After today’s practice, Jeff Carter said his injured ankle is feeling better every day, and that he should be “good to go” for the playoff opener Wednesday. Darryl Sutter didn’t sound as certain, as he said Carter has “a lot of work to do” in practice, and didn’t commit to Carter playing in Game 1. The Kings will practice again tomorrow before their flight to Vancouver. More notes and quotes to come…
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Welcome back!
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Hipcheck Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
@Galen, and Go Kings!
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VBunker72 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:32 pm
@Galen,
For sure! This could be a stretch, but if you look at how the Kings played before Carter, then with Cart, and finally without Carter. There seems to be a correlation with the win/loss. There’s no doubt he is an impact player and was missed at the end there.
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Sounds like DS playing mind games with the Nucks.
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jkking Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
@Jeff, good.
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Capt Jam Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
@Jeff,
More like playing mind games with the media.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
@Capt Jam, I think more like mind games with Carter.
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KC23 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@Capt Jam, same thing.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
@Jeff, He can try, but I’m pretty sure that the ‘Nucks know Carter is playing.
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Anjin Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
@mrbrett7, exactly, just trying to motivate Carts a little bit.
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Kings Fan South Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@Jeff, Good. Don’t give the Canucks an inch. Mind games are best in Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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great news hope he there for game 1 which me will hopefully
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Hopefully he’s not gimpy. He really balances thing out for the team.
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Sutter knows how to play mind games using words rather than TMs way of not talking at all
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Kings immediately look stronger, more balanced with Carter back and Williams returning to Kopi’s line.
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Rich, Did he bring his compete with him?
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
@Lake Forest, How about Shot Mentality?
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Ian Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
@Jeff_R, That’s one thing you never have to worry about with Carter.
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crashin'da net Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
@Ian, it’s his two way play I’m worried about.
bmova Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
@Lake Forest, How heavy was his game?
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
@bmova, Pleae stop….my eyes are burning!!
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Donald_S Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
@bmova,
Don’t forget his front net presence.
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DS just being DS. Carter’s back and Luongoooooooooooo isn’t going to be happy about it.
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Sean Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
@DesertKing,
Hopefully after this series everyone will be referring to him as Luongoal. Can’t wait for Wednesday night. GKG!
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If it is a mind game, I’m glad he’s using them to confuse the Canucks, not our own goalie.
On the other hand, it makes sens to be cautious about Carter. The last thing anyone wants is an ineffective Carter out there.
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Anjin Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
@Gustavo, especially since we already have one in Penner.
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KC23 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
@Anjin, and Stoll
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What ankle is it again?
Sinecerly,
Ryan Kesler
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Rayden Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@fuzzerson, good one. How long will it take for Ryan Kesler to cry again? lol
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Exospeed Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
@fuzzerson, LOL
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The skating likely will be the easy part of this for Carter. It won’t be quite the same as the days of wood sticks, but I expect Carter’s ankle will be tested as soon he does hit the ice against the Nuks (Kessler, Bieksa, or Lapierre are the best candidates for the first good slash). It will be intereting to see how aggressive Carter will be along the wall, getting his skates in there to hold and control pucks, etc.
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fuzzerson Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
@Kenny44, speaking of that trio, what is the over/under on the number of dives per game by the ‘nucks.
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apol21 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
@Kenny44, Burrows for sure. That chump is good for at least one cheap Clowe-like play per game.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/daniel-sedin-returns-to-canucks-practice/article2396132/
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Lake Forest Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
@petemagoop, crap
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Anjin Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
@Lake Forest, if we’re gonna beat them we may as well do it when they are full strength.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
@Anjin, That’s ok…just beat them. I don’t care if they are playing with a bunch of midgets.
Exospeed Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
@petemagoop, At least the crappy nucks fans wont have the argument that they didnt have one of the sisters after we beat them… but then again, the crappy nucks fans will find another excuse…… they will prob stick with the game clock complaint…
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Don’t push it. If your ready, we could sure use you, but this series is worth more than 1 game, and the Kings will be better served by a healthy Carter vs a Carter still nursing an injured ankle.
Take it easy, and no late night walks to the liqour store.
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DesertKing Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
@Dominick (defrim65),
Or the nearest sorority house.
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rt16 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), he needs to play. every game is critical if the kings have any chance at all in this series. what would he wait for anymore? its the nhl playoffs and one game is all it takes to make or break a series. let’s go man!
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
@rt16, Believe it or not, the Kings have a chance whether Carter plays or not. I’d hate to breakout statistics again because everybody’s going with howw they feel, and I don’t want to ruin the mood, but the Kings a playing really well right now.
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fuzzerson Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), dont you dare mix in facts.
KC23 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), Not as well as the Canucks.
Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
@KC23,
Kings head to head against the Canucks have more than held their own against them. Playoffs are a whole different game, but it’s gonna be different for them too. At this point, I’m not ready to just concede, and I do think we can match up against this team. Whether we win remains to be seen, but I’d say the Kings are scoring at a higher rate than Vancouver is right now (not total for the season, but the last 1/4), a stronger offense from the back end, and have better goaltending.
We’ll see how it holds up, but I like our chances just as much as there’s.
Anjin Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
@rt16, agreed! Now is the time to let it all fly. Williams came back early last year and was effective. I don’t see Carter waiting any longer.
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rt16 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
@Anjin, he’s a world class player . . . what would he wait around for? not how these guys think and how ds will let them think. they may have a chance if he doesnt play (I don’t know about that) but lets just say they have a better chance if he does.
not saying I would do this if I’m Sutter but it’s worth considering…
Kopitar 1C
Richards 2C
Carter 3C
that way Vancouver has to play against 3 full lines (Philly did this with Richards, Briere and Carter)
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Jim Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
@Paul G, the problem I see with that is who would you have play with carter and rich?
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
@Paul G, yeah…that’s not going to happen. Philly had the players to play 3 scoring lines…we do not.
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DuckHunter31 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
@mrbrett7,
maybe next year?
FORWARDS
Simon Gagne ($3.500m) / Anze Kopitar ($6.800m) / Justin Williams ($3.650m)
Dustin Brown ($3.175m) / Mike Richards ($5.750m) / Linden Vey ($0.900m)
Dwight King ($1.250m) / Jeff Carter ($5.273m) / Trevor Lewis ($0.725m)
Kyle Clifford ($0.870m) / Jarret Stoll ($2.500m) / Jordan Nolan ($0.532m)
Brad Richardson ($1.175m) / Kevin Westgarth ($0.725m)
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TeamJMFJ Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
@DuckHunter31, Tyler Taffoli?
Paul G Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@DuckHunter31, Gagne might get hurt again
vey wont make it next year
and Stoll isnt getting resigned
mrbrett7 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
@DuckHunter31, My opinion only, but no.
Both Vey and Taffoli will spend at a least a year in Manchester.
Stoll will be gone along with Richardson.
Trevor Lewis has a career high in scoring of something like 8 points. Not a scorer.
Gagne would be playing with Richards (why does EVERYONE want to break up a line that has played extremely well?).
Now, these are all my opinions. I see assuming all healthy.
Brown/Kopitar/Williams
Gagne/Richards/Carter
King/?/FA
Clifford/Fraser/Nolan
Much depends upon what moves are made in the offseason.
ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
@mrbrett7, Come on guys use your heads a bit here! We have plenty of talent. Penner and Lewis? Ummmm. Hello?
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DuckHunter31 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33, Penner can be the towel boy next year.
mrbrett7 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33, Not sure if serious?
Keep carter off the Richards line!
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
@Jeffreyryan, LOL! That’s not a bad suggestion. Richard’s, and King’s scoring has improved since Carter’s been injured. I’d put him on the Kopi line, in place of Richardson, and see how that works if I was gonna start experimenting.
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KC23 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), Carter on Kopitar’s line would be scarey thing for the other team to look at, but Sutter likes balance.
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KC23 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
@KC23, Now that I think of it … that is balanced.
Paul G Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
@KC23, Brown-Kopitar-Carter
King-Richards-Williams
The Kings def need Carter back, as long as he’s healthy. Would it be dreaming if Gagne came back too? Hopefully D. Sedin and Booth are out as long as possible if the kings want to stand a chance….
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He’d better be ready, we need him!!!
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Now that Carter is back, would really like to see Richardson in somewhere and bench Penner
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I think Carter and Williams need to be paired up somehow I think Williams would work his behind off to make a play to an open Carter. But I dont know how the lines would look they both play at RW so Carter would have to center Williams and that leaves Richards line with not much to work with.
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Paul G Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
@CrownJewels, unless Kopitar Carter and Richards all center seperate lines
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
@Paul G, Not gonna happen.
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The Kings had better keep their fingers away from Burrows if they know what’s good for them.
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
@TripleNickel, The kings should all dip their fingers in rat poision before the games just in case that rodent Burrows gets hungry!
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33, Kinda like this idea. Just sayin’…
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
@TripleNickel, Especially Clifford. We already call him KFC, and if Burrows gets a hold of him, Cliffy really will be “finger licken good”.
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), LMFAO!!!!
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Cmon Daryl…. Answer the questions honesty for once.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
@micwoo,
SUTTER: “He didn’t get anything hacked off so he might be able to start. Espo lost his leg once in a helicopter accident an’ they sewed it back on. His numbers didn’t change a bit, either. It’s a fact. There’s proof!”
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Anyone want to take a bet how many boarding calls Burrows will draw this series? I bet after he watched the last 2 kings/sharks games…he is probably excited and already practicing.
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
@Cruiznblue, Yes and he’s also filling his fangs. Chomp Chomp!!
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TripleNickel Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
@Cruiznblue, Maybe he can get some pointers from Couture!
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KC23 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
@Cruiznblue, Less than Stoll I bet.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
@KC23, “draw”
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Duncanz Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@Cruiznblue, Canucks will be lining up along the boards waiting for statistical contributions from Strollsy & Greener – maybe that’s how those 2 went all the way in 2006 …
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That’s Better News. We will definitely need JCarter out there even If he’s not 100%. Let’s Go Kings…
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rt16 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
@Joe, totally agreed. we’re taling world class player here and even if he’s not 100% he can wreak havoc in the minds of the canucks who might not know that. and look, that’s what he’s here for is to play in these kinda games. let her rip . . . guy can flippin play!
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Kings Fans and Staples Center in-game crew. Please please please stop chanting the opposing goalie’s name after every single goal. Please please please. I can’t stand it. We look like rank amateur’s. Not to mention that it’s bad luck. It’s like Bob and Jim lauding over much the Kings were dominating “haha who is playing goal for the Kings tonight…haven’t had to mention his name…SCOOOOORE!!!!!!!” and boom! Collapse.
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 3:11 pm
@Harrison Merkin, agreed. that isn’t applicable unless the goalie is letting in lousy goals and we’re up like 5-0… not like 2-0 haha
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Ian Reply:
April 9th, 2012 at 3:53 pm
@Harrison Merkin, Definitely with you on that one.
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