The Kings’ play, overall, has improved of late, but the power play has fallen into another rut, and now the Kings are facing at least one game without Jeff Carter. After a six-game stretch in which they went 4-for-14 on the power play, the Kings are now 1-for-24 with the man advantage in their last seven games. With a couple notable exceptions, the Kings haven’t even been much of a scoring threat on the power play. Several times last night against Calgary, the Kings looked far more threatening, and moved the puck better, in 5-on-5 shifts than they did on the power play. Darryl Sutter, already not in the best of moods today — presumably because of Carter’s injury — didn’t even wait for a question about the power play to be finished.
SUTTER: “Power play has been awful. Even last night. You talk about a (good) 60-minute game (against Calgary). It wasn’t a 60-minute game. In the second period, we had two power plays that changed the momentum of the game. We had to play our fourth line, back-to-back shifts, after both power plays to get the momentum back.’’
Don’t have to read between the lines with DS, Always the 100 proof story.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
@JackKent Cooke, In a not-so bizzaro alternative hockeyverse, a stange post game interview plays out …
(on the rank ineffectiveness of the power play … had you actually LOST last night … )
SUTTER: We’re fine. Sometimes you create a lot of half chances from the point and they just don’t go in. We’ve won games where we scored three on the power play and we weren’t very happy with the effort. Tonight that didn’t happen so there’s no difference. It diesn’t matter. Simple math. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. “
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vinny Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
@Duncanz, lol
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JackKent Cooke Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
@Duncanz,
Surely DS discussed this with Brett but can’t talk about it because those discussions are just for family.
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simonsez Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
@Duncanz,
I think it’s a pretty simple psychological problem. Too bad the coaches are thinking hockey instead of psychology.
When they get a power play, they start thinking too much instead of playing instinctively. If you get in your car, and start actually thinking about all the things you have to do, you’ll start driving like crap. This is the same thing.
It delays their actions, they get out of synch, and they can’t even get into the o-zone because they aren’t moving together up the ice with speed.
Don’t THINK, just ACT/REACT.
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wow – the fourth line is used to regain momentum!? – that’s a hell of an indictment on the top lines.
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Datacloud Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
@dMan, …and they’ve been doing a hell of a job.
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P1 LA Kings Fan Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 9:44 am
@Datacloud,
I second!
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if you would read the site you would see that everybody here agrees to get rid of KOMPON
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Paul G Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
@funking, Kony2012….Kompon2012
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Looks like DS has been reading the blog. LOL. Now can we fire Kompon?
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vinny Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
@CB14, maybe he’s just trying to get him to leave on his own?
step 1. bring in nicholls
step 2. call out the pp
step 3. …soap bar in his coffee..?
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Duckbasher Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
@CB14, There’s absolutely NO WAY Sutter keeps someone like him after this season I would think he’s only still here because of Sutter not wanting to upset the cart too much after Murray being fired. Er… I mean… there’s really no other explanation. Well… unless Kompon is one of the owners family members.
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CB14 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
@Duckbasher, I was hoping he was going to be fired after Christmas time. I remember Sutter saying something to the affect of, “we don’t want to make any changes due to the holidays and all”. But it never happened.
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tacomakingsfan Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:18 pm
@CB14,
Fire Kompon?? He’ll probably get an extension if we go to the playoffs
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Here is a video I took of the fan who threw the jersey in Calgary last night. Priceless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ4_6QV2nhQ&list=FLjvdB2BxY-xQg-GZdtWZ79Q&feature=mh_lolz
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vinny Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
@KingHal, lol nice..i liked how he just walked out afterwards..where was..anybody?? haha
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wavesinair Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
@KingHal,
i like how the guy said he was gonna get arrested. classic. like there’s a law against throwing a jersey!
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KingHal Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
@wavesinair, Oh … he got arrested, and a 170 fine!
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wavesinair Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
@KingHal,
link please.
Kingsfanone Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
@wavesinair,
The law is for throwing anything on the ice, and then getting caught.
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wavesinair Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
@Kingsfanone,
like hats and octopi?
Kingsfanone Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
@wavesinair,
http://thejerseychaser.com/2011/red-wings-fans-will-be-arrested-and-givent-500-fine-for-throwing-octopus-on-ice/
If they wish to enforce the law, probably every arena has a policy against throwing “anything” on the playing surface. As the article states, they chose to begin enforcing it after being directed by the League office. It’s just not “enforced” each and every time, but they could if they wanted. That’s the key.
CB14 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
@KingHal, Great video, thanks for sharing. I don’t blame Kostopolous for being pissed, I would too if I were in his position. Then again I understand the feelings of being a pissed off fan.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
@CB14, welcome to the jungle.
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tacomakingsfan Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
@KingHal,
That sucks.. Feel bad for the Flames and fans.. Thank god it wasn’t the Kings.
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Sebastian Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 9:37 am
@KingHal, thanks for posting that, thanks to fsn i didnt even know this happened. at least the guy waited for a whistle, so he didnt really cause the stoppage, i have no problem with that.
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Me personally, if I was Lombardi, I would call up guys like lokti, Vey, Azevedo, Cliche, or Kozun to replace Carter. Richardson does not have the skill set to be playing in a top 6 role IMO.
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vinny Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
@puck73, thatd be awesome!
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brian spain Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
@puck73, they need speed tomorrow night in Edmonton. Richardson will play. Can’t call a guy up unless he goes on I.R.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
@puck73,
I’d think twice before putting that much responsibility on a rookie or minor leaguer. I think Ritchie will perform just fine without costing the club a win.
This is real life pressure, not the movies. Sure, Ritchie isn’t Carter, but who expects him to be? Not me.
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Deke'r Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
@Kingsfanone, ….good post…this aint baseball…
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bbb7 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
@puck73, Was thinking that myself. Reward Azevedo for being player of the week down in Manchester and having a great month by letting him play a game or two in the Show.. who knows what might happen?
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number 6 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
@puck73,
DL isn’t big on guys with high skill sets – or so it seems. So might as well go with Richie.
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SSE6 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
@puck73, Thinking back to last years playoffs, Richardson, Lewis, Simmonds and Clifford were the only guys that played well.
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vinny Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 12:38 am
@SSE6, smyth was pretty clutch
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luuc Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 9:10 am
@SSE6,
Handzus – even though I know that’s a polarizing topic here, I think he was phenomenal during the playoffs.
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KC23 Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 6:35 am
@puck73, Love to get a look at Vey. He is my pick to break in next year and make an impact.
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I have a feeling that Kompon does a lot of the coach dirty work that DS and Stevens and Nicholls don’t want to do. Otherwise, I don’t get it.
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Let’s see how the day has gone so far…
Pros:
Got a huge win.
Ruined the Flames chances.
Quick set shutout record.
Cons:
Carter hurt.
Powerplay powerless.
Sutter’s grumpy.
I choose to focus on the positives.
Richie with the game winner tomorrow.
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LomitaKingsFan Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
@wavesinair, To be fair, when is Sutter not at least somewhat grumpy?
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CB14 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
@wavesinair, I would put “Sutter’s grumpy” into the pros category. When dads mad, stuff gets done.
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P1 Kings Fan Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 11:30 am
@CB14, hahaha, he should start calling out his players using their first, MIDDLE, and then last name!
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Kingsfanone Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
@wavesinair,
And the powerplay “positively” has not really improved since when?
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FdoFmFull Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:29 pm
@wavesinair, Another positive:
The captain scored!
I’ve often ragged on his inconsistent play, but man alive, who can question his courage and dedication. Did you see how distorted his naugin was after that blade cut over the left ear? Yet he did not miss a beat!
Kudos to Mr. Dustin Brown for leading by example!
Cheers!
GkG!
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number 6 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
@FdoFmFull,
I never would have thought that the three players I’d respect enormously out of this season would be Dustin Brown, Willie Mitchell (no surprise on that) and Quick.
Hopefully Lombardi doesn’t go thru w this rumor and trade Brownie….. unless there are any other Flyers floating around out there that we can get. lol……. nope… not lol.
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Deirdre Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 5:48 am
@number 6, Brown won’t get traded for a FLyer, leading contender would be for a Maple Leaf and it almost happened very late on trade day (Leafs trade, Burke pulled out at 230 pm) it’s coming. He’ll be packaged with Bernier to get an elite winger for Kopitar as part of the package.
Look for goals from Richardson and Penner…!
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Look for goals from Richardson and Penner…!
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KC23 Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 6:36 am
@Jack, Better bring some visine.
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Look for goals from Richardson and Penner…!
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CB14 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
@Jack, Who do we need to look for goals from?
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Kenny44 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
@Jack, I get it – a hat trick for both!
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Kingsfanone Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
@Jack,
No……..you don’t need to say it again!
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Jack Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
@Kingsfanone, I swear I clicked enter once! I promise! lol
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Kingsfanone Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
@Jack,
I hate when it happens!
Sebastian Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 9:49 am
@Jack, im looking for penner to score 5 goals in each of the remaining games, or 25 goals tonight to get him back into his yearly “average”
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P1 Kings Fan Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 11:33 am
@Sebastian, fair enough
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I’d like to hear Sutter’s thoughts on WHY the PP has sucked. It’s easy to see, but you’d think by now, even with Kompon in charge, they could identify what is and isn’t working. What is the difference between what they practice and what we see in actual games, because surely they can’t look that bad in practice or Sutter would have made a complete overhaul by now.
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Deke'r Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
@Helvetica, …..it’s all part of the show…DS doesn’t want to show off the Kings’ “new look” PP until the playoffs….
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Helvetica Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 9:21 am
@Deke’r, haha… right. Once we squeak in, it’s curtains for everyone else when faced with the power of our new look PP.
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Stuart Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 9:23 am
@Helvetica, myeah, curtains, see! myeah!
I’m glad DS doesn’t use lines like “shot mentalilty”.. Hated hearing that from TM!!!
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Datacloud Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
@rubo17, I think DS likes a “2-point mentality.”
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FdoFmFull Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
@rubo17, It’s a 3-2 league.
This ain’t baseball.
Park-and-ride!
…
…
…
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Stuart Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 8:07 am
@FdoFmFull, No cheers? All out of drink? LOL
Cheers!
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Gotta’ love Justin Williams. The guy’s played in every game, and he brings it every game. He’s second to Kopi (i.e. on the team) in both points and assists. He may have the best hands on the team. And he’s been consistently producing down the stretch. And he’s fearless.
Assuming we make it into the playoffs – which I do – I think he’s going to shine.
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Shuchuk Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
@Ron Reynolds, I expect #10 to regain his touch once the postseason opens up.
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Ron Reynolds Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
@Shuchuk,
I sure hope so! He’s a great player who’s still in the process of reclaiming his game following the concussion.
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P1 Kings Fan Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 11:37 am
@Ron Reynolds, I really appreciate JW’s emotion I saw after a loss during a presser. This guy HATES to lose!
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Richardson will have a hat trick
All goals coming from the PP
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SSE6 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
@Lake Forest, No unless we are playing Colorado…
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I’ve been wondering why they switched Voynov with Doughty on the first unit of the power play last night. Anyone know? Offensively, they’ve both put up numbers, but Voynov looked a little lost out there with the first unit.
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FdoFmFull Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
@KingMe20, Simple – Voynov consistently gets the puck through to the net. Doughty….
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Shuchuk Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
@FdoFmFull, ddoughty’s headfakes look cooler in HD.
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number 6 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
@Shuchuk,
OUT-FLIPPIN-STANDING.
Thats better than anything I’ve posted here in a year, and you only used one sentence. I wonder if you’re the teacher I’ve been looking for.
pure zen
Kenny44 Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
@KingMe20, VV also has qutie a knack for sneaking down the weak side and attacking the back door
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Duncanz Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 2:53 am
@Kenny44, He has a couple of admirers …
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Stuart Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 8:08 am
@Duncanz, he is quite a hit with the backdoor-ravaging bunch, isn’t he??
jason Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 2:41 am
@KingMe20, I think the powerplay struggled in general. I love voynov and feel a lot better with voynov and mitchell out there instead of doughty and scuderi.. I actually like all 3 pairings though doughty does worry me at times lol
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off topic, but my brain hasn’t been working lately… but we want San Jose to beat Phoenix tonight, right?
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FI-RE KOM-PON, *clap-clap, clap-clap-clap*
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Shuchuk Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
@Bickleton Wigglesworth III, CLAP-CLAP-CLAPCLAPCLAP!
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Aha! He said “fourth line”!
I like how he has a tool to get the momentum back.
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vinny Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 12:39 am
@LA_1968, lol
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kompon is like a parasite in the human body. All the effects are noticed and you can’t recover until the parasite is gone. I cringe every time I see him talking to the players on the bench because I just know hes whispering “Nice goal but remember your coverage next time. If you lose the puck while trying to score, they may have an odd man break… ”
Perfect example is stoll. Sometimes he crowds the point when we are in the other teams zone. So worried about getting back hes having the worst offensive season of his career
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Stuart Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 8:09 am
@jason, which is why I think DB being centered by JS is such a great idea! Stolly is a built in safety net and can get back as soon as the puck is turned over!
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THANK you. In fact it wasn’t a 60-minute game, as I said. I hadn’t caught that the lapses were after power plays, but that makes sense. I was quite aware that there were a few points where Calgary got a little life, and I’m sure it was mostly after the Kings power plays.
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