they were struggling a little early on.
Lokti still seemed to get pushed off the puck a bit easy, but not like before.
Ruh-roh, JMFJ is now a -2. The natives are going to start getting restless if they start another losing streak.
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Didn’t get to see the game (heard parts of it on the radio), how was Richardson’s game in place of Hunter? Anyone care to comment on his effectiveness? I would really enjoy seeing Hunter regain his top form as a strong body capable of playing a physical game and potting some goals, but Richie seems to bring quite an effective energy game and forecheck, even if he isn’t scoring.
How’d he do last night?
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Voynov needs to improve his defense.
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