Jonathan Bernier was the first goalie off the ice, so he will get the call tonight against Washington. Dustin Penner participated in the full morning skate and is also expected to play. Scratches are expected to be Davis Drewiske, Slava Voynov and Kevin Westgarth. More notes and quotes to come…
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If Voinov is ready, put him in! He is the only one who is not afraid to shoot the puck, especially on PP.
[Reply]
tornado12 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:20 am
@Mike V., VV is our best offensive defenseman…I wonder why he isnt playing if he is in full practices…coach’s decision I guess? hmmmmm…
[Reply]
Lake Forest Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:26 am
@Mike V., Better to not rush things!
[Reply]
tornado12 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:45 am
@Lake Forest, you know something we dont? why you holding out on us?
[Reply]
Lake Forest Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:57 am
@tornado12, Thought he was still hurt, maybe I am a little slow?!?
Hockey & Rocky Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
@Mike V., Maybe they are showcasing Martinez to make a trade?
[Reply]
KingsFan79 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@Hockey & Rocky, my thoughts exactly. Bernier is also playing today, most likely bc we are up against a non-conference team, but I’m almost certain part of it has to do with showcasing his talents too. Convenience and circumstance in Bernier’s case and Martinez is just one of our trading chips sure enough.
[Reply]
stilts19 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
@Mike V., THANK YOU!!! Exactly. VoyToy just pulls the trigger. He doesn’t over pass like DD. He grips and rips. PERIOD.
[Reply]
….wondering if Quick can play LW
[Reply]
FKA PakiFro Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:41 am
@Klong,
or be the net-front presence?
[Reply]
Klong Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:43 am
@FKA PakiFro,
Only as long as it’s legal to play LW while wearing his goalie pads, you know, to make him a bigger net-front presence.
[Reply]
ValleyKingsFan Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:05 am
@Klong, teddy Purcell…ooo wait…
trytodethroneus Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:46 am
@FKA PakiFro,
NO. None of our shots would get by him
[Reply]
Duckbasher Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:56 am
@FKA PakiFro, – That (someone willing to play in front of the net) is EXACTLY what is missing on this team. We’re getting plenty of shots, but not enough into traffic.
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:50 am
@Klong,
He always takes the first shot of pre-game warm-ups from the left circle and hits about 50% of them.
[Reply]
Klong Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:52 am
@DesertKing,
I’m starting to think over my initial statement. Bernier IS the better stick handler so maybe he should play LW. Although whoever is on Brown’s line has their stickhandling ability rendered useless by his ceaseless carrying of the puck and trying to get to the outside.
[Reply]
Stuart Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:29 am
@Klong,
amen to that brotha!
Duckbasher Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:58 am
@Klong, Not to mention the odd man rushes and never passes?
jason Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:03 am
@Klong, did you guys hear jim fox bashing the kings screening and net presence last game? Something as simple and getting a holmstom or someone similar could really help the kings.. guys like brown trying to screen just doesnt work.. i’m kinda surprsied kopitars big body doesnt ever get in front of the goalie
[Reply]
King John Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
@valleykingsfan,
Teddy Purcell wouldn’t work because he would be under the same suffocating system that was his undoing here in the first place.
[Reply]
Maybe Bernier can sparkt he offense…oh wait..they score less for him than they do for Quick.
[Reply]
Jgomez Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:45 am
@FKA PakiFro, As long as they score more goals then the ZERO during regulation of the last two games, i’m ok with it. Seriously though, hoping our Kings come out and play a great game.
GKG!
[Reply]
Kings4life Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:56 am
@Jgomez, Anybody know what it would take to get bobby ryan into a kings uni? Would love a young skilled winger to pair with brown and kopi
[Reply]
Mars Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 3:13 pm
@Kings4life, No ducks, still hoping we dump Penner, water fowl on this team don’t work.
Jeff Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
@Jgomez, The Kings should be able to score some goals tonight. The Caps arent as much of a defensive team like Columbus and Phoenix. I don’t expect a 1-0 game tonight. As for Bernier he seems to struggle some in the early part of games and then settles down. Most likely he struggles as he hasn’t played a whole lot.
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:17 am
@FKA PakiFro, Something tells me Bernier better be ready for a barrage of shots on the net tonight. I hope he can get on a roll early and get some confidence.
[Reply]
Perro Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
@40YearKingsFan, tough game for him. Washington is starting to click and now has green back. The kings will need to score a few to win this one.
[Reply]
Raunq12 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:42 am
@FKA PakiFro, Is that possible? hahahaha
[Reply]
I don’t care who is in the lineup…..Just score some goddamn goals!!!!!
[Reply]
gralx Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:43 am
@Bonvivant, AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
Duckbasher Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
@Bonvivant, Ain’t that the truth. I don’t carer if they bounce off oh their heads into the net, as long as they go in.
[Reply]
Mars Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
@Duckbasher, Tell Penner its one of his wifes burnt pancakes and the only way he will get more it to net it. 1 burnt pancake nettet = 1 fresh pancake. He will score in bunches!
[Reply]
I concur with the Quick comments. They should try playing Quick on the PP. One of our non-scoring forwards (pick one) can fill in at goal while Quick moves forward.
[Reply]
The Caps do a play a more open style of hockey, which means we should be good for a goal… in the shootout.
[Reply]
The Kings must have scored a lot more at the beginning of the season if somehow they STILL are averaging over 2 goals a game.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:24 am
@Klong, They just average out the games they score 4 in by being shutout.
[Reply]
Klong Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:53 am
@Dominick,
Well I understand the concept, but it juts seems lke there has been a hell of a lot more shutouts and one goal games this year than 4+ goal games
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
@Klong, I was kidding with ya. The 2 goals or less is concerning, but that’s what we fired TM for. He had 3 1/2 years to instill his system, and Sutters had a month to improve it with no practice time. Give it a chance to gain mommentum, and it’ll come.
We really need Voynov back in.
can someone please explain to me why JJ (left hand shot) plays the left point on the PP, and DD (a right hand shot) plays the right point on the PP? Logic would tell me that they each would play the opposite side in order to get better passes to each other and set up for a 1 timer. sure, its harder to pull pucks off the boards on your backhand, but when youre on the PP, isnt the #1 priority to move the puck around, shoot 1 timers from the point, crash the net, etc?
by the time they settle the puck down the shooting lane is gone and they have to pass around the perimeter, shoot wide, or get their shot blocked.
[Reply]
bbb7 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:00 am
@Sebastian, Yes, replace JJ with VV and move DD to the left point. And as to the logic of how they set up now, I assume Kompon believes in the old axiom, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” cause he obviously doesn’t think the current scheme is broken and they haven’t got out the screwdriver and pliers to fix the PP in 2 years.
Move the puck and your feet, from own goal line to other goal line and everything will be fine. Stop slowing down the counters!
[Reply]
USHA#17 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:13 am
@bbb7,
The key will be to watch the Kings bench when Washington is penalized…if the power play squad starts vomiting then consider it a bad sign.
The entire season rests upon fixing the power play…screw trades.
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:22 am
@USHA#17, Agreed. And however much money we’re paying Kompon, Iv’e got an idea that will save us that much.
goldielocks Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:33 am
@Sebastian,
That’s actually an interesting idea. I don’t know why they place the right handed player on the right side and left hander, too. Maybe they are looking for angle shots for the rebound? But Ovechikin and Kovalchuk both right handed play left point on the PP. Then again Stoll (right hander)is used on the left point for the one-timer but I don’t think his one-timer is good enough.
And you’re also right about settling the puck. They do that alot, don’t they. They rarely make one touch passes on the PP. In the last game on the PP, there was a moment that they connected 3 one touch passes and actually got the wide open net but unfortunately they missed the opportunity. Quick puck movement is the key to successful PP.
Seriously, Kopi has never been effective with sticking around the board. And how many Stoll’s one timer went in the last season? I remember only 1 out of countless one-timer attempted. They are using wrong players at the wrong place on the PP. And who’s fault is that? It would be interesting if Kopi is used on the right point, IMO.
I said this before why Brownie can be effective as LW. That is because right handed LW can cut to the middle and shoot the puck from the primary scoring area. But that requires pretty damn good 1-on-1 skill to cut in to the open space. And I think Brownie got a pretty 1-on-1 skill.
Changing the line combination is the one thing but they should look into the player position-wise especially on the PP.
[Reply]
Duckbasher Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
@Sebastian, Good observations. Can you tweet these to Sutter? Seriously, it makes perfect sense. The Kings get very few shots on the PP from the points that aren’t blocked or from a bad angle. C’mon Darryl… listen to Sebastian. And absolutely put VV on the PP. And quit using Stoll as a one-timer guy. He can’t even come close to hitting the net anymore. Actually, Martinez and Mitchell both have better shot accuracy than Stoll or Johnson.
[Reply]
Bernier might be in net because there will be scouts at the game from other teams. He has been rumored last week to tampa.
[Reply]
friarking Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:56 am
@Downsy89, They better send over something nice if that’s the case
[Reply]
Alex Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:08 am
@friarking, Looking at Tampa’s team…they do not have anything nice unless they will part ways with Stamkos (will never happen)St Louis is too old and the only guy maybe..Lecavalier but he has a crazy contract.
[Reply]
jason Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:00 am
@Downsy89, i have a feeling scouts shouldnt watch this game tonight.. the way kings are playing and capitals have come together recently, this could be a very depressing game
[Reply]
Sebastian Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:01 am
@Downsy89, it is absolutely absurd to speculate that a goalie (or any other player) will play in order to be showcased for any reason. there are scouts at every game. this one is no different, quick has had 1 day of rest, so hes giving bernier a chance agaist a non conference, non division rival…that is simply all there is to it.
[Reply]
Michael_DD8 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:06 am
@Sebastian,
Right? And if your scouting, its almost better to watch at home..
[Reply]
DanD Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:06 am
@Sebastian, couldn’t of said it better myself.
[Reply]
bbb7 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:04 am
@Downsy89, At this point I dont think we need a star like Iginla in return, we need two 2nd/3rd line guys who can skate and have SOME offensive skills to put some threat into our middle lines. Oh, and who can hit the broad side of a barn.
[Reply]
Gustavo Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:12 am
@bbb7,
I disagree.
I want Iginla to not only shoot accurately, score often and play his physical brand of hockey. I also want his locker room presence and leadership. I’ll even take Iggy over Parise for those reasons.
[Reply]
Klong Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:56 am
@bbb7,
I disagree. I think that what they lack is guys who can finish and put the damn puck in the net. If you make a move for a guy like Iginla, the Williams, Browns, and Lewis’ subsequently all get slotted on the next line down. Therefore you are fulfilling your need of 2nd and 3rd line wingers by trading for one elite scorer. This roster is already too full with 2nd and 3rd line type players.
[Reply]
Duckbasher Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
@Klong, I agree. Jerome Iginla is a class act who isn’t afraid to play in the slot, the corners or drop the gloves when the time calls for it. I’d probably take Nash over Iginla but I’d dig having him on our team even if just for the remainder of this season. We have $14m to sign Parise or whomever come this off-season. Which will make this off-season a busy and exciting one for Lombardi. However… I want to make a run NOW. And Iginla is the perfect man to help us make it happen.
we lose…
i was checking out stats and theres about 4 guys to blame for our issues.. everyone else is on pace or close to their normal goal amount
williams, stoll, penner..
Those 3 are the ones who are costing us.. the rest are producing relatively close and it hurts to say but building this team with kopi as our star is kind of sad. i would expect a little more from him…
if those 3 were on pace for their normal production it would = about 25 more goals to this point which would be huge and won us a lot of games..
[Reply]
Duckbasher Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
@jason, Good observation.
[Reply]
Dave's a Killer Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
@jason,
Kopitar – 11 goals BUT… with 3 in the first 2 games leaves him with 8 in 39 games. Elite? He has also gone 30 games without scoring aa goal in consecutive games. I’ve heard of slumps but this is much more than a slump
[Reply]
If there’s one thing that’s become readily apparent to me so far during Sutter’s tenure, it’s that (a) the Kings don’t stay down for long and (b) they play up or down to the level of their opponent (VAN and CHI (up); CLB (down) games). Hopefully they perceive WASH to still be an elite team and they step it up a couple of notches. WASH has been a very subpar team on the road so far (7-11-1), so I’m expecting the Kings to get back on track tonight.
[Reply]
C’mon Bernie!!!! You need to shine tonight.
[Reply]
Semi-Startergate? Quick has allowed 3 regulation goals in his last 5 starts. If the damned team could score more than 1 or 2 goals for him in that span, he’d be riding a 6 game winning streak.
I do like the idea of getting Bernier starts, especially against a non-conference team. He’s only had 7 starts so far this year.
[Reply]
Stagger Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:35 am
@vplaza,
Quick needs to rest. He’s playing too much.
[Reply]
This is my first time not liking this move by sutter. Kings need goals and voynov needs back in. Also quick should have sat against the cbj if he was going to get a rest. If your starting goalie is going to play over 65 a year then play bernier only in back to backs and low scoring teams.
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:08 am
@winger23, Even with Voynov in th elineup we still didnt know how to score..If he was he should have 20 goals by now but he doesnt..
why everyone thinkj Martinez the weakest link when Voynov hasnt even done much better when he had the chance.
Am sorry but one person doesnt make this team.The Kings are not scoring goals because they dont have any confidence…plain and simple
[Reply]
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
@KingsFanFTW,
I never said 1 player was going to solve the problems. It is of my opinion Voynov is better than Martinez as far as offense goes, thus should be dressed.
You said it yourself. “Voynov hasnt even done much better”, which implies he has done better, even by a little, and they need to be icing the best team possible.
I like Sutter, and as a fan on a message board I’m simply saying I disagree with his choices for this game. I’m not calling for his head or anything. He’s not going to be perfect, and hopefully he comes out of this looking like a genous with Bernier getting a shutout and Martinez scoring the lone goal of the game.
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
@winger23, yea am sorry didnt really understand, but i like Martinez tho and sucks to see him in the press box…
fsd1 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:14 am
@winger23, How do you know whether SV is still on the mend or not? And as far as goalies, read above, non conference game, good time as any to get jb a start
[Reply]
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:23 am
@fsd1, Voynov has been participating fully in practice, without the no contact jersey. I’m pretty sure he’s good to go. Martinez hasn’t been all that impressive since being put back in.
non conference or not, Columbus is the worst team in the league. Hindsight is always 20/20, however Washington’s offense is scary good, and Bernier is able to make the normal saves, just not the unexpected saves like quick. IMO that’s what is needed in order to get the win.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:44 am
@winger23, Do you ever look at stats? Martinez has led the Kings defense in Corsi, and fenwick since he’s been in.
jkking Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:15 am
@winger23, bernie needs a challenge. i think cbj game we missed penner… we needed a dirty goal.
[Reply]
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:20 am
@jkking, glad you think he needs a challege. I like Bernier, but no way does he not let in at least 2, and with this current kings sqaud there’s no chance at a W if Washington scores 2.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:38 am
@winger23, Kind of silly to think VV has been out with an injury for a week or so, and now on game day, you claim he’s healed with no proof, and criticize the coach for personally keeping him out.
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
@Dominick,
Proof? Before the Phoenix game Sutter said Voynov needed a full “practice” before playing in a game. There have been at least 3 now that I know of, including this morning’s skate and Voynov has gone through all 3. Kind of silly to think he’s not ready when he’s fully participating in practices.
As far as Martinez, 2 goals, 0 assist ALL YEAR. Thats all the stats I need to know. I’m sorry regardless of what the other stats are, Voynov is a better option than Martinez is, and im not trying to dog on Martinez.
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
@winger23, Do you play a lot of fantasy hockey?
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
@Dominick
No I don’t play fantasy hockey. If you are suggesting that I’m suggesting using Voynov over Martinez cause of season stats that is not correct. If it comes down to trading one of these guys, who would you rather keep?
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
@winger23, That’s not even an issue. Voynov for whatever reason is nursing an injury, and Martinez is in the line up to cover his position till he’s ready to come back. Now you are talking trade before VV is even back. Listen to yourself and think about how it looks from my perspective.
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
@Dominic,
Slow down here. Now you are saying Martinez is only covering for Voynov cause Voynov is hurt. “Slava Voynov is once again a full participant in practice” – Hammond here on this site yesterday. Where exactly does it say he’s still nursing an injury?
Sutter is choosing to dress Martinez over Voynov. It has nothing to do with the injury at this point. I am saying I disagree with this move. Nothing more, nothing less.
You keep trying to claim voynov is still hurt, Martinez has the best “stats” Now Martinez is only playing while Voynov is still hurt. How do you think your posts look from my perspective?
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
@winger23,
No I claimed since Martinez has played he has been the Kings best defenseman at possession, and been on the ice for more shots generated (which is what I was hinting at by asking you to look at stats).
Just because VV is back to practicing does not (if I could underline that word, I would) mean that Voynov is ready, and just because Sutter gave an estimate when Voynov first got hurt does not (there’s that word again) mean that he is fully ready to come back now.
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
@Dominick, What? I’m not going based on Sutter’s estimate. He is partaking in FULL practice drills. You do not do that unless you are healthy enough to be dressed for the games.
But hey I’m over it. You are entitled to your opinion of him being hurt, quite frankly if he’s healthy enough to do full contact practices he’s good enough to play.
Perro Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
@winger23, Had he sat Quick everyone on here would have crucified DS as Quick posted a SO the game before.
[Reply]
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
@Perro, True, but 1 shutout is way different than 3…..
[Reply]
I’m sure I’m late in bringing this up but yesterday the Ducks hung 7 on Columbus after Columbus shut us out on Saturday. Strange league, huh?
[Reply]
Sebastian Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:23 am
@40YearKingsFan, anything can happen on any given night/day. the real story for the ducks yesterday was losing Hiller, after also losing Ellis to a groin injury the day earlier in practice.
[Reply]
Question: What do the PP and PK have in common?
Answer: They’re both a 2 minute chunk of time where the Kings are not expected to score.
[Reply]
Sebastian Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:25 am
@Kaiser Soze, haha, exactly…i was at the game saturday and every time they would draw a penalty and people would get excited and cheer, i just thought to myself…well, at least for the next 2 minutes, columbus isnt going to score.
[Reply]
Kaiser Soze Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:28 am
@Sebastian, I’ll repeat what someone said a month or so ago – too bad we can’t decline the penalty, like in football!
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:28 am
@Kaiser Soze, That’s a 60 minute process lately.
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
@Kaiser Soze,
Very nice!!!
[Reply]
Jeff Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
@DesertKing, The person I feel so sorry for is David Courtney. He gets all excited when we get a PP and we all know how it is going to end up. I would love to hear him say F*** a G_d Dang PP again. Ok I am dreaming….anyway lets score.
[Reply]
What Are Bernier’s stats against the Caps?
[Reply]
Lake Forest Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:29 am
@The Puck Stops Here, Not sure, but they always have that commercial where ovechkin scores on bernier on the NHL Network.
Hoping for the best!
[Reply]
Stuart Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:32 am
@Lake Forest, I hate that clip!
[Reply]
The Batman Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:30 am
@The Puck Stops Here, He played them last year llet in the first shot. By ovechkin short Side (you see this on the NHL center ice commercials) then played pretty well from then on and won
[Reply]
Michael J. Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:43 am
@The Puck Stops Here,
Kings won last year… 3-1 if I remember right…
[Reply]
Hey Rich,
Any chance you can get Dean Lombardi to come in and man up and answer dedicated fan’s questions on teh state of the team as we are at the halfway point of year 5 of a disappointing season?
[Reply]
Harry Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:55 am
@carol vadnais,
How is it a disappointing season? we are still in the playoff picture. Plus, we have one of the best defensive teams, and top 5 PK.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
@Harry, That is just Carols’ way of motivating. Trust me, that is mild compared to past years. Kind of a glass 1/2 empty type. Aye Carol
[Reply]
yetiman_oc Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
@Harry, are you serious? barely hanging onto a playoff spot is not what any kings fan wants or expects from this team. not to mention that they can’t score and play such a boring style of hockey that it’s not even entertaining to watch win or lose.
[Reply]
Jeff Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
@carol vadnais, Don’t we basically have the same point total after 42 games this season as last season? That team had they not lost Kopitar and Willie would of gotten 100 pts and 4th place.
[Reply]
carol vadnais Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
@Jeff, I believe this team, and you can ask Dean L. was poised to battle Vancouver and Detroit for conference supremacy, not try to find a way to sneak into the 8th spot.
so yes, disapppointing in Dean’s fifth year.
[Reply]
Why the hell is SLAVA not playing that I just dont understand if he is healthy he is the only one who hits the net on a regular basis proably help the #1 PP unit….
[Reply]
Today is Monday. As a result, there’s a good chance that the Kings won’t score any goals tonight. They seems to have an especially difficult time scoring goals on a day that ends with a “y”.
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
@Jeff,
Never a better argument to name at least one day of the week “Pizza.”
[Reply]
Is Backstrom still having issues with head trauma?
[Reply]
There’s some talk about Evander Kane not fitting in well with the Winnipeg coach. Maybe LA should trade JJ straight up for Kane. Then LA can look to trade Bernier and Penner to a team like OTT that needs a goalie for Jason Spezza. The new lines would look like:
Kane-Kopitar-Spezza
Gagne-Richards-Brown
Williams-Stoll-Loktionov
Clifford-Richardson-Lewis
Doughty-Mitchell
Scuderi-Voynov
Martinez-Greene
Quick
Zatkoff (2.16GAA .933S% in Manchester)
Line 1 sounds like a formidable force. Then LA has 3 solid balanced lines.
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KingsGuy Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
@Scott, Umm, looks good if DL could get it done – But I think Gags is out for the season… Maybe forever.
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Klong Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
@Scott,
Spezza is not the type of player that Dean Lombardi likes to target. He isn’t a hard nosed player, nor a defensive minded guy. Besides, he’s a natural center. I like the idea of making moves as well, but following Lombardi’s pattern one would logically conclude a huge move (let lone two or three) is not imminent and probably not even likely.
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Scott Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
@Klong, Then forget Spezza and go Bernier and Penner to ANA for Ryan (also sounds like he could get traded) to CAL for Glencorss or Ignila or best yet to CHI for Sharp or Kane. OTT, CHI, ANA, CAL and CBJ are among the worst in GA. LA has 4 quality goalies and should trade one or two of them for a proven scorer. If LA could get both E Kane and P Sharp for a combination of JJ, Bernier & Penner (+ the possibility of cash – which I figure Winnipeg would need) then LA can have a could more guy who can hopefully find the back of the net.
I personal think one of LA’s problems is not having anyone able to play with Kopitar. Brown doesn’t pass to him and far too often I see Kopitar not involved in the play in the O-Zone because they won’t pass to him and instead lose the puck from stick handling through traffic.
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Meister König Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
@Scott, kane is one of the best up and coming players in the league I dont even think hes 21 yet no way we could get him straight up for JJ
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Michael_DD8 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
@Meister König,
JJ has lots of upside too..
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Perro Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
@Meister König, I’m a huge bernier fan, and am a fan of JJ as well. But if they were able to pry Kane for those two I would call it a win.
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crashin'da net Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
@Scott, gagne’s done.
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Jeff Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
@crashin’da net, First off DL isn’t the type of GM to make big trades during a season, more likely two or three small trades. If you look at the Kings now they don’t need a lot, just a couple minor guys (wingers) who can pot a few goals and hopefully get the top guys going again.
I doubt Spezza will be a King. There has been talk about DL going after him for 3 years now and nothing. We don’t need anymore Centers, unless you can get one like Eric Staal, or Stamkos. Richards and Kopi are fine as our centers and only if they can get someone like Staal or Stamkos, Richards can move to Wing. Otherwise concentrate on Wingers.
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JeffR Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
@Jeff, By the way I am changing my name to JeffR, since there is more then one Jeff and Jeff is like the most popular name in the world.
Klong Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
@Jeff,
Jeff? Please not even close!
Signed,
John
@Kings4life, I’m guessing Anaheim would need to move to Quebec or Hamilton before players even got into the equation.
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loskingpride Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
@Puckn-A, They’d have to be called the Bangkok Ducks before I’m okay with any trade involving them and the Kings.
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I wish someone would interview these coaches guys and specifically ask to share some of the things they talk about, because not much on the ice makes sense offensively. there is some very bad strategies and tactics being played out.
Is that the players going by the seat of their pants or following someone’s misguided plans?
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just throwing this out there~ could our scoring be down this year because of how bad our ice is? I realize that it should even out when they play on good ice but does it throw their game off going from what some might say is the worst ice in the league too normal ice rinks. idk just wondering… also, why isn’t anyone held accountable for the ‘bad’ ice? is there anything that can be done? sorry if this is dumb, trying to throw out something new…
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utahking Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@utahking, any thoughts?
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King Alex Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@utahking, Ice sucks in any arena that is not used exclusively for hockey so this is not an excuse. If anything, we should be better on our crappy ice that any visiting team as we have to play every home game on it.
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utahking Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
@King Alex, your probably right but it can’t help…
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loskingpride Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
@King Alex, Not entirely true. I believe Sutter said it a few days ago how the Kings don’t get to practice on the ice at Staples and he believes it to somewhat be a disadvantage. So the Kings skate on the ice at Staples 41 times during the whole season while other teams that have an NHL exclusive ice or get to use their ice for practices become better acquainted with it. Just my opinion though.
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King Alex Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@loskingpride, We do practice in El Segundo but we still do play all out home games on Staples Ice. Hell, I don’t get to skate on it but I know the ice in the corners and behind the nets suck so I would think the Kings players would know this too. I just don’t like to seach for excuses why we cant score. This excuse was original though!!!
winger23 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
@utahking,
The Kings have gone almost 160 minutes of regulation time without a goal. I don’t think it’s the ice……
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Niko Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
@winger23, Wow, didn’t realize it was THAT bad. That’s unbelievable
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I think some of the trade senarios proposed are just laughable. This is not HHL 12. There are other GM’s and teams involved and they will not give us their prized posessions for our castoffs. There is also a hard cap in place that we are almost at to consider. Besides, I would be shocked if DL traded any of our “core players”. Trading for Penner & Richards did not cost us a “core player”. We need to take a good look at our supporting cast of players as that is where we need some help. We need wingers who will go to the net & slot and most importantly wingers who can play their natural position be it the left or right wing.
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Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
@King Alex,
I try the same common sense approach, but it’s like sharks smelling blood. Once 1 takes a bite, a feeding frenzy ensues, and all you can do is watch while they pick each player on the team apart peice by peice.
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King Alex Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
@Dominick, You mean we can’t get Parise for Penner & Stoll? We cant get Stamkos for Martinez & Williams? We can’t get Ryan for Bernier & Lotki?
How about Ovechkin for Voynov, Richardson & Lewis????
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Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
@King Alex,
We might be able to get Malkin for Stoll, and some draft picks, because all roads lead to LA, and we really need secondary scoring from our 3rd line. That Pittsburgh GM must see the wisdom in this by now, and he has no choice but to do it so he doesn’t look stupid. It is inevitable.
Gustavo Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
@King Alex,
In other words, you want Simmonds and Handzuz back, uh?…Well, who doesn’t.
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King Alex Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
@Gustavo, We need players like them, not necessarily them. I would have traded Simmonds & Schenn every day of the week & twice on Sunday for Mike Richards. Handzus’s 3 goals and 13 assists are not going to bring a cup to SJ anytime soon. It’s players with that attitude is what this team needs. DL has taken shortcuts on the wings and it biting him, the team & every Kings fan on the ass right now. We have too many guys who can play any forward position but not play any one well enough to lock it down as their own and we are always going after the plan B winger on the downside of their career ala Gagne this year. We have the core, what we need are support players who know their role & play it well.
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Lets go Bernie shut it down!!!
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tornado12 Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
@kings king, its probably what we will need for the win!
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Last time, Ovechkin ripped one past Bernier with his signature move entering the zone on the left. I bet tonight, that Bernier handles that move better than last time.
Go Kings!
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I disagree with all these opinions of trades. The roster is fine.. The organization needs to understand how to go through tough times and become champions. One huge suggestion would be to spend a few practice sessions watching the 1980′s Los Angeles Lakers on video. I have never seen a team in any sport unite like that team did. BTW Go Clippers.
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Dominick Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
@DoscactiKid, Although I fully agree with you, Burn in flames Clippers! Go Lakers! lol
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We win 2-0, Ugly Goal by Brown and an open net goal by Bernier.
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