During the second intermission last night, the smart money would have bet that the game would go to a shootout. The Kings and Nashville Predators were playing a tight, smart 1-1 game, with both goalies looking smart. It wouldn’t have been ridiculous to predict that the Kings would score a third-period goal. Only a total optimist would have predicted two goals. Three? From Dustin Penner, Dwight King and Kyle Clifford. Surely you jest. Yet that’s exactly what happened. The first eight minutes of the third period were tight, but Penner scored a huge goal to break the tie, and then King scored five minutes later and Clifford scored three minutes after that. That was quite a swerve in the plot, but one that the Kings happily accepted, as it propelled them to their fourth consecutive victory. Jonathan Bernier did what he does: beat Nashville. Bernier didn’t have to be brilliant, but he was steady and did everything well, including a handful of quality saves on strong Nashville scoring chances. What was the key aspect of the Kings’ 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators? 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.
In a previous thread someone mentioned the Kings peaking at the right time…I totally agree. this team looks really dangerous. I expected this a lot earlier in the year but these guys can squeak into the playoffs. Watch out!
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Voted OTHER….. HEART….that was all HEART.
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thrustable Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 8:40 am
@Finesse Hockey, We’ve always had heart, we just had no offense.
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Finesse Hockey Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 8:52 am
@thrustable, Can’t have one without the other…. HEART is the foundation where it all comes from…. that’s the place where the head-game begins and ends. We found our heart in Chicago after the Wings loss. Perfect time for this team to peak and take HEART into the playoffs.
WE BELIEVE (and always have….)!!!!
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Rocky Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:07 am
@Finesse Hockey, I go back a little further. Chicago at home. Brownie put those trade rumors to sleep with a four-point night, including the hat trick, blanking the Hawks. From that point on, he has led the way like a true captain does. But to even go further, I saw the work. I saw the effort. That puck was just not going in. It’s a lot more fun when it does.
Finesse Hockey Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:27 am
@Rocky, certainly…. here is heart for ya…. I went up and paid full price for two hats (one for me and one for my son) after Brownie scored two goals, just in case the hat trick happened. Two brand new full price (ehh….
overpriced hats at Staples) just in case it went down.
Heart is not about the puck going in — honestly its not about fun — if it was I certainly would have not made the transition from the Campbell Conference to the Western Division.
HEART is what goes down in the training room the day after the battle — that changed my take a bit when I saw the pre-game tape before the Chicago away game on NBC. I do get it — I hope my cheering in the stands shows that LA fans have heart. What I wonder about is why does the Sea of Red (Wings) fans show up like droves each time the Wings fly into town instead of no tickets available? Talk about Heart….
Last night, we played like champions until the final horn — 60 minutes of hard played hockey. That’s what it takes from here on out to the silver chalice. I actually see a big difference in our play of late — call it the hat trick, call it Sutty, call it the Carter trade…. call it four lines… call it finish…. call it destiny…. call it the end of the infamous stick curse.
We have ripped the heart out of four very good teams in a row… next week will be the test of our heart.
It’s all good!
WE BELIEVE!!!
Mucker Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
@Finesse Hockey, Voted OTHER too…Pekka Reinne was terrible!
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We are an offensive juggernaut!!!! Oh what could have been had we traded for Carter…in october!
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armchairkinsfan Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 8:51 am
@thrustable,
Carter would have been ruined by TM. DS, though touted as a defensive coach, knows how to coach players according to their skill set. This is evident when you listen to him speak or read the transcripts of his interviews. TM always talked about “heavy” play and “dot to board” play.. things that are expected of grinders and shut-down players. Carter is a strong defensive player who is also very gifted on the offensive end. IMO he (and MR) fits the mold of player DL had been looking for when upgrading the roster and doesn’t need to be coached into being that player (as Kopi needed to be earlier in his career).
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neil Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:26 am
@armchairkinsfan, Lewis,Cliffy, etc all will benefit from not being turned into grinders!!!
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armchairkinsfan Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 10:08 am
@neil,
Clifford, IMO, is one I consider a grinder who can score. The one who gets me is Nolan. Shortly after his recall, Nolan said something in an interview that really made me surprised. Nolan was talking about his skill set and his first NHL goal, and he said something along the lines of “When I first came to Manchester I was a scorer, and Coach Morris said if I wanted to make the NHL I needed to become more of a grinder.” Knowing TM, this would be true… I think this quote was in the NHL.com feature…
gcheng Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 10:12 am
@thrustable,
funny thing. if the kings wasnt in such a funk scoring, DL would never be able to trade johnson for carter. because for the mgmt to breakup chemistry while winning would be against what DL wanted to build in LA.
thus what happened this year is a blessing in disguise. the mgmt were able to
1. get a coach who is willing to play to each players strength and not just stick to the ‘system’. even sutter said that it takes him some time for the defence to play with a flow and not wait in a contained defense/offence. just looked at the pp the past few games. the defensemen are starting to criss cross and go backdoor. that was something that we never saw during murrays tenure.
2.exchanging our strong farm(defense) for our weak one(offense). and because carter has such great offensive instincts(quick release), kopi is now taking note. 3 quick snap shots goals the past few games. no more huge round up slap shots.
thus we should be happy how the season went the way it went this year. now imagine if we get gagne back. WOW WOW WOW
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:46 am
@thrustable, What would of been awesome is if Dean could of gotten both Richards AND Carter in the same trade last June. I don’t know if Dean was offered both or not at the time, but I believe that Jeff would not of been influenced by TM at all. Jeff is a shooter and will shoot whenever he has a chance. I doubt any coach could turn him into a grinder if they tried.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
@Jeff_R, TM would simply have put him on the 3rd or 4th line, then called him out in the media for not scoring.
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Hey Rich, thanks for all the work you do for us fans here on the insider….yet caught a typo in the Key Three post….. and I would have let it go, but I gotta stand up for PENS right now — he was a CHAMP last night and showed awesome HEART.
You mis-spelled his name “Dustin Penenr” in the fourth line…. today of all days he deserves DUSTIN PENNER SCORES!!!!!
WE BELIEVE!!!!
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Dustin Penner’s goal was certainly a CLUTCH goal.
I always thought there should be a category called “Clutch goals” (different than game-winning goals). A “Clutch goal” would be a goal scored in the third period that either ties the game or breaks the tie as a go-ahead goal. Only Penner’s goal fit that description (the other goals put us further ahead at the time, and we did need one of them to win, but it wasn’t as crucial AT THE MOMENT as Penner’s tie-breaking goal).
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FdoFmFull Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:04 am
@King John, Agree 100%.
Voted “other”. Penner’s clutch goal was the key. Plain and simple!
Cheers!
GkG!
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King John Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:09 am
@FdoFmFull, That’s fine, but I’m actually referring to an NHL “Clutch Goal” category to track clutch goals thruout a season. That would be interesting!
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100% has to be Four Lines Four Goal!!
Last nights game was great. Total effort and execution from all team members.
There is no player that could be called out from last night for not bringing it….
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while i certainly can’t argue against the “four lines, four goals” i will say i truly believe if the kings hadn’t started strong and got that first goal the game would have been over in the second period and they wouldn’t have had a chance to win in the third.
huge win.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:49 am
@Bickleton Wigglesworth III, It doesn’t matter anymore if the other team scores first or not, at least I don’t think it would as it hasn’t happened yet in the Carter era. This team does not get down when the other team scores anymore or go into a shell.
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Bickleton Wigglesworth III Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:59 am
@Jeff_R, i agree that they don’t crumble when they fall behind like they have in the past. however, with the way nashville controlled the second period, with the team playing in a back to back games, and the strong system-game the preds are capable of playing when in the lead if the kings hadn’t had that padding up front i think they might have struggled to keep in the game. just my oppinion.
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Adding Carter, King, and Nolan; putting Stoll back at 3rd line center; getting rid of Moreau and Hunter; and playing Voynov as a regular… these are all contributors to a different feel, balanced lines–very important, more scoring (especially because Carter has changed the dynamics of our skill-for-scoring mentality). It’s great to see the Kings come together at the right time!
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King Cobra Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:02 am
@King John, Very good points! Looks like this ship has been turned around thankfully…
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Yep what a great game and my son had on his
ontairo jersery and so far fourth home game
and counting they won.
Thanks guys for a great win and game
and thanks Bob Jim Rich Nick and all Daryl
for all that you do!
LA hockey ain’t none better have a great Sunday
See you guys on Tuesday night .
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Had this dream last night that Dustin Penner scored this beautiful highlight reel goal in the 3rd period to snap a 1-1 tie on a perfect pass from Trevor Lewis.
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Ron Reynolds Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:20 am
@Mikey J.,
I’ve had the same dream for months on end…
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:51 am
@Ron Reynolds, I had the same dream 25 times. Finally for the first time it became reality.
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The Key..Not one player..or one goalie…but the fact that the Kings are playing Hockey. The Kings can now win with offense or defense. Its fun to watch.Right now the Kings have found the balance…that is more important then any one player.You can tell the players are enjoying playing this way also.
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Very very impressive win. I hope the Sharks get a butt whoopin by the Kings. I just may have to go to that game.
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King Charles of Salt Lake Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 9:25 am
@KC23, I’ll be there. Sure would like to meet you if possible. So if you go please let me know. I’m flying into Long Beach just for the game.
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KC23 Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
@King Charles of Salt Lake, My email is kccook23@aol.com. I’ll be there with my wife. Love to meet ya. I’ll be wearing a last years regular, this years alternate home jersey with the number 23 and COOK as the name plate. The number 23 is actually in honor of the King’s player that was my favorite player at the time “Eddie “the entertainer” Shack (I was like 13 years old in 1969 when I first feel in love with hockey).
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JB is showing why he should NOT be traded and should have been given more games all season long.
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Definitely “Other” for the last four games. The difference is that the Kings are playing 60 minutes of hockey for a change.
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When you can get that kind of contribution and effort from all 4 lines on the 2nd half of a back to back, you have something special.
Penner’s goal was absolutely huge. Great play by Lewie, but Penner was where he needed to be and got the goal.
The 4th line has been perhaps the Kings most consistent line all season. They take the body and are like large gnats all over the ice..recovering loose pucks. Just great team hockey. Fras has been the anchor on that line all season. He’s a perfect 4th line center. Best move DL’s made…
They need to bring the same game Tuesday against SJ. They’re playing very good hockey right now. It should be a classic matchup.
Go Kings!
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3 weeks ago I said LA will finish 3rd. Has anyone jumped on board with me yet? LAs biggest threat is SJ and all LA needs to do is keep pace with the Sharks then take 2 of 3 down the stretch. I have a feeling the last 2 games will decide 3rd and 7th.
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Rocky Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 10:02 am
@Scott, not only am I with u, buddy, I’ve also been calling that for the last month or so. SJ and LA are the only true teams in the pacific. The rest are pretenders. Kings and Sharks in a dog fight for the division. It’s not hope, it’s not being over positive, it’s simply the way it should be.
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TeamJMFJ Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 10:12 am
@Scott, i believe it. I really do. I no longer care about 8th…i just want 3rd. And Dallas is sliding. Its in our hands now.
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Rocky Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:10 am
@TeamJMFJ, it’s our time and I believe in this team, thanks again to DL. The division title is right there. Go get it, boys! Then we’ll talk about our playoff run with home ice.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:59 am
@Scott, As of right now the Kings are ahead as they have the tie breaker. However the Sharks next two games will go a long way of deciding if they will be in the mix. The Sharks could tie the Kings in ROW and go ahead if they beat us Tuesday. So what needs to happen is the Sharks lose Monday to the Ducks, as the Ducks have won 3 out of 4 already and then to us on Tuesday. If that happens the Kings will be two games up on the Sharks in ROW, 31-29.
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Scott Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
@Jeff_R, LA has won the season series against PHX, DAL & ANA. If they win 2 of 3 v SJ they will win that season series.
However I haven’t looked into the tie-breakers lately. A rational person would think tie breaker A for teams with the same number of point would go to the season series leader… However I think tie-breakers A and B are Wins then ROW. Either way I see the April Home-Home to end the season for both team will decide 3rd and 7th.
I stopped checking COL and CGY scores. They at best will fight it out with DAL and PHX for the 8th spot.
(I looked into the remaining games for LA, SJ, DAL, PHX and in my opinion how I listed the teams is strength of schedule starting with the easiest.) SJ had the Ducks the night before the next LA-SJ game this week. Let hope ANA takes a lot out of them.
GKG!
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4 lines, 4 goals, for sure. Just as important, is what our leadership group has done of late. Cap’n Brown’s been riding a 10 gm streak,and hitting everything in sight again. Kopi has refound that inner sniper and is once again thrilling to watch. And Greener is making anyone unlucky enough to have the puck in our zone pay a price. Sweet.
Oh, and I loved the David & Goliath moment last night when little VV rode Gill into the boards and pinned him there nice. Guess he heard what his coach told him ‘eh?
Go Kings
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Seriously “under”commented in this turnaround:
DS… rolling 4 lines nightly, sink or swim.
CARTER… actually does the “little” things WITHOUT the puck.
QUICKER… gonna say it again. Stopped all 6 SOS when Kings season was circling-the-drain in
Chicago with ’14′ games remaining.
MARTINEZ… this guy is a good hockey player.
RICHARDS… totally “nutting” it out right now.
STOLLY… skates, plays hard and wins faceoffs every night. It ain’t pretty but it’s pretty good.
NOLAN & KING… whooda thunk it.
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LAPD Line Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 11:42 am
@Kman, Not only is DS rolling 4 lines nightly, it’s the same players on each of those lines. Love the consistency. I always hated the way TM used different line combos every night, absolutely no way to develop chemistry within the lines. I also thought it was very telling that TM very rarely changed the defensive lines.. only offensive. I just wonder what he thinks of offensive hockey players in general. He was a D, he coaches a D oriented system…. no wonde we couldn’t score goals under him.
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Kman Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
@LAPD Line,
Fully concur. More than anything else that DS has done – he’s found a lineup.
There’s been so much talk about scoring and yet it’s really all about the CHEMISTRY & CONSISTENCY that is breathing hope in to this stretch run.
It’s a funny thing how seasons change.
Tell us back in October that Gagne would be out and TM would be gone. That Frasier would be an everyday player and Richie would be a healthy scratch. That JMFJ would be gone and Voynov is up. That King would would be a second liner and that, at least for now, Carter may have been a better move than Nash.
Just sayin’…
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Duncanz Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
@Kman, THE ALBERTAN AGRICULTURALIST … parking and riding on a nightly basis..
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Kman Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
@Duncanz,
Like it.
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Not to nit pick the “Key Three” but, technically, the first LINE did not score…Kopitar’s goal came because of the fore-check of Lewis and Penner. Penner and Lewis each had two points. Who cares, though, right? A great win and wow! the place seem to explode on Penner’s goal. That was the key.
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Other:
Penner and Kompon!
Penner was a stud throughout the game.
I loved Kompon’s quote before the start of the third period when O’Neal asked him what the kings needed to do in the 3rd:
“We need to play our best period of the season”
They did.
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