It was tense inside Staples Center last night after Devante Smith-Pelly scored to bring the Anaheim Ducks within 3-2 with just under six minutes remaining in the second period. More than 18,000 people sat and watch intently, and a handful of them were on the Kings’ bench. In the final six minutes of that period, the Kings’ first line of Justin Williams, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown didn’t have a single shift. The fourth line of Kyle Clifford, Colin Fraser and Jordan Nolan had one shift, as Darryl Sutter rolled the lines centered by Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll. It wasn’t an accident.
SUTTER: “We played the guys that were mentally tough, because they all weren’t. They’re still learning that. There were guys that didn’t play during stretches there, pretty significant players that didn’t get to play much at certain points of the game last night. You try to get a read, as a coach, who is that and who isn’t.’’
Sutter went back to a more normal rotation in the third period, and wasn’t shy about rolling four lines. The Fraser-centered fourth line had four shifts. Sutter said his willingness to roll four lines late in tight games is based partly on game situations and partly on his philosophy.
SUTTER: “It’s probably a combination of both. They get tagged as fourth lines, but a lot of times it’s about how guys above them are playing, and what the score is in the game and if they’re momentum-changer type of guys or if there’s a matchup, individually, maybe. Our fourth line has a centerman who has won championships, at this level and at the World Junior level, and he’s probably significantly ahead, in terms of the way he thinks the game and the way he recognizes what’s going on in the game, than some of our players who get significant attention. So it doesn’t really bother me to play him in those situations.’’
pretty gutsy style
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mikie Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
@vinny, sutter holds EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE…AND IF ITS YOUR #1 LINE..I SAY GOOD FOR HIM..
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vinny Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
@mikie, ya sure, just sayin six minutes is a pretty long time, and to be honest i dont really remember seein em do too badly out there, but maybe thats just cuz the expectation has faded a little..either way its a fair message bein sent
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HockeyOnlyAwaitingModeration Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
@vinny, Sutter was being very diplomatic, he could have just set Kopi who needs to be so he can see how the game is supposed to be played, but he sat the whole line and gave all a rest. Brown and Williams got the message but I don’t think Kopi will ever understand it.
Jacky boy Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:39 pm
@mikie, Kopitar needs to produce 100 pts per season or we will ship him out for Patrick Kane
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- ViC - Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
@Jacky boy, why do you guys want Patrick Kane so much? He isn’t all that great!
Kenny44 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
@Vic
I don’t get it either, especially when you hear all the complaints about players being prima donnas who play soft and stay on the perimeter. Isn’t that Kane?
Sam Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:36 am
@Jacky boy, No one is trading the guy, who despite an off-night, is still this team’s best all-around player. I love the game Carter brings and he seems to have a ton of jump right now. But Kopitar is still the guy who can go out and shutdown the likes of Zetterberg and Dats.
PRMan Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:31 am
@Jacky boy, Off night? He’s close to an off month at this point.
Sam Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:34 am
@Jacky boy, Yeah off-night. There are two sides to an NHL rink. And he does lead this team in scoring however sporadic his scoring may be.
johnjuan Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:36 am
@Jacky boy, Kane would do nothing special for this team.
Alex Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:37 am
@Jacky boy, Kopi still our #1 guy. Somehow I do not worry about him. Very responsible all around player.
adanac Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:24 am
@vinny, You gotta love him! We will know who the guy’s are that really want to win and not let their egos get in the way. As long as Sutter is our coach, there will be no sacred cows who are not coachable or decide to take the night off.
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That was an interesting report. I didn’t even notice that, but then again, my main concern was that the Kings were returning to last year’s bad habit of giving up a goal within 2-3 minutes of scoring one.
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
@DesertKing,
I thought the exact same thing. Even though its not nearly as common this year.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 6:40 am
@DesertKing, This one was directly on Quick. Nobody on the ice had anything negatively to do with that goal being scored.
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Sam Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:38 am
@mrbrett7, Exactly. Quick has to stop that one; its to the outside lower than the dot or right at it. It was one of maybe a handful, at most, of bad goals Quicker has given up this year.
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What I love about Sutter is that accountability is across the entire roster. Murray had a chosen few who were blameless no matter the situation and others who were constantly in the doghouse.
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dMan Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
@xeropoint, I’ve been saying all year that the players have been struggling mentally due to a variety of reasons.
Not so much a question of accountability. The big difference between Sutter and Murray is that Sutter has more options than Murray had in terms of “benching.”
Next year will be breakout years for Kopi, Brown and Doughty. This year has been one of maturity and growth for these young guys. It’s all good.
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adanac Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:34 am
@dMan, Bull crap! The millions these top guns get paid are not allowed to coast a second while on the ice. The reason we get scored on so fast after we put one in the net is, we are too busy busy at times in self-admiration.
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Alex Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:39 am
@dMan, Amen!!!!
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Looks like Sutter agrees with Marcel Dionne’s take on Kopi.
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luckyluc13 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
@Osaka, I missed it.What was Dionne’s take on Kopi
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Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:22 pm
@luckyluc13, Dionne Basically called Kopi out and said he needed to give more, the Kings need more from him….. Check out the website Mayors Manor for the interview, very interesting.
I never would have thought being compared to Sundin would have been a bad thing until you read how Dionne explains it.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
@Osaka, I find what Marcel said to be very critical but something that needs to be said. When we were going through the trade deadline and all the rumors about Nash coming to the Kings, I had brought up trading Kopi in a package for both Carter AND Nash and brought up most of the same thoughts about Kopi that Marcel did. Most people boo hooed my suggestion then, so it is nice to hear from a trusted source the same objections about Kopi that I was trying to bring up. The Sundin quote was very interesting, never would of thought about that. However Malkin is what I was trying to compare what I was hoping Kopitar would get to, the level that Malkin is at. I do believe that Kopi can attain that level with his talent and skill. He just needs to decide if he wants to be top dog or like Sundin just another top 6 player making lots of money.
Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
@Jeff_R,
I remember you saying that and I was (and still am) against trading Kopi, but I did say it was interesting and when others said you were crazy I tried to say that proposal was not crazy at all. It made sense but I wouldn’t do it.
I don’t get what happened to Kopi. He started the season with 23 points in the first 20 games! He looked dominate. I think maybe it is his ankle giving him some problems but he fades every season. He can dominate a game but it doesn’t happen as often as needed.
MM Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:30 am
@Osaka, Great… another site to prevent me from doing any work =).
PRMan Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:37 am
@Osaka, Some commenters said that it’s easy for Dionne to say “Go to the tough areas” when he’s 5’8″ and they are 6’2″. But anyone who thinks Marcel never went to the tough areas didn’t watch him. He was a tough little bugger.
Forum67 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:00 pm
@Osaka,
I don’t think it was Kopi or Brown that got the line benched. In think it was Williams.
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Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
@Forum67, I think he was sending a message to the line, otherwise wouldn’t he just sit Williams for a shift or two? It is Sutter, hard to tell, you could be right.
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Dtalker Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
@Osaka,
Williams is usually a liability on the defensive end as he is not very physical. However, I do think he is playing much better hockey than last year. The way he stood up for Doughty recently showed me that he can play tough and aggressive when needed. I would like to see Williams and Kopi take the body more as well. It’s time for playoff style hockey.
Oh by the way on the Tom thing, I noticed that his son Colin was at the Kings and Ducks game on 12/22/11, there was even a picture on line that day, on LA Kings, and now Tom last night so I do believe they are Ducks fans and not Kings fans, if so then why do they just go to the Ducks and Kings games? Maybe I am wrong but only my opinion. I know he went down to talk to the big wigs and all.
Well good luck Kings in your push to getting in the playoffs, Go Kings Go!
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Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
@Gail Weber, Tom used to go to games at the Forum all the time, he’s a Kings fan.
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neil Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
T@Gail Weber, tom and rita had season tickets and r real kings fans…..for a long time!
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safaribear1218 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
@Gail Weber, also with Tom being an actor and busy with movies and what not, he may pre schedule the kings/ducks games and picks those because it’s guaranteed to be a great game!!
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Wow. Pretty telling when your coach says that 2/3rds of your leadership group are not ‘Mentally tough’. Kind of a problem.
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McDonalds Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 4:35 am
@cynic,
geez no kidding
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Every day I’m glad the Brule trade didn’t go through and the Fraser trade did.
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DesertKing Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:30 pm
@California Royalty,
It would bave been a sweet deal if we could have gotten Brule’s partner, Creme, in the feal also.
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DesertKing Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
@DesertKing,
Deal not feal
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SpreignedAnkle Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@DesertKing, haha, this is so silly and dumb, but it still made me laugh.
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Wouldn’t you know it… 3 point game in Calgary tonight.
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 1:51 am
@xeropoint,
thought the same thing when i saw the highlight on sportcenter tonight at work.. :\
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Of course, Dallas and Calgary in OT…
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kings can’t worry about the other teams, just have to focus on themselves and they’ll make it. It’s not about other teams losing, its about the kings winning
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puckbob Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
@kopitaristheman, xactly. Kings can’t count on other teams mistakes, they must win. GKG
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Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
@kopitaristheman, Not true. Since the Kings are behind Dallas, theoretically we can win every game and miss the playoffs.
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gcheng Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
@Osaka,
not true. we have head to head with San Jose and Dallas. Plus Dallas and San Jose play each other. So if we win ours games, we will be in. On their head to head games only one team can gain 2 points and the other at most is 1 point if OT and 0 if lost in regulation
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bmova Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
@gcheng, We actually don’t have anymore games Dallas; or Phoenix for that matter. We do play SJ 3 more times though, 2 at home.
Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
@gcheng, Oh I agree we control our own destiny. It is like Sutter said though, anyone who says they aren’t scoreboard watching isn’t telling the truth.
Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
@gcheng, OK, we can win every game and not pass Dallas. Since we have 3 games left with SJ if we win them all we will pick up six points on them and pass the Sharks.
Jacky boy Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:17 am
@Osaka, Not true. If we win every game we are guaranteed to at least overtake SJ and therefore guaranteed to make playoffs
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Hockey Player Problems
http://youtu.be/IDUOCTB3Ib4
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Osaka Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
@Osaka, Penner is a likable guy off the ice.
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Bonvivant Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
@Osaka, Lest we forget that professional athletes are people to.
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at least it’ll be a SO win for whomever, but still..
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:44 pm
@#3 netminder, Well Dallas got the SO win, but it doesn’t count in a tiebreaking situation so that is a good thing. Of course now Dallas and Phoenix are tied but Phoenix grabs the 3rd slot still as they have played 1 less game. The bad part is Dallas has 4 ROW games on us while Phoenix and SJ have 2 and 1. We r in much better shape in a tie breaking situation with SJ and Phoenix then we are with Dallas at this time.
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jacky boy Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:32 am
@Jeff_R, I love ur optimisim u r a great fan
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:20 am
@jacky boy, Better to be optimistic then negative and depressed. Until they say it is no longer mathematically able for the Kings to make the playoffs, then I will be optimistic.
#3 netminder Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:09 am
@Jeff_R,
how big was that OT loss we suffered in Dallas, where they scored in the closing sec’s and go on to win in OT? The face off was outside the blue line, they win, chipping it forward and everyone crashed the net and score. Then Ott I think wins it in OT HUGE points now…
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:19 am
@#3 netminder, Yea that hurt a lot, but stuff like that is going to happen even to the best teams. Hopefully in the end it won’t hurt us in the end.
A little off-topic:
Linden Vey was named rookie of the month in the AHL. He’s looking pretty promising.
Next year, Toffoli will be down there. Probably with him.
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vinny Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
@Save, Hrudey!, or maybe he can make 3rd line up here….
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
@vinny, Yea I am really Gung ho on a Lokti-Toffoli-Kitsyn line if it were to work out. I think that would be an awesome 3rd line, kid line. Time will tell.
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vinny Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
@Jeff_R, ya, im still curious about kitsyn after you brought up the whole playing out his contract thing, but something like that would be awesome to see..should be an interesting training camp
vinny Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
@Jeff_R, i cant seem to find kitsyn btw..he’s not on metallurg’s active roster right now..wonder where he is
Jeff_R Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 9:31 pm
@vinny, I believe there season ended, as they didn’t make the playoffs. Not sure where he is now. Which is why I brought him up, as I thought maybe he could come over here now.
Token Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 9:32 pm
@vinny, Kitsyn stank it up this season in the KHL and Meralurg sent him down to the farm team mid-season.
Keep in mind KHL is tough on young players. They get no ice time due to seniority stuff.
Alex Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:51 am
@Save, Hrudey!, Actually would love to see Toffoli with the Kings next year. Not everybody needs to go to Manchester. Toffoli is way to talented to be in Manchester. His stats are encredible and he did had a very good training camp last year.
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pretty high praise on CF… he may have the heart but he doesn’t have the strength. He was getting pushed around out there in the 3rd.
I’m in totall agreeance about the Kopi benching… enough is enough.
DB has really dug deep and found it. That was a great goal last night, the kind of finish I don’t aee from him often enough. Keep up the good work and continue working on your passing cappy!!
GKG
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Didnt notice that….nor did anyone mention that…..is it true about the last six minutes of the second period?
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Sutter was lucky to get away with playing the 4th line so much. Don’t like this trend in him.
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petemagoop Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
@DLB, exactly,and they got caught on an icing late, were lucky to get away with it imo
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Kings x Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
@petemagoop, The icing at the end of the game where ANA called time out was richards line
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Kenny44 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@DLB,
He relates to the grinders, it’s in his Sutter blood. But I also believe that something isn’t right with Kopitar. We get glimpses, but nothing like the dominating shifts we’ve seen from him before. Seems like that leg injury added 10 years.
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Jacky boy Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 8:10 am
@Kenny44, Mayb he is how he plays and not how he gets paid… A top 2nd line player but not a premier center
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DAL, CHI win -COL leading, 9 to go
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Jacky boy Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 8:11 am
@petemagoop, The worst possible outcome today for the kings
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Well that explains everything. I remember thinking to myself that the end of the 2nd couldn’t come fast enough yesterday.
Now I know why.
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It’s about time! I’ve waited YEARS for a Coach like Sutter who will bench them when they deserve it. PLEASE KEEP IT UP!
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Yesterday every team that the Kings wanted to lose, lost, then today every team they wanted to lose, won, and even though Calgary lost, they still got a point. What a difference a day makes huh?
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MmmmYummy Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
@CB14, I’d like to hope Kings are masters of their own destiny.
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Sutter is going to the whip – about time.
Just as Richards’ line is picking it up, Kopi’s line needs to also get it in gear in order to run the table and not only make the playoffs, but also go in with confidence and inertia.
Sitting Kopi’s line after Devante Smith-Pelly’s goal must be because Sutter doesn’t like what this line is doing going back awhile. It certainly can’t be due to this goal and the first, both of which were scored directly from Brown’s wing. Of course that second goal was simply a Quick softy, but it’s possible that Sutter didn’t like how the Kings allowed the Ducks to skate in with speed.
Without getting too much into the “factions” argument, I’d like to think that Richards-Carter is just what the doctor ordered. Brown has picked up his scoring, along with simplifying his game, but Kopi is not being aggressive in the ozone. The other part that’s not helped either is that Williams has not been himself in the last 3-4 games. I’d like to see Penner alongside Kopi for a couple of games and have Brown move to Stoll’s line.
Good to see that Sutter will hold his players accountable. I’d like to see it happen throughout the roster, all the way to the net.
GkG!
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Kenny44 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
@FdoFmFull, Um, confidence and inertia was the Terry Murray game plan. Under Sutter it’s swagger and momentum.
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FdoFmFull Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:16 am
@Kenny44, I’m good with the terminology!
More importantly, we agree with the concept. Cheers!
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Kenny44 Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Swapping, Penner and Brown makes some sense, the way Stoll and Brown played together, and because Penner needs a playmaker if he’s ever going to produce anything.
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FdoFmFull Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:14 am
@Kenny44, Bingo!
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KindSir Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:48 am
@Kenny44, I wouldn’t do anything with Brown atm considering that he’s on fire right now
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Alex Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:55 am
@Kenny44, 100% Agree
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So am I the only one who thought, by the headline, this was about Tom Hanks?
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DesertKing Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
@Branzilla,
Does he play LW, is he available, does he have a reasonable cap hit are his hands “soft,” and can he score?
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neil Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:44 pm
@DesertKing, Can he score?? Rita!!!!!
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neil Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 8:43 pm
@Branzilla, guilty here…lol.!!!!
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KindSir Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:47 am
@Branzilla, No, you’re not
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Here’s the shift charts for the last game. You can move the players around to match up exact shifts, and who was on the ice for every minute of the game to see where Sutter is talking about.
http://timeonice.com/SC1112.html?GameNumber=20972&submit=Go
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DesertKing Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:39 pm
@Dominick,
So, are you Kompon’s secret source of statistical information?
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Token Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 4:35 am
@Dominick, Funny that when Fraser took 5 4 fighting, Kopi was centering the the 4th line.
Makes a subtle statement right there.
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that brown-kopi-williams line has been horrible lately. great job benching them at the end of period 2 ds!!! that will teach them… huh??? are you kidding me???
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Watching the game on replay and our PK always looks so good.
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Cruiznblue Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
@DesertKing,
I saw this and flipped to FSW thinking the replay was on…only to be dissapointed. :/
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DesertKing Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
@Cruiznblue,
Sorry, should have specified DVR
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Kopi is still getting points…but I agree he is not being the dominant #1 center that he should be. He needs to watch some video reels on Datsyuk.
But the same can go for Doughty. He for the most part has played a solid defensive game…but we have Scuderi and Mitchell to do that…we need more creativity/offensive push from him.
Kopi and DD aren’t earning the $14mil they make combined as far as I’m concerned…
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 12:08 am
@Cruiznblue, Difference between Drew and Kopi is age. Kopi is finishing his 6th season and 3rd from when he signed his big extension. Drew is in the first year of signing the extension. I would expect Kopi to be dominating as of now, whereas I would give Drew a couple of seasons. It also is a different learning curve a defenseman vs an offensive player.
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King Cobra Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:05 am
@Jeff_R, Why are they both going backwards????????????????????????????
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Cruiznblue Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:33 am
@Jeff_R,
I agree…but like King Cobra said below…you’d think they would progress each year…but they seem to be going backwards as far as production. I’d say they both have become better defensively lately though.
I miss DDs rushes up the ice where he built up a ton of speed and took over…he just seems to conservative too often. Maybe that’s the coaches telling him to do so…who knows.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:33 am
@Cruiznblue, I agree with you guys on Kopi but with Drew I think his holdout and lack of training camp hurt him. He is playing much better now though. You also have to look at it usually takes defenseman a few years before they hit there stride, like around 24 or 25. So it might take Drew a couple more years before he becomes the Norris Trophy winner we all expect him to be. Now that Jack is gone though, it might wake Drew up. I do think if we make the playoffs, Drew will then become the force we expect him to be. I hope that happens
.
Don’t agree with benching Brown. Its not like he hasnt been scoring. c’mon Sutter at least put DB out there with another centerman. you wanna bench Kopi go ahead but dont bench DB by association.
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Sebastian Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:52 am
@Kingfish, go back and watch the shift right after Carters second goal (that leads to the Ducks goal). as soon as the ducks get the puck and get it quickly up the ice to Smith-Pelley, EVERY forward on the first line is COASTING back. not a single one moved their feet from the red line back.
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I think Sutter is refering to their defensive side of the game. The problem that Kopi’s line had was they were up against Getzlaf line pretty much all the time. It was a home game so that should have been Sutter’s doing. Kopi’s line seemed to have a problem containing Getzlaf line but did their part well since they didn’t score on us. But Brown and Williams are both minus 2 in that game. That means they weren’t doing their defensive job agaisnt the other lines. Their 2nd goal was on Quick because it was stoppable but Devante Smith-Perry had a whole alot of space coming down on the right side. It’s their responsibility whether it’s against a big line or not.
While I agree with Sutter’s take on Kopi’s line, I disagree with 4th line’s role. They were troublesome. They had a very hard time to getting out of their own zone. They were not reading off each other well. Both Fraser and Clifford aren’t tough enough to stand against the big players, being knocked off their feet especially when Getzlaf line was against them.
As for the 3rd line, I don’t know how I feel about Stoll. He seemed skating well but still shooting wide or over the net. Penner is trying hard but not getting much of help from his line mates. Lewis is who he is … nothing more. Other than recovering the loose puck, he isn’t doing anything productive. They need to find the replacement real soon.
Kopi’s line must be mentally tough. They need to be nasty. The Wild beat the Sharks by pounding on Couture. They need that kind of nastiness if they are to survive the race.
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vinny Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 6:53 am
@goldielocks, good post
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 8:52 am
@goldielocks,
I’m not sure I hang either of those goals on Kopi’s line. The second one was all Quick (as mentioned above by other posters) and the first one was a fluttering shot through traffic. Not really any missed assignments or anything. I suppose you could blame the face off loss on the line, but hardly a defensive breakdown.
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goldielocks Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 10:33 am
@FKA PakiFro,
On that shot through the traffic, A-mart and Brown(?) were on the same guy. That was a miss assignment. The shooter had an open space in front of him without any kinds of pressure on him. That space must have been manageable. The same goes to Devante Smith-Perry. He bacically walked in to the zone without pressure. Again they have to manage the space to prevent free shots or free walk-ins.
[Reply]
FKA PakiFro Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 11:52 am
@goldielocks,
I’m not so sure. A fluttering point shot and a shot from outside the circles doesn’t sound like missed assignments, but I could have missed the blown coverage you’re talking about.
I really don’t care if Sutter puts the Ice Girls out there, I just want to win!!
[Reply]
Blade17 Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:27 am
@King Cobra, What’s their plus/minus?
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Cruiznblue Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:41 am
@Blade17,
VERY good…
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Lake Forest Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 8:18 am
@Blade17, +32B
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Duncanz Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
@Lake Forest, Careful, your wife is looking over your shoulder with a rolling pin!
The next thing you know, Kyle is going to skate out onto the ice and announce “Sutter killed Kenny!”
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The guys on NHL network (Anson Carter & some other dude) both just said they predict the Kings to win the Pacific division this year. Well that’s good!
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pr0cess Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:42 am
@Cruiznblue, they had been drinking
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Stuart Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:50 am
@Cruiznblue, I saw that and was about to post something about it too!!! Kelly Chase was the other pundit. Interesting pick considering how things have unfolded, but after that Ducks game, I’m looking for the boys to hang a loss on NAS tomorrow in their own building!!! Let’s keep the 4 goals/game rolling!
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John Wilmers Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 7:51 am
@Cruiznblue, It was Kelly Chase. Just saw that too, the host was kinda incredulous.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:26 am
@Cruiznblue, It wouldn’t shock me at all if we win the Pacific. If things keep going the way they are, the Kings are in the best position right now to do so. SJ is in a horrible slump that they haven’t gotten out of yet. After the long winning streak by Phoenix they lost there last 2, including a convincing loss to Columbus and who really thinks Dallas will keep it up. Really the Kings are in the best position, as they are playing there best hockey right now.
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With the way we COULD BE PLAYING, we can easily win this division.
If everyone played their game well, we could go far into the play offs!
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DesertKing Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 8:36 am
@Lake Forest,
Exactly!
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remember one thing.
It’s not always the best team that wins, but the team playing the best at the end of the season.
We haven’t played well at all for most of this season, but itr looks like we might be getting on that roll…It’s not inconceivable to think the Kings could be THAT team.
I know, I know eternal optimist, but we’ve had enough lousy luck. This should be our year!
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DesertKing Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 8:56 am
@nykingfan,
I’m with you. That has definitely been the trend the last few seasons and we have always been the team limping into the play-offs the last 2 years after having pretty good regular seasons. This year, and after watching the last few games, I think we have a great chance to go into the play-offs as an improving team. If Carter, MR and Kopi join DB in scoring more goals, and we get a few chip ins from DD and VV, while maintaining our defense and goaltending, we could have a real shot at this. The major goal is to improve the consistency of the PP and add some 5-5 scoring and we will be in great shape. While it looks like SJ and the Yotes are starting to tank a little, Dallas also seems to be surging and starting to peak also. GKG!!!
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Stuart Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:02 am
@DesertKing, imagine if we can put a hurt on SJ those last 2 games of the season and eliminat them from the playoffs??? That would be oh-so sweet!!!
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DesertKing Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:20 am
@Stuart,
Oh yeah! My son will be at the one at Staples with his friends. Saw a SJ fan leaving the the game after we beat the Ducks and he was running his mouth about “standings.” It will be interesting to see where he is at the end of the season. We just cannot do what we did last season when we dropped those last 2 to the Sucks and screwed ourselves going into the play-offs.
Go on YouTube and watch old footage of Kopitar. He was much hungrier a few years ago. I think his injury softened him up a little bit. Who knows? But when I was done watching the old footage, I kept saying “why doesn’t he do that anymore?”
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