The shootout might look like a happy-go-lucky skills competition, but imagine the pressure that must have been on the Kings’ shooters before every attempt last night. With the goalies locked in a save-for-save shutout battle, every attempt meant the difference between two points and one point in the standings, and at this point the Kings can’t afford to leave any points on the table. The Kings came through, and two players got some sweet redemption. Jonathan Quick, who had allowed four goals in each of his previous two starts, and had been struggling by the admission of his coach, was brilliant throughout the game and unbeatable in the shootout. Mike Richards, coming off arguably his worst game of the season, two nights earlier in Detroit, broke the shootout deadlock with a goal in the sixth round.
The Kings dominated most of the first period, but the Blackhawks controlled much of the final 40 minutes of regulation, so the Kings had to feel a bit fortunate to get on the plane and head home with the two points. A regulation loss would have been disastrous, and a shootout loss would have brought only a single, hollow point. What was the key aspect of the Kings’ 3-2 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks? I present three options at the link below, and you can vote for your choice…
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For those who enjoy the traditional game recap, it can be found by clicking here.
Great win. Hope they can keep it up and get some revenge against Detroit coming up.
[Reply]
Donald_S Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:16 am
@Jgomez,
It’s do or die right now. They have 6 games in So. Cal. Figure they’ll need to go 4-1-1 in those games to get into playoffs. 5 teams fighting for 2 slots.
[Reply]
Jgomez Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:28 am
@Donald_S, It is very scary to see that there are only 13 games left. I think they would need to go at least 8-5 to be close to 8th place. I wish we had some cushion but what can you do? Hoping for the best and i’ll for sure be cheering my little heart out!
[Reply]
Jgomez Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:40 am
@Jgomez, To go a little further, game by game, I’d say we would need:
1. A 4-1 or 4-0-1 record against Anh, Cgy, Edm, Min, Edm.
2. Get at least 4 wins against Det, Nsh, SJ, Stl, Bos, Van, SJ, SJ
The following is the record against all these teams:
Anh: 4-1-0
Bos: 0-1-0
Cgy: 1-1-1
Det: 0-3-0
Edm: 0-1-1
Min: 2-1-0
Nsh: 2-1-1
SJ: 1-1-1
Stl: 2-1-1
Van: 2-1-1
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
@Jgomez, You know what? I think they’re better than the Kopi-less team that squeaked in last season, and after they do squeak in (I’m hoping the put on a show, actually) they’ll be toughened for the playoffs, and the best team we’ve seen in years. They seem to be teetering, now on the line between “not quite right” and the team we might have expected in August.
i just wanted to comment on the clifford/bollig fight… when they both went down to the ice, clifford was on top of bollig and could have easily sucker punched him (which he did not… he upheld the honor code), but what i thought was even that much more classy, was that when they were going down, clifford actually cradled bollig’s head to prevent him from cracking the back of his head on the ice (at least that’s what it looked like to me)… say what you want about fighting or the “perceived” lack of respect that players may (or may not) have towards one another these days, but it’s examples like this that demonstrate to me that hockey players are the classiest professional athletes around (take notes NFL… more particularly, NO saints and the “pay to injure” mentality).
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:47 am
@ddc, Great post! I saw the same things and thought much the same as you. Bollig is trying to earn a living and making a name for himself on his new team and Clifford obliged and gave him the fight he was looking for. Both guys just doing their job, sticking up for their teammates with respect for the code. Birds of a feather,,,, and I have no problem with that.
[Reply]
Shakes Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:49 am
@ddc,
I agree with you and it really comes back to respect. Each players understands what their role in a fight means in the context of the bigger game (either gets aggression out, fires up your bench, sends message about other players being chippy, etc).
And with the theme of respect it’s all the more reason i think that if the NHL is reluctant about banning all fights, then they should be very very harsh on nonsense fights that occur right after good clean hits. Whether it’s against a King or not, I think there’s no room in the sport for guys getting challenged after doing something within the rules. The Clifford/Bollig actually seemed like an organic/natural fight, versus a scenario i described above
[Reply]
Stuart Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:09 am
@Shakes, but that fight spawned out of Bollig’s “clean” but chippy runs at Greene. I agree with everything that’s been said by you guys, but I disagree about challenging a player after he’s laid a brutal, yet legal, hit on a teammate.
for instance, the shot by burgertime on MR was deemed “legal” yet I believed then and moreso now that he should’ve been taken to task over it. Or another example was Doan’s invitation to DB after DB ran Klesla (or whoever it was)… Clean hit, yet the ever classy Doan felt he needed to step up and do something about it. I think even Foxy said something to the effect of the captain standing up for a teammate, and how respectfully it was handled by both combatants… It’s part of the game, always has been, and always should be. Clean or not, a brutal hard hit can sometimes be met with a physical challenge/response.
WRT respect, it seems that mostly it’s the players who fight “for a living” that uphold the code to the tee. Rarely do you see an enforcer take that last sucker shot as the other contestant is on his way down… and my hat goes off to those guys as well.
[Reply]
ddc Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:27 am
@Stuart,
that move didn’t go unnoticed by guys around the league (especially other tough guys), and i’m sure that respect will be justifiably reciprocated back to him…
Shakes Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:31 am
@Stuart, actually that’s a really fair point
mrbrett7 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:10 am
@Stuart, haha…burgertime. The hit wasn’t legal, that’s the problem (I don’t care what Shanny says).
toemas_sandstrom Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:11 am
@ddc, Saw that and posted it on the game thread when it happned and got sarcastic remarks from fellow posters. Cliffy’s game has been off but I’ve got a ton of respect for that kid. Having banged my head on the ice and suffered concussions from it it’s great to see those guys looking after each other. Very classy.
[Reply]
There is no doubt it was JQ> First he shuts down the penalty shot, then he goes one on one with some of the best forwards in the NHL and shuts them down in the shoot-out. Despite a couple of shaky performances last week, JQ was the man earlier this season, is the man now, and will be the man through the rest of the season. MVP of our team and definitely should be a Venzina candidate. A couple of more shut-outs and I think he would lock that up.
[Reply]
King Cobra Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:48 am
@DesertKing, Agree Quick was great. Got it done with a little help from Big Mike Richards!!!!
[Reply]
Canadian King Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:58 am
@DesertKing, Agree that he will be Vezina nominee and is definately hands down our MVP, but he doesn’t stand a chance against Lundqvist for Vezina. Which is ok with me anyways cause that will just boost his value on his next contract.
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:48 am
@DesertKing, Isn’t a chance in heck that JQ will out vote Lundquvist for the Vezina. Zero chance.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
@DesertKing, Frankly, I think he mostly just needed to pay more attention to his angles, and he seems to have that hole sewn up.
[Reply]
They came to play last night and were able to come away with 2 points. Doesn’t matter how they got, just that they got the points.
Tough road trip in some pretty tough buildings. The Columbus game was the disappointing game of the trip.
Detroit was just one of those things that you don’t see often, but this year we’ve seen them enough.
Good bounce back game by Richards/Carter.
It doesn’t get any easier from here on out, so just get the points every night!
Go Kings!
[Reply]
MARTY Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:18 am
@nykingfan, don’t forget king
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KC23 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:50 am
@MARTY, Good call. IMHO he has been the most consistant player on that line. Carter clearly has the most talent, but King does a great job of doing the dirty work.
[Reply]
nykingfan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
@MARTY,
King’s been a constant. Richards/Carter play has been spotty and that’s being kind.
[Reply]
Quick is soon becoming one of the best Kings there has ever been.
[Reply]
Jgomez Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:47 am
@jonsey, Heck yeah. Since I became a fan in about ’95, my favorite kings goalie had been Fiset but Quick took over that spot during his first full year. Funny how things happen…JB gets drafted and the thought is that he would become the kings #1 for a long time, but JQ works his way up and wins our hearts! And more importantly… GAMES!
GKG!
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:51 am
@jonsey, There is only one other King goalie in Quick’s class and that is Vachon. Quick keeps playing like this it will only be a few years before Quick owns virtually all the important King’s all time goalie records.
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
@KC23, Didn’t get to see Vachon, but the closest I’ve seen were Fiset and Potvin.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Oh, and Grant Fuhr, in an Oilers jersey.
PP Anybody? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
@jonsey, I’m confused. Didn’t everyone think he was soft and sucked just a couple games ago?
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**Things that a fan watching their beloved team thinks while watching an important game with network broadcast crew (i.e. not Bob & Jim) **
- Why don’t national announcers appreciate the importance of our 4th line outside of people on the blog and people from our team’s area code!
- Why were they acting surprised that Richards came out of the gates flying and ready to play?… didn’t they do a little homework and watch the last game and realize that he likely feels guilty for the game tying turnover and wanted to make a statement? It’s not rocket science…
- No broadcast of any teams, in any division, at any time, is complete without a Crosby update
- I know every fanbase feels that someone is out to get them (networks, announcers, Don Cherry, God, mom, etc.) and that some non-logical bias always exists, but why is it that even putting the Doughty rant aside, why do all intermissions basically include some slamming of the Kings at all times. I know the play-by-play guy & Englom were pretty even handed (and dare I say generally speaking they’re not bad) but it gets annoying after a while. I just started switching the channel instead
- Why do announcers get so tripped-up over themselves talking that they forget to mention very basic facts like who the initial lineup of 3 shooters for the Shoot-Out will be?
[Reply]
Jgomez Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:55 am
@Shakes, Good list! If you don’t mind, I’ll add on that ALWAYS drive me crazy:
- Why can’t they learn how to pronounce the name of our players correctly? This year they butchered Loktionov’s name in both NBC games he played in. I think they still say Anze wrong too… I know they have to remember a lot of player names but come on!
[Reply]
Shakes Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:00 am
@Jgomez, totally agree, that seems to be like Play-By-Play 101… if your whole role is to announce players names and talk about them, shouldn’t you know what their names are?
[Reply]
Cav Pilot Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 8:55 am
@Shakes, You’re right.
Sometimes we forget how good our local sports television announcers are. Between Bob Miller, Vin Scully and (when he was still with us) Chick Hearn we are totally spoiled. It’s only when I see other teams or national broadcasts that I’m reminded of the fact of how good they are.
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
@Cav Pilot, …and Bill King, when he was…
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:00 am
@Shakes, I kind of took exception to the fact that Milbury actually prepared and dedicated a segment of the intermission to bashing Doughty. He seemed offended that anyone had mentioned Doughty in a comparison to Ray Bourque (okay, fine but what’s your point? Doughty didn’t make the comparison). He ripped on his offensive abilities and then said “and he’s no defensive specialist either”. Now I’m not necessarily going to say that anything Milbury said was incorrect, I just thought on that stage it was a bit out of line and excessive, but Milbury has a reputation for that. I feel like if anybody is going to criticize Doughty it will be us here on this blog, and Milbury ought to back off. Kind of a little brother thing you know, we can pick on him but you keep your hands off!
[Reply]
King Cobra Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:08 am
@40YearKingsFan, Mike Milbury is a bonifide total grumpy dusche bag, but with Doughtys play this year he deserves to be called out!
Maybe the kid will train his ass off this summer and study tapes of past NHL master D Men so he can bring it next season, because this year he stinks on D.
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:14 am
@King Cobra, Yeah! I ordinarily don’t mind Milbury but he does seem like a cranky “get off my lawn” old man, when he’s not even that old and has the best job in the world! Didn’t he call one of teams in the Olympics “eurotrash”? You’re right Doughty deserves it, but I just don’t like non Kings crticizing the Kings.
Shakes Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:11 am
@40YearKingsFan,
Agreed. I think what also really bothered me about the Doughty segment is that while Milbury’s criticism could be applicable to problems Drew’s had at different points of the season (I think we can all agree to that), he has no basis for making such broad brush stroked criticism for claiming that Drew’s game only consists of those mistakes. He’s basically basing his opinion based on (1) yesterday’s game, (2) maybe an extra random game or two that’s been on NBC, (3) and stats.
I have no problem saying if our players are off as much as I don’t have an issue of saying that another team’s player is awesome, but to use those 3 random datapoints as a basis to make a huge conclusion about a players skill level is pretty juvenile at best. I’m not saying Milbury should be watching every game and every shift like we do (I’m sure he has a life), but I can basically single out any player in any sport using one random game, some stats, and a comparison to a Hall of Famer to claim they were not good and overrated.
You don’t have to look much further than the Nashville game where Drew was pretty awesome. Granted at his salary he needs to be consistent every game, but that’s a discussion for another time, we all know he’s capable of it, he’s just growing into the position…
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:23 am
@Shakes, Agree. Milbury seemed particularly aggravated that some had compared Doughty to Ray Bourque, who apparently is someone Milbury feels is one of the hockey gods and whose name is not to be taken in vain. Doughty’s not the one who made the comparison though. Doughty’s just a kid who makes a lot of dough (and it’s not like anybody put a gun to Lombardi’s head) and who is trying to play the best he can in the NHL.
ddc Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:15 am
@40YearKingsFan,
milbury beat up a kid at a youth hockey game, that’s the kind of person and intellect we’re dealing with here…
as well as the fact that NBC wants their version of don cherry SO BAD that they’re willing to sell their soul to the devil…
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:26 am
@ddc, I did not know that about Milbury and the youth hockey game?? Tell more.
And personally I think Don Cherry is a buffoon whose time would be better spent pimping phony wrestling.
ddc Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:34 am
@40YearKingsFan,
that was just earlier this year, he missed NBC games because of it… in the end, everything was dropped very quickly, so it easily could have initially been overreacted upon (by the accuser or cops)… but to even be in a situation that allows for those kind of accusations to be made, kind of lends it self to the whole “where there’s smoke there’s fire” philosophy… here’s a link, but if you just google “mike milbury assault”, you’ll find the mother load…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/sports/hockey/nhl-hockey-roundup.html
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:54 am
@ddc, Thanks for the info! Can’t really rush to judgement without knowing all the facts, but he seems like kind of a scumbag without much control of his emotions or temper. Like you said, it’s the whole, “where there’s smoke…” thing.
ddc Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:45 am
@40YearKingsFan,
agreed… it’s certainly not something i would ever rush to judgement on in the real world… but when it comes to trash talk in the sports world, it’s stories like that that players (and fans) salivate over like lions and red meat…
mrbrett7 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:13 am
@40YearKingsFan, If Mad Mike were GM of the Kings, Kopitar, Doughty, Brown, Quick and Bernier would all have already have been traded.
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
@40YearKingsFan, Hi showed a shocking amount of immaturity for a grown man–on the Roenick level–maybe it’s rubbed off.
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:28 am
@Shakes,
Answers –
Question #1 – “Does LA even have a hockey team? Didn’t they trade the whole team to another city when they traded Gretzky? If they don’t have a team, how can they have a 4th line and why is an ECHL team playing the Blackhawks on national TV? Freaking NHL, why can’t I get an NFL commentators job.”
Question #2 – Mike Richards, hmmm, Mike Richards, oh yeah, he was the guy in PHilly, pretty good player. I wonder what he did to get bumped down to the ECHL franchise in LA? I bet he sucks now along with that kid named Doughty. Of course, I wouldn’t have remebered either one of them if it wasn’t for that email from @Dominick.
Question #3 – Crosby is the second coming. Why talk about an ECHL team from LA with some sucky players when we can talk about “THE Crosby,” get some tears going about his poor plight and his miraculousness at coming back, despite all of the evil that has been done to him. Some idiot in LA mentioned that Mike Richards and Drew Doughty were also trying to recover from concussions this season, but why should we talk about them since they both suck and play on a minor league team in Caiforia. California???!!!! All hail The Crosby, long may he play in the East!!!
Question #4 – This LA team is so easy to pick on. I have no friends or relatives anywhere near LA, so what the hell, lets fire on them since their won’t be any flashback, the NHL hates them also, and when the GM does speak out they fine him. Now, if The Crosby or The Gretzky were there, then we might have to show a little respect, but right now? No way.
Question #5 – That team fromLA had shooters in a shoot-out? WTF. Why would we talk about them when we can talk about such class acts as Kane, who single-handedly with 3 other budiies kicked the you-know-what out of a cab driver in Buffalo? Now that is someone to spotlight.
Final Answer to All Questions – Until some team in LA ends up with a very big piece of silver with the words “Lord Stanley” on it, we could give a flying leap as to what we say about them when we say something about them, or if we say something about them. Long Lie The Crosby and cabbie beaters!!!
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:32 am
@DesertKing,
Lie should be Live – sorry
[Reply]
Jeff_R Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 11:06 am
@DesertKing, I can’t wait til Drew leads us to the Cup and shoves it down Milbury’s pie hole.
Richards WILL score a regulation goal vs Detroit tomorrow…revenge tastes so sweet. Go Kings!
[Reply]
mrbrett7 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:15 am
@Cup B4 I Die, God I hope so. Never seen one single player SO due.
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Random question regarding the penalty shot:
When a guy is streaking down the middle and the defender clearly has no chance to get him, and maybe a 1 in 20 chance of getting the puck with his diving sweeping stick…and more likely to get the skates first, trip the player, and get a PK… at what point is it better to let Quick have a chance to save the shot?
I was debating this last night because while it stopped a rushed breakaway, it gave the Hawks player a chance to have a penalty shot where he had much more time and chance to manuever. Now obviously Quick saved the shot, and that worked out well, but I almost think it would’ve been better served to let Quick have a chance at the initial shot because the Hawks player was coming in so fast with such little distance between him and the goalie that he wouldn’t have been able to cut back or deke much, thereby making it a slightly easier save to plan against for Quick
[Reply]
40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:09 am
@Shakes, Good topic. In that case I thought Scuds should have gotten out of the way and let Quick do his thing. It turned out okay, but had it turned out differently it would have cost us the game. Scuds is a very smart defender and I wondered if maybe he was pushing it a little bit because he’s not been playing his best lately. Just my thoughts, but what do I know? A decision has to be made on a play like that in a nano second.
[Reply]
Lake Forest Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:16 am
@Shakes, I think it also provides Quick time to get ready for a PS. You do have a good point though.
@40YearKingsFan, I think it’s who Scuds has been paired with that makes scuds look bad. They are obviously trying to get DD more involved offensively and defensively that falls on Scuds to cover that forward also.
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:30 am
@Lake Forest,
I agree. Better to force the penalty shot and give Quick time to focus on it, get properly set, and then do his thing and stop it. During game play, Quick has to go with what he has right at that moment, which usually gives the advantage to the shooter.
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
@DesertKing, …and the penalty shot only gives him one chance, whereas a live puck has all kinds of risks.
MARTY Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:23 am
@Lake Forest, dd looks out of place, he wants to carry the whole team by himself and continue’s to make big mistakes (bernier and doughty to columbus for nash and then nash to hashville for weber) only dreaming.
[Reply]
Stuart Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:32 am
@MARTY, I don’t think I’d mind living in hashville… for their corned beef, of course!
mrbrett7 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:16 am
@Shakes, My opinion…trip the guy. It’s more difficult for a goaltender to make a save on a breakaway during real game speed than it is during a penalty shot.
There are far less distractions to deal with.
[Reply]
Stuart Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:20 am
@mrbrett7, AND you’ll never have to worry about being in a position for a rebound in a PS…
[Reply]
MM Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:28 am
@Stuart, I was going to say exactly this. On a PS miss the play is dead. On a live play a rebound can be put back in for a goal.
mrbrett7 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 11:43 am
@Stuart, yeah…forgot to toss that in there.
Shakes Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 11:51 am
@Stuart,
that’s a pretty darn good point – i think in this particular instance there didn’t seem to be a player trailing (although i couldn’t tell due to NBC’s insistence on having close angle shots at times…although they have improved on this a lot over the years to be fair) but for a defender having a nano second to think about things(@40YearKingsFan) that’s probably as good of a reason as any
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
@Shakes, I think it’s better to go for it, but to do everything you can to make sure you don’t trip him. If that means just getting your stick out in front of the player, then that’s all it is, but it gives the player something to think about besides the goaltender.
[Reply]
I enjoy reading most of the topics on the Kings Insider, but “the key 3″ is really just plain dumb.
[Reply]
King Cobra Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:12 am
@jimrad, Don’t read it then…..
[Reply]
Shakes Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:14 am
@jimrad,
it’s not my favorite segment, but i enjoy the idea of seeing how other readers would frame the narrative for the game versus what newpaper writers (i.e. associated press reports, LA Times, other city’s papers, and even Rich) describe it to be..
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:31 am
@jimrad,
Blindness between 0800-900 every morning after a game would assist you.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
@jimrad, It’s a “participation” thing. It’s good for blog traffic.
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Great game from the whole team pretty much!! Especially Quick, Carter and Richards!!
Kings set the tone early and were going at the Hawks net with tenacious play. I wish they could hold that approach the whole game with leads instead of retracting into a “hold on” reactionary defensive mode. I will take the wins any way we can get them.
That hit Richards put on Sharp to separate him from the puck and set up that game saving goal by Carter was SICK!!!
Quick looked like the shoot out Quick from last year. After all those saves and none of our guys being able to get one in I was about to crap myself!!!
Big Mike Richards starting to look like the REAL MIKE RICHARDS again comes in and saves the day!!! Yes…..
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I’m guessing that it was discussaed on here last night, but am I wrong in thinking that JQ spent more time flailing around on his belly last night than normal? I had the feeling that if the Blackhawks could just elevate the puck the game would have been alot different. Fatigue?? Granted there were some great atheletic saves, but some of them appeared to be very desperate and “all or nothing” dives. I know its his style, but sometimes I think he needs to just stay back and “get big” instead of going forward with a poke check or using his glove. There were a few shots that I think ended up going off his face…..A little worried that this may come back to haunt him……Just thinking out loud
[Reply]
ddc Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:15 am
@Johnny Virgil,
yes, you’re wrong…
picking apart a 41 save victory (including the 6 saves in the shootout that don’t hit his stats) is like picking apart a 40-goal scorer because his goals aren’t pretty enough…
that’s JQ’s style (very similar to that of t thomas and d hasek before him)… he’s a powerful, athletic, aggressive goalie… he challenges a shooter, and to tell you the truth, there are many shots that JQ forces wide that he doesn’t get any stat recognition for purely because he is attacking the shooter… can it be considered a bit of a “frantic” style? sure. but it’s also a style that he owns and has mastered into forcing shooters to not have the best “scoring chance” on him… ie some of his poke checks last night, the hawks’ players lost control even without JQ getting the puck because it was the action of forcing them to do something they didn’t want to do or weren’t ready to do which caused the eventual missed opportunity… much in the same philosophy is a goalie taking up everything low and attacking forward at the puck and shooter with your body to eliminate “space” and angle for the puck to elevate over the charging mass… it’s actually a very calculated and intelligent style (you can actually say it’s a lot of math and science: geometry and physics more specifically)…
i get it thgouh, some people just want JB… and JB plays the exact opposite style, calm and controlled (which can be argued is his undoing… JB sits back in his crease and allows for more “surface space holes” while also allowing the shooter to pick his best shot because of the lack of challenge on puck), so it makes the arguments that much more conceptual when comparing the two… in the end though, it’s about results over process, and fortunately we have quick giving us those results…
[Reply]
Stuart Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:19 am
@ddc, I was much more concerned with the amount of “belly time” we saw out of JB the other night… for one, it’s not his game, and for another, it was his own doing, with the rebound control issue and whatnot…
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
@Stuart, That, and Quick, even if forced to get greasy saves (if that terminology applies) didn’t give up the kinds of rebounds Berns did (which I thought was Berns’ only problem, and was understandable, given how little he plays.) Quick pretty much sucked them in when he had the chance.
PP Anybody? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@ddc, Nice breakdown. Totally agree on your assessment of Quicker. I remember last year where there was a lot of east coast talk about how Rask was a better goalie than Thomas cause he was more stay at home. Well, Thomas has a Cup and was one of the biggest reasons for Boston winning it, too.
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where was JR last night, I didn’t see him – Milbury give him a licken?
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:57 am
@petemagoop, I would be pleased to never see JR again although as long as there are cameras around that guy will be doing anything possible to garner attention.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 11:12 am
@40YearKingsFan, I rather have JR then Milbury. At least JR was a King, however briefly, so he still gives us props whenever given the chance unlike Milbury. I would of loved to hear JR’s opinion last night to Milbury’s moronic rant.
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Really hoping MR scoring in the shootout helps him get back to form so he can put some in during the game.
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There was nothing “shaky” about quick’s performance against Detroit. There may have been a lot of shots on goal total but every single one of Detroit’s goals were masterful plays that took apart the defense and gave the ultimate shooter an open net. Those goals were unsaveable by my measure and it was really the King’s defense (and Mike Richards) who hung JQ out to dry
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King Cobra Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:10 am
@The Core, 2 words Drew Doubty
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
@The Core, Absolutely correct. I didn’t much agree there either. The previous game was tough on him, but he played as well as anyone could be expected to in Detroit. He hardly got a chance to stand on his head, because the only decent shots he saw were basically impossible to stop.
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YoBro Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, I agree that Quick played well, and had little chance in Det thanks to his D. That said, I’d still like to see him get a stick on some of those passes thru the crease.
Go Kings
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Would love to have the option on broadcasts to completely turn off the announcers and listen only to the ambient sounds of the arena, game, and players. The Kings did a broadcast like this a couple years ago and it was a really nice idea. I love listening to Bob and Jim, but would LOVE the option to “tune out” some of the other broadcasters.
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lakingbob(chi) Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:25 am
@Belexes, I saw Jim last night but no sign of Bob..
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Rich it was great seeing you last night even though we really could not talk. Thanks for remembering me. Also I met LA_1968 last night before the game.He was with wife and son. Great family and before during pre game skate there were at least 30 of us Kings fans … Great night ,great win,and great to be apart the KINGDOM…
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Duncanz Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
@lakingbob(chi), Lol, you are “apart” but you are ‘a part’.
Keep celebrating ’til tomorrow night and then celebrate some more after we shut off the Motor!!
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Hey Rick, I was wondering if you could do alittle stats finding and come up with the Kings most clutch players. Puck Daddy has an article “In the clutch: 12 NHL players who score the most important goals for their teams”. Since no Kings player was on his list of 12, maybe you could do your own.
I know I would appreciate it. Some others would too.
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Doughty is not having anything close to a Norris type season, but he’s not chopped liver either. Holding out, reporting late, early season concussion all contribute to his poor performance, but so does Scuderi who’s been noticeably ineffective this season, especially in single coverage situations, and so anemic offensively that teams can and do focus on DD. Down the stretch, it would be great to see Willie with DD like last year.
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Stuart Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:00 am
@BarMade, but you can’t break up WM and VV… IIRC correctly, Scuds and DD played together last year, there’s really no excuse for either of them, unless Scuds is hurt. On his penalty that led to the PS, I was at the edge of my seat watching RS trying so desperately to get back into that play. He’s skating like MG used to skate last year (I think this season Greener has a little more pop to his legs)…
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
@BarMade, Anybody heard of the “sophomore jinx?” I think he’s had a sort of extended version of it due to signing and getting concussed. I’d say there’s more than a decent chance that he settles down and looks pretty good next season…especially if Sutter stays.
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Hey Rich, I voted OTHER again. But this time it was because the guys showed HEART.
They had heart and proved it. Right to the winning goal.
And, since my last post was a bit of a rant… Something rather odd for me around this jungle. I will say this… The NBC pre-game coverage showing the guys in the training room recovering from battle is something us fans need to see more…
Made me think about HEART as well.
We Believe!!!!
Go Kings Go!!!!!
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Finesse Hockey Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:09 am
@Finesse Hockey, On the pre-game coverage meaning us fans need to see more video of the training room…. Understand what goes down in there…. And appreciate the work maybe a tad more than we do.
Still does not make me forget about the third period in Detroit though… That video should be our pre-game pep talk prior to each game until we hoist the hallowed silver cup.
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Pretty happy with how the team is playing.
I also want to call myself out. Dwight King. I said time after time he was not an NHL player, and I was wrong (happy to be).
I don’t believe he should be in the top 6, but, it’s working right now, so who cares.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
@mrbrett7, It is working, and that makes me very happy…for him, the team, and the fans.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
@mrbrett7, That’s very honorable of you.
Many here choose to forget when their reads are disproven and move on to the next cheap target they can capitalize on – usually when they read a few other people talking about it first.
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I’d say Quick struggled in the first of the previous two games, but not in the second of them. I couldn’t figure out which one he was supposed to stop. Same goes for Bernier, who got tagged for four goals in between as well.
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I voted for Quick, but another option (I thought) was the Richards line. That line has the capability to change the momentum of the game, and to set the tone- making chances out of thin air. If you re-watch the game, look at how this line responds after Chicago scored their 2nd goal to tie the game.
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Kenny44 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
@The Puck Stops Here, Good for them. But if you noticed Kane beat MR to the crease to get that 2d Hawks goal. MR is coming around, but he’s not back to dominance yet.
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Quick was the difference. Also, JW’s backcheck on Kane was a game saver.
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Kenny44 Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
@Kenny44, JW’s backcheck was on Hossa, who was on the doorstep ready for that spin around pass by Kane.
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