This is the third of six meetings this season between the Kings and San Jose Sharks, with the Kings holding a 1-1-0 record so far. The Sharks have been an interesting team this season. From mid-October to late November, they had a 12-2-1 run. They followed that by going 2-5-2 in their next nine games, but now have a three-game winning streak, during which they have scored a total of 15 goals. That’s 15 reguatlion goals in three games. The Kings have a total of 14 regulation goals in their last nine games. The Sharks are also riding some strong play from goalie Antti Niemi, who gets the call again tonight. For the latest on the Sharks, check out David Pollak’s coverage in the San Jose Mercury News, followed by the possible lineups for both teams tonight.
[UPDATE: Jonathan Quick is expected to start for the Kings. Lineup decisions on skaters will be made after warmups.]
San Jose Mercury News’ Sharks coverage
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KINGS LINEUP
Richardson-Kopitar-Brown
Gagne-Richards-Lewis
Penner-Stoll-Williams
Clifford-Fraser-Westgarth
Scuderi-Doughty
Mitchell-Voynov
Johnson-Greene
Quick
Bernier
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SHARKS LINEUP
Benn Ferriero-Joe Thornton-Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau-Logan Couture-Ryane Clowe
Jamie McGinn-Michal Handzus-Torrey Mitchell
Brad Winchester-Andrew Desjardins-Andrew Murray
Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Dan Boyle
Brent Burns-Jason Demers
Justin Braun-Colin White
Antti Niemi
Thomas Greiss
Sounds like it’s going to be a guessing game with the goalies from now on. I’m guessing it’s Bernier tonight.
15 goals in 3 games, uh oh. I’ve got a bad feeling about this one. Hope I’m wrong.
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DEH Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:09 pm
@CB14, This isn’t baseball!!
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:14 pm
@DEH, The best part about that line is that it fits with both topics that I wrote. The goalies like Sutter said, but also the amount of goals SJ has scored recently. 5 scores per game usually happens in Baseball not Hockey, especially not Kings Hockey.
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DEH Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:33 pm
@CB14, yeah, I think this is Sutter’s official catch phrase.
Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:13 pm
@CB14,
Seriously scary. Same with Boston, seems like every other game they pound some team 5 or 6 to nothing. Currently beating Florida 7-0 right now in the 3rd period at home, and I believe tied for the NHL lead in goals for now. Obviously last year has proven to be no fluke for them. So glad they beat Vancouver!
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:23 pm
@Scot, Boston, just like Detroit, truly is a great TEAM. Other great teams rely on their top players to lead them, CHI and VAN come to mind, but both Boston and Detroit really are great because of everyone on their team contributing. That’s what stands out the most to me about Boston.
Totally agreed about them beating the Casucks, I hate those divers.
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RogiesBackUp Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:52 pm
@Scot, Beast of the East I’m afraid will win the cup this year again.
I honestly think the only team that can play the B’s are the Kings!! They play good against them except they lost their first game against the Bruins last game.
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KC23 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:00 pm
@Scot, Actually, I think Boston is peaking too early. No team can keep that up for long.
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carrie Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:15 pm
@KC23, I don’t know, they did start off incredibly slow…
RogiesBackUp Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:49 pm
@CB14, Bernie might surprise all. How awesome will that be for Bernie’s confidence!!
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:54 pm
@RogiesBackUp, That would be great for everyone’s confidence.
Just so we’re clear, I didn’t mean anything negative about Bernier, it was about our failure to score more then 2 goals in a game.
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14 goals in 9 games…
I’ve followed hockey a long time, & cannot remember such a long period of time where a team had this much trouble scoring goals.
I love my Kings, but man are they boring to watch right now.
I don’t count 3-2 in a shootout being 3 goals in a game, so I’ve completely lost count of how many games it’s been now that we’ve scored 2 goals or less. It’s gotta be over 10.
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:12 pm
@Scot, 13 by my count.
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Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:15 pm
@CB14,
ughhhh. Hopefully tonight doesn’t become number CBFOURTEEN!
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Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:18 pm
@Scot, nice.
CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:23 pm
@Scot, LOL. Very nice
I agree with no line change but what about D pair? I think JJ and Greene should be separated.
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Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:25 pm
@goldielocks,
I’m not completely disagreeing with you.
As long as there is only 2 goals allowed, I’m fine with the pairings. Last night there were chances on every pair, and those 2 got victimized, but maybe tonight it’s DD and Scuds. Lets give it a few games, and let Thei pairings playout a little, and let Sutter see where he needs to fix certain players games to make the pairings function properly.
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Token Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:31 pm
@Dominick, Do not panick! JJ and MG will be split up when JMFJ gets traded on the 29th.
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Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:36 pm
@Token, We shall see my brother. In the meantime, JJ, and Green lose their coverage when the puck is high. On the 1rst goal, Green was facing the shooter at the point, and completely lost his man, and on the Visnovsky goal, JJ’s man beat him to the front of the net to screen Quick with JJ chasing.Those are easy fixes.
Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:37 pm
@Token,
Gosh that would be nice!
People say how great it was of him to take a “discount” to play here, but guess what? He is still WAY overpaid at a 4.35 cap hit.
He is paid well because he was drafted into the NHL 3rd overall, and because he has a cool name. If he was drafted in the 4th round, and his name was Fred Lopslodder, he’d be fighting for a spot in the NHL.
He was drafted so high because of his high point totals in college, not because he’s a great “defenseman.” His point totals have not translated to the NHL, which was kind of his greatest attribute, which leaves him with almost no attributes other than being a great skater.
He can’t get a shot to the net without being blocked to save his life. And I mean TO SAVE HIS LIFE.
Oh by the way, his -90 for his career is a bit underwhelming as well. And if you watch closely, the guy is on the ice EVERY time the puck goes into the Kings net. Just about every time.
I would so trade Jack Johnson for the best offer I received.
goldielocks Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:45 pm
@Dominick,
Yea. I think they are both good D-man. But they have a tendancy to blow coverage when they get paired. So I thought this would be a matter of pairing. Giving them some more time maight be a good idea though.
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Man, this is a BIG game. We need to the points. It would be HUGE for confidence. We could pull within one point of San Jose. If ever there was a time to bust out of a scoring slump… a game like this would be it.
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StoneKnite Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:24 pm
@StoneKnite, we need the two points*
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RogiesBackUp Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:55 pm
@StoneKnite, I say at this point just make the play-offs!!
93′ Kings were only 5 games above five hundred when they went to the finals.
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:06 pm
@RogiesBackUp, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7fjDS0jKiE
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If the Kings score three goals tonight…three goals, not counting a shootout…I am going to consider it a hat-trick and throw a hat at my TV.
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Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:29 pm
@Mel Powell,
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I love how everybody’s scared of the Sharks.
We outplayed them for 2 periods in staples less than a month ago.
They have played better the last few games.
DS will have them ready to go.
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Kopitar with the hat trick, tonight!
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I think Sutter made a kings meme
http://fakeposters.com.s3.amazonaws.com/results/2011/12/24/3p0o1zxt3f.jpg
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cynic Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:56 pm
@DEH, LOL! You could also put the line ‘It’s a 3-2 league’ under that.
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DEH Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:58 pm
@cynic, Oh snap, I should have
Title: 3-2 League
Phrase: This is not baseball!!
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cynic Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:35 pm
@DEH, try
Title: NHL HOCKEY
Quote: “It’s a 3-2 league”
They’re all good.
DEH Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:01 pm
@cynic, how about this?
http://media.fakeposters.com/results/2011/12/24/bw5b0643wn.jpg
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We have looked much better with willie &Mike back ,that other team is hot right now so we need to play better yet .Speeding up the lines might go either way against SJ,
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what, not juggling of the lines?
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Are the lineups for skaters final?
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Love how lots of bloggers here are saying to trade JJ cause he is not that good….Well if he isnt that good you wont get alot in return….Also if Johnson,Greene and DD8 were that bad then how come our defense is rated high.Dont say Quick/Bernier cause for some games yes..but overall Defense is our strength.
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KC23 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:07 pm
@neil, I have been one of JJ’s biggest critics, but it would be foolish to trade JJ. Very foolish. As puck73 is so found of reminding his hockey friends, D-men don’t come into their own until about 24-25. JJ is a lot better than he was last year … he talent is going up and I want him to be a King when he hits those prime years.
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:17 pm
@KC23, Not that I disagree with you, or puck73, but I just wanted to point out that JJ is already 24, and will be turning 25 in about 3 weeks.
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Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:20 pm
@CB14,
Lol.
AZ King Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:16 pm
@neil,
I’m not used to this new positive @neil. It’s kind of messing with my head
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The Sharks are winning by scoring goals. They’re last 3 win streaks have been a 5 games win streak, 2 game win streak, and currently a 3 game win streak. Out of those 10 games, the Sharks only had 1 of those end up a 1 goal game.
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Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:54 pm
They also had 4 losses in those stretches, and 3 of them were 1 goal games.
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neil Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:59 pm
@Dominick, signs of a Kings fan….one who talks to himself on a blog…..
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neil Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:00 pm
@neil, really???
Happy Lappy Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:01 pm
@neil, and don’t forget the TV.
Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:06 pm
@neil, I should of put @Dominick on there. lol
Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Wow! I really messed that up. I was thinking Rangers when I posted, and got San Jose and them mixed up. All my stats are for the Rangers.
That’s what I get for scouting other teams, instead of focusing on just the teams the Kings are playing.
Sorry everybody!
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I think Cliffy is playing more physical lately and getting some good scoring chances. Look for him to move up to the 3rd line soon, he’s a Sutter type player, in my humble opinion.
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Canadian King Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:02 pm
@Happy Lappy, Agreed, I thought Cliffy would benefit the most from Sutter before his arrival.
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KC23 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:09 pm
@Canadian King, Me too. I think Clifford, Lewis and Richardson are all gonna benefit greatly from Sutter’s coaching style.
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Come to think of I think I’m putting some pieces together. Sutter keeps saying it’s a 3-2 league and he did a double peace sign in his press-conference which is like two 2s. Hinting at needing that third goal?
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The Boston Bruins have scored 6 or more goals NINE TIMES this year! Wwwwwoowww!
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Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:10 pm
@Scot,
One of the most dangerous teams down the middle in the league IMO. Would love to see the Kings play that way.
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Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:14 pm
@Dominick,
That’s not your opinion, that’s a fact! They are always feeding guys parked in the slot, passing it through the center of ice, and attacking the middle. What’s interesting about how many goals they score is that LOTS of them are pretty goals too. I definitely wish the Kings immitated Boston’s style.
We score very few goals and NONE of them are pretty.
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AZ King Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:19 pm
@Scot,
I don’t care about pretty goals. They don’t count anymore than the ugly ones.
carrie Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:24 pm
@Scot, The thing about Boston is that even their more skilled players aren’t afraid of playing ugly. And it seems that when everyone is willing to play ugly, good things happen. Of their 22 players who have skated this season, 11 of them are in double digits for points. Compare that to 7 Kings players of the 24 we’ve skated…
Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:44 pm
@AZ King,
Well yeah, I’ll take any goals we can get too, ugly or pretty.
My point was it just shows how much more talent other teams have than we have.
We are severely lacking in hockey creativity, and it shows.
Kings x Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:11 pm
@Scot, Their goal differential is insane. Not only are they scoring the most, they are giving up the least. Thomas is el fuego
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carrie Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:35 pm
@Kings x, Don’t forget Tuukka… Sure, he’s seen fewer games, but even so his numbers are great. Or depending on how you look at what time off does to a goalie, the numbers are great in spite of that.
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KC23 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:13 pm
@Scot, I’ve watch Boston a lot lately and ironically, one of the teams that played the best against them was the King’s 3-0 loss.
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Scot Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:16 pm
@KC23,
I don’t understand how people are saying the Kings played such a great game against the Bruins. We got dominated!
Sure, we played hard, our coach had just been fired.. But we still didn’t score a single goal! I don’t consider getting shut out to be playing a great game, no matter how you slice it.
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:18 pm
@Scot, We’ve been brainwashed by TM.
CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:15 pm
@Scot, What’s also amazing is that 12 times they’ve scored 5 goals or more, and in those 12 games they’ve scored as many goals, 72, as the Kings have the whole year.
So it took Boston 12 games to score as many goals as the Kings have in 34 games. UNREAL.
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Dominick Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:23 pm
@CB14, Scary to think that a good offense can yeild a good defense too. They definately don’t play to not get scored on. They take it to you, and hope that you try to open the game up and score on them.
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CB14 Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:28 pm
@Dominick, Yep. They get them to play right into their hands.
Someone should really tell Dean lombardi that this year, just like last year, the team who scored the most goals, also allowed the fewest goals. Mabye then he’d get rid of this defense-first mentality.
carrie Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:43 pm
@CB14, Chronologically, it took Boston 22 1/2 games, which only lessens the blow slightly.
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Not exactly news but if the kings pp was just avgerage we eould be a top 4 team.
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