Based on an informal review of online pundits — those from TSN, ESPN, SportsNet, NHL.com, etc. — the Vancouver Canucks are the heavy favorites in this first-round series against the Kings. Out of a couple dozen predictions, I’ve seen two people pick the Kings to upset the Canucks. The general feeling seems to be that if the Kings could get by the Canucks, they could do some damage, but that they won’t get past the Canucks. To be certain, though, far stranger things have happened in the playoffs. What will it take? I’ve picked out the top three matchups that I believe the Kings must win in order for them to have a chance to upset the Canucks. What other areas/matchups would you pick?
1. QUICK VS. LUONGO
At the start of every playoff series, the spotlight grows hotter on the two goalies. Perhaps in none of this year’s eight series will the goalies be under more scrutiny than in this one. Jonathan Quick is seen as the Great Masked Hope for the Kings. Correctly or not, the widely-held view, among NHL pundits, is that Quick will have to “steal’’ a couple games in order for the Kings to beat Vancouver. Certainly he’s capable of doing that, as Quick is expected to be a Vezina Trophy finalist this season, but Quick looked less than dominant down the stretch in the regular season, and his first two playoff series weren’t stellar. Across the ice, Roberto Luongo will be watched very closely. Luongo is an excellent goalie, but locally he is knocked for not being at his best in the playoffs, even though he helped the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. If the Kings could come in and beat Luongo in Game 1, the grumbling will commence in Vancouver and the pressure on Luongo would figure to increase.
2. CARTER VS. D. SEDIN
This isn’t necessarily a head-to-head matchup, but it is a question of which injured star will be able to return and have the bigger impact. Carter missed the Kings’ final five regular-season games because of an ankle injury, and Daniel Sedin missed the Canucks’ final nine regular-season games because of a concussion. It would be a surprise if both players were not in their respective teams’ Game 1 lineups. Daniel Sedin is a 30-goal scorer and a huge threat, but Carter’s impact on the Kings is potentially bigger, especially in the first two games. At home, the Canucks get the final line change and have the ability to get the matchups they want. Vancouver will be able to play its checking line against the Kings’ top line, centered by Anze Kopitar. The best way for the Kings to overcome that is to have a threatening second line. If Carter and center Mike Richards play well, the Kings will be harder to match up against. If not, and if the Canucks can neutralize the Kopitar line, it might be a short series.
3. POWER PLAY VS. PENALTY KILL
Goals might be at a premium in this series, which means that every power play will be huge. To that end, on paper the Canucks have a big advantage. In the regular season, the Canucks had the NHL’s fourth-best power play and the sixth-best penalty kill. The Kings had the fourth-best penalty kill in the regular season, so if they can limit Vancouver’s power-play production, they will go a long way toward improving their chances in the series. There might be a bit of a concern that the Kings allowed three power-play goals in a game last week. The Kings’ power play is the wild card. If the power-play-goal gap ends up being heavily in Vancouver’s favor, the Canucks will likely win the series easily. The Kings’ power play was awful for most of the season, but did enjoy an upswing after the arrival of Jeff Carter. With Carter back in the lineup, and on the first power-play unit, can he once again bring some life to the group? If the Kings can keep the special-teams goal differential close, they will give themselves a fighting chance.
Rich: I normally don’t ask for clarification, but I don’t understand this one: “The general feeling seems to be that if the Kings could get back the Canucks, they could do some damage, but that they won’t get past the Canucks.” Get back the Canucks? I’m curious if there are words missing or should be changed.
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jp Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
@AliCali, I believe he meant to type “past.” A lot of writers seem to believe the Kings could go deep if they can manage to knock off Vancouver.
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jp Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
@jp, or “by”
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AliCali Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
@jp, Ah, thanks. For some reason, I couldn’t get the ghist of what he meant to write.
rogiesbackup Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
@jp, One key factor and probably THE MOST important is the Tempo of the game. Kings MUST dictate the tempo of the game and not let it get OUT of hand like Thursday’s game against the Sharks!!!
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
@AliCali, Might have been an obscure Beatles’ reference …
You know the real PM died in terrible bullion counting accident during the making of SPLHCB, and JL’s father’s side of the family was in fact 100 % walrus … right?
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SLIM Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
@Duncanz,
Faux Paul…
Totally believe PM died…
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
@SLIM,
Just look at so called ‘his’ body (… or carcass) of work since the time that allegedly didn’t happen.
Obviously, some of Wings’ admittedly top grade stuff was nothing more than a fluke …
…. which only served to confuse people that wanted to like them.
So in closing … Go Wings! …. & GKG !!!!!!!!
UglyinLA Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 6:14 am
@AliCali,
Barry Melrose seems clear on what he thinks…
Melrose: “I think L.A. is a much better team now than they were a month ago, I think they’re playing better offensively than they have all season and I think Jonathan Quick is good enough to stand on his head and steal a series if he has to. I also think the Kings will remember how the Bruins beat the Canucks a year ago and they’ll get in Vancouver’s face and play physically, which we’ve seen them do before. Every year we see a big upset, and something tells me the ingredients are there to make this the one. Kings in seven.
“
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ten for instigating Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:28 am
@UglyinLA, Melrose appears to be one of the few that has actually watched the Kings. Everyone else points to their season goals for average instead of realizing their goals for has dramatically increased since the trade deadline. Its almost comical how “experts” give opinions but really dont know what they are talking about.
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Kings could get PAST the Canucks
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I’d add:
4. If the Kings have a lead they have to play a D first game the rest of the night. Keep the puck along the boards. No Canuck allowed in the slot or anywhere near it. Use the skills that Terry Murray taught to keep VAN always trying to get the puck. Swarm any Canuck with the puck until he loses it.
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jess Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
@Winsomemore,
Return to the days of playing heavy on the stick?
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PP Anybody? Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:50 pm
@Winsomemore, I’ll pass on any TM related strategies, thank you.
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I am most worried about Doughty in this series. Doughty + Scuderi matched up against the Sedins… very worried.
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
@KingFanMGM, echoing DS, Doughty needs to be a PLUS player in this series. And, for that to happen, IMHO, Scuderi needs to step up big time. He’s had less than a stellar season, and MUST turn it around and be a plus player in this series for the Kings to move on.
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red49er Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:24 pm
@BarMade, teammates voted scuderi one of 2 under appreciated teammates. that suggest they thought he had a good season – or maybe it was a subtle poke at DD8
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:50 pm
@red49er, that indicates he’s under appreciated not that he had a good season. Obviously Scuds is a good guy, articulate, liked by his team mates, and likely a future NHL coach. But still, at MINUS 7, he ranks in the bottom third of the league’s defenders for the season and needs to be better in the playoffs for the Kings to advance.
Cruiznblue Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
@BarMade,
Doughty needs to be a $7 mil defensemen..simple as that.
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
@Cruiznblue, just what is a $7M defenseman?
QUICKsilver Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
@Cruiznblue, Scuds is a minus player because he was teamed with Doughty and his awful defensive breakdowns, which Scuds had to try and cover.
The only weakness I see in his game is a point shot. His defensive skills can’t be questioned.
Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
@BraMade,
Eric Karlsson..
Pumpernicholl Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
@KingFanMGM, The Kings just got finished giving up the fewest goals for a season in team history. The Kings won’t have a problem with Scuderi, since he is a big part of the reason why the Kings just set that record. Scuderi’s main problem is that he’s not Willie Mitchell, we have all been spoiled immensely by Mitchell’s stellar season.
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
@Pumpernicholl, still not convinced about Scuderi, but remain hopeful and he and DD8 find their game in Round 1. Re. Mitchell, couldn’t agree more. He’s been absolutely stellar in all facets of the game, and his stats reflect that at PLUS 20. BTW, watching him up close at Staples, he’s an amazingly fluid, efficient skater, maybe the best on the team.
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hockeysureshot Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
@KingFanMGM, I agree. More pressure should be on Doughty this series than Quick. Drew needs to dominate like two years ago vs. Canucks.
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Anjin Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 5:44 am
@hockeysureshot, agreed! That’s the Drew Doughty I want to see.
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Cesar A Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 5:46 am
@hockeysureshot, The first sign that Doughty is not playing good defense I think that Sutter should give more minutes to Martinex or Voynov. I know they are young but if Doughty is getting beat by Burrows or Kesla because of their speed we need Martinex or Voynov to replace Doughty.
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STAY OUT OF THE BOX!!!!
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lakingbob(chi) Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
@lakingbob(chi), I do not mean on penalty kills , I mean penalties..
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
@lakingbob(chi), Good!
Now that’s what you’d call, thinking outside of the bob !
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Lake Forest Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
@Duncanz, (crying over here)
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I would have to say another key factor is the Kings playing to their strengths. This may seem obvious, but that’s precisely what the Kings have not done in the playoffs the last 2 seasons. It’s impossible to single out one moment, but I remember that when Joe Thornton took us out last year the 2 D-men on the ice were Scuderi and Mitchell. Those are probably the two players you’d think are least likely be on the ice for the biggest breakdown of the season.
I was reminded of that moment when we were playing at home against the Sharks last week. The Sharks were putting major pressure on and Scuderi took an extremely uncharacteristic delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass in our own zone. We need Scuderi to play with the same poise he had for Pittsburgh the last time they won the cup in order to make a run this year.
Quick also does not have elite playoff numbers and this is a major key as well of course. He seems like he moves around less and sits a bit deeper in the net during big games. We need him to be active and in attack mode. If he is, there is no doubt we can win this series.
Kings play Kings style, Kings have more than a punchers chance. Kings play Vancouver up and down style, and we have less than 20% chance. I hope we can find a way to settle into our own game. GKG.
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TopCorner Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
@DBking,
Kings play Kings style, Kings have more than a punchers chance. Kings play Vancouver up and down style, and we have less than 20% chance. I hope we can find a way to settle into our own game. GKG.
I couldn’t agree more… you know Vancouver is going to come out flying tomorrow night, they have been waiting a year for this to start. I expect them to be all jacked up and swarming in the first 5 minutes… The Kings need to slow it down right from the get go… heck, they need to win the opening face-off and control the puck.
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If Kings want to even have a chance…Win at least 2 in Vancouver rather that be first 2 or game 5 and win ALL their homes games or its 2010 all over…Defense dont crap out like last seasons playoffs and leave Quick out to dry…Do what you did in 2010 and score on like every PP
Kings can take this series if they really want it they have played the Canucks close all season and actually killed them on New Years eve 4-1 so it can be interesting and they can do it
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KingsFan1971 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
@Kasey9, I couldnt agree more,this team owns the nucks if they choose to do so. And mind you they did that without Carter and now that he is back. It can and will be more interesting if he is on his game the team will fallow including Quick!
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Dan H. Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 9:52 am
@KingsFan1971,
Without Kopitar too last season
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Once again the odds are stacked against us. We’ll see.
Sounds like Carter sprained his ankle. So it’s going to hurt for a while. He won’t be 100% even if he plays.
If or when Sedin returns, he won’t be 100% either. Nobody is after a concussion. He’s going to be thinking about being hit again. So both teams are slightly crippled going in.
But let’s face facts. The Nuck are deeper AND more experienced . Our best hope is a total meltdown from Luongo. That could happen if we get to him early. GKG
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KingsFletch Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
@bitter, First and foremost i believe his injury was a bone bruise on the ankle.. maybe from taking a puck off of it. Also, I think he’ll be a lot closer to 100% than people think. I believe we kept him out the last 2 games as a precaution because we knew SJ was gonna be cheap and try to injure us, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came out and was easily 100%. I’d be more concerned about the Sedin injury because it was a head injury. Any hit he takes (especially that first big one) will be huge and if we play that line really physical I will be pleased, even if they get a couple goals, because face it that’s gonna happen regardless. Last point, even if Luongo struggles, Scheider is a great goalie and can be better than Luongo IMO. Overall, I hope i’m right and you’re wrong just because it will mean the Kings have the advantage! lol. i like your post tho… GKG!!!! CANT WAIT FOR TOMORROW NIGGGHTTTT
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bitter Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:05 pm
@KingsFletch, The reason I’m hoping for a Luongo meltdown is because it will deflate the entire team. It will raise questions about the next game in the media Who should start? Even if Luongo has a bad first game, they almost have to put him back in or his confidence goes bye bye. I think a bad game or two by Luongo can be the weakness. I hope it happens.
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Mil Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
@bitter,
BTW, over the course of the regular season save % records between Loungo and Quick are very close. I think Quick has .929 or there about whereas Loungo had .920. So, realistically it’s a toss up. Funny thing is people forgets that Vancouver do have a backup goalie if Loungo falters, they do have Schneider to lean on who has a a better save % record than Loungo. However, the Kings do have Bernier as well who could be saddled up if Quick falters. Anyway, let’s hope that it’ll not come to that.
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Darren Dreger just reported on twitter that Sedin might be out of the lineup in game one and possibly game 2…we’ll see how much truth there is to that tomorrow
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
@TeamJMFJ, If Daniel plays in either game 1 or 2 then the Kings need to splt. However if he doesn’t play until game 3 then the Kings would really do themselves a favor to win both games in Vancouver. They need to play physical as they can, especially if Daniel plays. Keep hitting him and get him off his game, as he will most likely try to avoid any hits.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
@Jeff_R, This sounds like an @AM post … but avec grammar ..
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crashin'da net Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
@Jeff_R, he’s known to take penalties too if you hit him enough and get under his skin.
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Rich,
On ESPN there are 12 people picking each series. Of those 12, 4 picked the Kings to win. Of the eight that picked the Canucks, four of those picked the series to go 7 games. In fact, more of the experts are picking the Kings to upset the Canucks than are picking either San jose or Detroit to win their series. So in my opinion, the Kings are getting some respect out there.
Here is the link….
http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/7772345/experts-picks
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Kasey9 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
@klong, All the NHL people did their picks and only 2 picked the Kings http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=626836
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Kings x Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:52 pm
@Kasey9, One of which is Craig button. Classic
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LA_1968 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
@Kings x, Yeah, Button doesn’t know the Kings from Adam. Maybe he’s trying to make up for saying we needed more defense when we traded JJ for Carter.
rogiesbackup Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
@Kings x, I know he thinks highly of Doughty!! Good to hear.
Kings08 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
@klong, Getting hockey info from ESPN is like getting NFL info from tsn.
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furrylats Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
@Kings08, Bravo! And getting lineup predictions is like going to lakingsinsider.com
Damn…
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
@klong, what does it say about the Kings that 33% of the experts are picking the Kings over the President’s Cup winners? That we’re not alone in thinking/hoping that JQ can get hot and steal the series?
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crashin'da net Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
@klong, yup, even Boomer Gordon said “alot of folks are picking Kings for an upset”. We can do this.
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We need to do on the road what we did the previous 2 playoff series and then
remember to win some home games. We have won only 1 home game the previous
two series. I like our road chances in this series.
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We win with Quick vs Luongo. I think we will win with Carter vs Ginger 1 (I think his concussion is still bothering him since it has only been 9 games). Reference the PP, weeeellllllll, did we really have a problem with it this year? That is news to me ( and some others on tbis blog). I am sure that the magnificent offense/PP coaching staff will do an outstanding job of making the PP the best in the league (applying electrodes to brain right now).
Rich, please thank Mrs Sutter and Mrs. Lombardi for picking the Kings to win this series. When it is over and we are moving on to the 2nd round, they can give the bird to those who didn’t pick us. GKG!!
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tacomakingsfan Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
@DesertKing,
I’m not worried about Luongo at all.. It’s Schnieder the Kings have to be worried about.
As far as Sedin with his concussion.. we need to hit him every chance available to throw him off his game. Plus I hate most of these analysts talking about Knucks this knucks that. I hope we sweep them so everyone who doubted the Kings can eat crow..
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DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
@tacomakingsfan,
Did you use to work for the New Orleans Saints?
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Bluecoconuts Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
@DesertKing, Kill the head!
LVKINGS88 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:19 pm
@tacomakingsfan, Sweep the leg more like it Tacomakingsfanson.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
@DesertKing, , … “Mrs” …intentional gender slur?
# Mark Messrs
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DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
@Duncanz,
Nope I just figured the wives would support us.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
@DesertKing, Lol, sorry, I must’ve missed the story ..
# Dcnz Messup
It sure is easy to go with the President’s Cup winner and then say later, Wow…. what an upset by the #8 seed Kings.
Checking the gambling world…. here’s what the money is saying. The Kings are 10-1 to win the Cup while the Senators and the 3rd place Yotes are 22-1…. what does that tell you? By the way, the Kings are 6-1 to win the Confernce while the Nucks and the Blues are at 3-1 to win the Conference.
If the money follows the winners, then I think we have a better chance than most would say. I’m amazed at the Yotes line — yet like their fans in Phoenix that never show up to a game, maybe no one bets on them either.
GKG!!!!!
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LA_1968 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
@Finesse Hockey, That kind of goes along with what the talk shows are saying. If they can get by the Canucks they could do some damage. They’re fair underdogs for this series. The others that you mentioned are even favorites to win the first round but looking at the Cup and Conf odds tells another story.
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This may seem odd, but my greatest concern has to do with the Kings’ apparent inability to win games in OT.
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Nuclear Shag Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
@Ron Reynolds, 4 vs 4 OT is different than 5 vs 5 OT.
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furrylats Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
True, but our 5v5 scoring rate is at .97 = meaning we give up more goals 5v5 than we score. To put it gently, we will lose more overtime games than we will win if there are no powerplays.
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Eric Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:36 pm
@Ron Reynolds, agree with you when it came to the regular season. Big difference though is that we’ll be 5 on 5 as opposed to 4 on 4. Changes things up a bit.
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CB14 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
@Eric, I think he might have been referring to last years playoffs in which we lost all 3 of the games that went into OT.
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Ron Reynolds Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
@CB14,
Thank you, CB14. That’s exactly what I was referring to! We don’t do any better in 5-on-5 playoff overtimes than we do in 4-on-4′s during the regular season.
Kings x Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
@CB14, Let’s not for 92-93. We lost a lot of OT games in that finals
Jeff_R Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:49 am
@CB14, I feel that not having Kopi led to those losses in OT against the Sharks. He would of done much better on the backchecks, which is how SJ won those games. No doubt in my mind that our defensive woes had a lot to do with Kopi being out. We won’t have that problem this year.
BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
@Ron Reynolds, and no shoot out!
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2 things I can think of playoffs between chicago vs vancouver someone was always in front of louie (good place to put penner) if he cant see it he cant save it. second boston vs vancouver keep on the body the sedins shy off and vancouver ends up taking dumb penaties. put those together kings odds of winning just get better
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I se a couple of keys for our boys to win. 1. Quick HAS to play well. No softies, no going down before a guy even shoots. He’s gotta stay on his skates more.
2. I’d love to see Trevor Lewis pull a Phil Sykes.Remember that guy? Tall skinny dude who was a defensive specialist. I watched him shut down Gretzky and break his scoring streak at what?, 51 games? Every time gretz hit the ice, there was #8 following him non-stop, smacking him with one-handers , just totally in his kitchen. Gretz was so flustered he even took a couple retaliatory minors… and didn’t score. If Lewie can do this with Kesler, or the Gingers, it could go a long way to shutting them down.
Oh, and 3. Brownie’s gotta hit everything that moves, like he does when he’s on his game. C’mon Cap, if you lead, the team will follow.
Go Kings (in 5)
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Canadian_homeboy Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:44 pm
@YoBro, I agree take the body changes everything agree on everything else but in how many games I think kings in 6 can hope for a sweep but than id sound like a self involved big egoed canucks fan that already thinks they won the cup go kings go kick some butt
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remember in 2010 game four, kings were winning like 3-2 or something with a chance to go up 2 games in the series, alex flolov got a breakaway on lulongo, got stoned trying to go 5 hole, then the play went the other way and they scored to tie the game and then we lost. i was there at staples and i will never forget that.
then they went to vancouver, quick let in a couple goals so TM put in erik ersberg. and then 3 marcus samuelson shots later ersberg was out, along with our hopes of winning the series.
as long as that^ doesnt happen again, i think we got this!!!
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Put Lokti in the 3rd line to get more scoring touch. Lewis, Stoll, Penner are all replaceable.
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:44 pm
@goldielocks, you’re kidding, right? Gotta have Trevor, great first man in, and tenacious penalty kill guy. Gotta have Stoll, great face off and end to end hustle (even though an offensive zero). Pancakes, agree he could/should be watching from the press booth. Lokti, doubt he’ll even see the press both. If Carter is able to play (on line 2 with Richards), then how about Richardson for Penner on line 3?
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CB14 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
@BarMade, Did you miss the post about Richardson having an appendectomy last night?
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
@CB14, apparently so. Time for some Swedish pancakes!
DesertKing Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
@CB14,
Whats a little surgery to a hockey player? Put him in.
Kings x Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
@CB14, If Richardson has the heart of Patrick roy he would be suiting up tomorrow
rontheking Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
@CB14,
I knew it was just a matter of time before someone went down with an appendix….
crashin'da net Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
@BarMade, like your first 2 comments and i/2 of your third.
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goldielocks Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
@BarMade,
What difference can the guy only scored 3 goals with 103 shots on goal make? I’m pretty sure DL didn’t put him in the lineup for PK purpose only. As for Stoll he can be useful if he doesn’t take a stupid penalty at the crucial time over and over. Penner can be more productive if he gets better line mates. Either way this line is the dead weight as it is.
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
@goldielocks, Yes, Lewis is in the lineup for his PK and defensive play.
Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
@goldielocks, Your not playing a video game, you need guys like Stoll and Lewis to win the series. Lokti? Let’s hope he doesn’t see any action.
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SLIM Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
@Osaka,
I hope he does and surprises everyone….
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
@SLIM, If he plays that means a top six forward is injured.
vinny Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
@SLIM, me too! he really can make a difference, especially for penner, who needs a possession center, but that probably wont happen
goldielocks Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
@Osaka,
Look. I’m talking about the good defensive player with a little more scoring touch would make a small diferrence. And it’s definitely not Lewis. He’s not gonna score the goal next million years. The guys just doesn’t have the ability. The way I see it, he’s hurting his line mates. He always chooses to shoot the puck when the other options can be taken. You remeber what Penner said about the deal he and Lewis made? They agreed that they both score, meaning they both take the shot equally. He thinks he can be a sharpshooter. The guy is clearly delusional. And the truth is he is AHLer at his best.
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
@goldielocks, Eric Belanger just scored 4 goals this season, how long has he been in the league? Why do you want Lewis to score a goal so bad?
We are talking playoffs! Playoffs? Did you say playoffs? Lokti couldn’t hold Lewis’s jock in playoff hockey. After you go back and take hockey 101-AAA we will talk.
goldielocks Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:46 am
@Osaka,
Nope. I’m not expecting Lewis to score a goal in a million year. And I’m not saying Lokti can take Lewis’s place either but Richardson can. My opinion is Lewis is hurting that line or maybe any lines he’s assigned for that matter. People say Lewis can kill the penalty effectively but I don’t buy that either. Lewis often fails to clear the puck. I don’t see he is any better around the board. I think Richardson can be as effective as him on PK and has a slightly more scoring touch. You say it like we can’t kill the penalty without Lewis but I disagree with that. It won’t hurt us any if he’s not in the lineup but could provide benefit on the 3rd line if anyone else is in.
rogiesbackup Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
@goldielocks, I think Lokti and Penner should alternate….Penn plays better when he’s hungry to play, just like anybody else, I guess.
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furrylats Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
HAHA!
All I can thin of is Oscar the Grouch wearing a Penner jersey yelling, “Penner Hungry” and then stealing Pancakes from passing blue, yellow, and pink children on the street.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:59 am
@furrylats,
You incomprehensibly/sively forgot “GREEN” !
As a Canucks fan, I’d add a few things:
- A Luongo meltdown doesn’t mean much aside from handing the Kings a win. In some ways, chasing Lu early in the series could be worse for the Kings. Cory Schneider is ridiculously good; his numbers since Xmas are unreal.
- The absence of Daniel Sedin isn’t the end of the world for the Canucks, who went 8-1 without him to finish the season. That said, it might make line matchups a bit easier for the Kings.
- People who talk about the Canucks PP being lethal might be looking too much at the stats and not enough at their recent performance. While the Nucks have lots of talent on their PP units, they’ve been largely ineffective on the PP the past few months and a strong Kings PK could really pose a problem for Vancouver.
- Kings can’t let the Canucks score first, especially at home. Despite their high-flying reputation, the Canucks have been known to sit on a one-goal lead quite effectively and that could pose big problems if the Kings struggle to find offense.
- I suspect the play of LA’s depth players, who will be facing the Canucks second and fourth lines, will be crucial. I have no doubt the Kings can keep the Sedins at bay, but they need their depth guys to prevent Canucks secondary scorers like Raymond and Hansen from capitalizing on their chances.
This will be a hard fought, physical (in playoff mode, Vancouver actually plays a very physical style) and entertaining series.
Canucks in 7.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:54 am
@skipole, That’s an airport in Amsterdam, isn’t it?
Anyhow, nice run down – in spite of your affiliation!
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I think an under-the-radar key is the forecheck to get on top of the Vancouver defence. Edler and Bieksa in particular– these two guys are key to Vancouver breakouts… make them hurry trying to get out of their zone. They like the long cross ice passing, break that cycle and the Kings have a better chance of more zone-time.
Also, Just an FYI — Tonight Kelly Hrudey and PJ Stock at HNIC picked the Kings to upset Vancouver
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockeynightincanada/video/live/#id=2171119295
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skipole Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
@TopCorner, I agree that the breakout pass is critical to the Canucks game, but all their defensemen do this… Not just Bieksa/Edler. Hamhuis is outstanding at fetching the puck and moving it before the forechecker can lay a hit. Vancouver’s D is highly mobile.
That said, this mobility comes at a cost of size/strength. To me, the Kings will have more luck if they focus on winning battles in front of Luongo and controlling the Canucks crease, banging home goals from the blue paint. Trying to pressure guys like Hamhuis and Tanev on the forecheck might end up being counter-productive if it means the Kings forecheckers are caugjt deep and the Canucks can use their speed through the neutral zone.
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kb Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
@TopCorner, hahahaha that’s funny. good to see the kings getting some love. anything is possible the LA knows it can make a huge statement by getting past the first round and silencing their critics
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Alexb20 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
@kb, That’s a huge surprise from a Canadian-centric network.
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I like the kings no matter. We’re playing and scoring more than them. Kopi is playing possesed and quick will be fresh. If we make it to the next round things will be tougher I think.
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Kopi missed laster year this is his year to shine and I be11eve.
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I keep reading stuff about how Quick hasn’t been very good in the past 2 playoffs, i know that was true two years ago against the Canucks, but i thought even though we didn’t win last year, he was very good against the Sharks. The fact is we were missing our best player and Quick was the biggest reason we were competitive with the Sharks. Hopefully this will continue and he will get better in the playoffs this years and he will win this series for us!
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CB14 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:04 pm
@Mike, Agreed. Quick wasn’t a problem last year even though he did give up alot of goals. The problem was the Kings giving up a bunch of outnumbered attacks, mostly 3 on 2′s. The amount of cross ice passes that led directly to goals in that series probably broke a record. If we can avoid giving up those, and stay out of the box (I’m looking at you Stoll), we’ll stand a chance.
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Mars (formerly Mars Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:19 pm
@CB14, Yeah Stoll needs to take it down a notch, on his penalty taking ability and his super wild slap shots. Slow it down.
Go in the net puck. are you too good for your home?
Lighten up Stoll. Make it count, now is the time to shine.
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Anyone know where to get 1-2 tickets to the Game 3 and 4?
I just got paid and the prices went up :/ If i don’t find anything cheaper it looks like I am starving myself until the Kings are eliminated.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
@Subby, ” ahh, hello Ticket Oak :p “
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Subby Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:09 pm
@Subby, too late, spent. I’m gonna drop back down from 117 lbs to 108 ;D
The Kings Playoff Ticket Diet.
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Luke m Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
@Subby, Kings Ticket Exchange has low fees and if you keep checking you’ll stumble on to a good deal.
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I’d at that, they need to stay disciplined. The last two games against SJ we saw them take a lot of penalties and try to go in goals. Part of that probably had to do with playing against a larger, more physical team in SJ. They should be able to be the more physical team in the Van series, But they need to stay away from the box. As far as goals are concerned, once SJ started to push back against the Kings early lead, they seemed to get rattled and started playing sloppy. Their defense broke down and they seemed to be more interested in scoring than playing their type of game.
So yeah, team discipline would be one of my keys.
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Very nice Rich nice read as always. After its all said and done, do you really not cheer for the team even just a little? I understand your not a fan, But you have been a part of this team as much as anyone in my eyes. And well you are only human…
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:43 pm
@pr0cess, Wait! You mean to say the Kings’ grand guru of goss’ and floss is not a fan of Coach DS’s “Mighty Kings”??? I did not know that, Ed!
If I had to take a guess then I would say Mr Hammond likes the ‘Pens’ because that is the closest nickname the league has to an organ …
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Seriously why bring up Lotkionov, too small. The physicality of the playoffs will mean he would be less effective then the regular season.
Dean this kid is not the answer to Richardson if anything happens to Carter.
But likely better then Westgarth, geez the Kings need two additional depth players for sure in the off season.
go Kings Go……..
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
@Harty, Hey Harty, took the Greyhound to Cali today and watched Kings practice and hung out later for hancocks …
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
@Harty, I would of thought they would have called up Hunter too. I guess if they need a body on the first or second line Lokti could step in but he does play way too soft. I would imagine Vancouver would put a target on his back. The problem is who else in Manchester has any experience? If one of our D-men get injured it could get real dicey.
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LETS DO IT!!
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stay out of the box and score on the power play and the Kings will have a great chance and winning this series, but if the have to kill of a bunch of power play against this team…then it’s going to be a hard series for them to win.
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I have a feeling that calling lokti up is a deception move by DS. I think he may even go the other way and sneak in westy for a few shifts at some point.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
@jess, Yes. Go Westy, old man!
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jess Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
@Duncanz,
Yes, -and you never have to clap for him after a fight, he does it himself!!
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jess Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
@jess,
(I never have to set my beer down, now that’s service)
Another thing that concerns me is our ability to keep their D-men in check. Obviously, we’re going to have to pretty much shut down the Sedins, Burrows, and Kesler, but I worry about paying so much heed to their top scorers that we end up getting burned by Edler, Salo and Bieksa, each of whom is more than capable of creating problems for us.
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2 years ago when we played them serious concerns about our 5 on 5 play were raised. Those have been addressed. It seems though that the concern would shift to PP and PK. If we can maintain a strong PK and convert timely PP I think we have a very good chance in this series.
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kb Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
@Kings x, good points but i think too much focus is on the PK and Defense and Goaltending is being emphasised. All that has been there and all that is great but eventually pucks are going to get through as we saw with those last two games against san jose. Bottom line is it takes more than a goaltender to win we’re going to have to score. the most goals wins.
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Washington 2010 and San Jose 2009.
Answer: Last 2 times President Trophy winners lost in the first round.
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KINGCANADA87 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
@Osaka, Vancouver went to the cup final last year and were the 2011 President Trophy winners.
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
@KINGCANADA87, That is why I said “Last 2 times…” and not “Last 2…”.
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
@KINGCANADA87, They had to go into OT in Game 7, after almost blowing a 3 games to 0 lead just to get out of the 1st round. Don’t think they be so lucky this time around.
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Robb Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 1:28 am
@Jeff_R, They got extremely lucky beating chicago I believe in that game 7. I think it was an OT winner too.. So they are overdue to get ktfo of Round 1 by USSSS
I think the series might come down to the back up goalie in this one. Kings have to be prepared to beat Schneider if he’s called upon. Same thing the other way. Benier could potentially win the series for us if he shuts down Vancouver with all due respect to the starting goaltenders.
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
@Mikey J., In order to win the series we will have to beat Schneider, this is true, since Luong is on a short leash.
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
@Osaka, Another way to look at it is if Luongo is struggling and pulled then it most likely means that Quick is on his game. So it wouldn’t matter who is in goal.
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:07 pm
@Jeff_R, Not if the game is 6-6.
Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
@0-sake,
How can you begin to imagine 12 goals in a single game???
Normally, you can’t bring yourself to imagine 12 goals in an entire season!!!
Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:01 pm
@Duncanz
Imagine 12 goals scored
it’s easy if you try
Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:33 am
@0 sarca,
In the middle 0f a bath
In the middle 0f a bath I call y0ur name
0 saka, 0 saka
My g0als will make y0u drown
My g0als will make y0u dr0wn
Osaka Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:02 am
@Duncanz,
Was I to blame for being unfair
Zeroing in my playoff expectations on zeros
0h I can’t sleep at night
Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 8:29 am
@0zzzaka,
’0′ man
Please let me explain
I never meant to give y0u more goals in vain
So let me stop y0u again and again and
Again
Mikey J. Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
@Mikey J., Bernier, I meant.
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The only thing certain in this series is that Canucks fan will be all over Staples Center, and he will be OBNOXIOUS. Those are the only games of the season where I’m disappointed that there aren’t more Kings fans in LA to buy up seats.
I really don’t want to hear them singing “hay hay hay, good BYE!” again after winning an elimination game in LA. And don’t get me started on those lame green guys.
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LA_1968 Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
@Lavamantis, Imagine traveling to games 3 and 4 with your team down 2 nothing because you bought your tix, plane, hotel and car before the series. Then lose game 3. So you’re down 3 nothing. How’s that feeling? I’m dreaming but it could happen. There is a payback for the risk they take traveling all over.
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urborg1701 Reply:
April 16th, 2012 at 2:16 am
@LA_1968, hehehehe I saw those fans tonight at staples. before AND after the game LOL
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Add to ‘pundits’ to the Kings column…. on Hockey Night In Canada preview show tonight, 2 of 3 panel members picked Kings in 7. The men who voted in LA’s favour…. Kelly Hrudey and P.J. Stock. Ron McLean the longtime host also had a lot of praise for the boys and blamed excessive travel this year for LA and their record.
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
@KINGCANADA87, Ahh someone who agrees with me on the travel issue. I think that is the biggest reason why Richards struggled this year. His body isn’t used to all the travel. Hopefully now that he had a year to go through it, next season will be back to the Mike Richards we felt we were getting. Actua;;y I hope that comes out in this playoffs.
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So far the word “if” has been used 40 times in this thread.
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vinny Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
@LA_1968, lol
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kb Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
@vinny, yeah iit’s annoying. if we can stop saying if then we have a chance. if u get my drift.
bottom line is we need to outscore them and shut them down and not take penalties. we are mentally weak but so are they. getting out of the first round will silence our critics and be a huge boost to this teams morale.
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vinny Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:26 am
@kb, haha for sure, nice post
Foxy said the third line will be key…isnt everything going to be major???? Every game/series has its own story..GKG!!!!
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Clifford will need to play under control and do his best to keep himself out of the penalty box. That may be a heavy load, as he’s the closest thing we have to an enforcer, and there’s no doubt that Vancouver is going to bring a physical game. Clifford’s success in last year’s playoff series could actually work against him should he press and try to overachieve.
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jess Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
@Ron Reynolds,
Don’t forget greene and stoll
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Ron Reynolds Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
@jess,
Yeah…they’re more seasoned than Clifford, but your point is certainly taken.
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Kings are gonna go out to Vancouver and beat them in both games. watch it happen………. GKG
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kb Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
@kingsfaninsb, woot
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Feels pretty good to have a healthier team this year. Rolling four lines is key. Play with cold blood. Don’t get out of character. Don’t expect too little.
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And for gods sake can we please eliminate those 2 on 2 rushes where they back out D off to the dots and drop pass to the WIDE open trailer???? We got scored on like 5 times with that play vs the sharks…
Also; anyone have any opinion on our strange looking double drop pass power play zone entry? That popped up in the last few weeks and it seems like we are still kinda figuring it out for in game use.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:15 am
@Cortex949, Personally love the idea, just don’t know if we’re good emough to use it just yet.
My feeling is that, with an awful lot of practice, and hopefully extremely minimal trial and error in the games, the tactic will add a much needed dimension to our often unimaginative transition game.
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A track meet with the nuckle puppets, bad idea.
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if if if if if if if if
if if if if if if if if
If if if if if if if if
If if if if if if if if
If if if if if if if if
If …
(RH, have mercy!)
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jess Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
@Duncanz,
Ahhh, -nothing like an organized thought process!!
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BarMade Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
@Duncanz, IFF, mathematically speaking
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22 hrs till puck drop… Gkg
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Hopefully the team stays out of the box,Quick plays out of his mind ( no weak goals ) Carter and Richards exercise those play-off demons, the camera crew doesn’t show those green snot covered condoms,and the ginger twins get called for all their shenanigans( diving,embellishing), Cliffy knocks the crap out of their enforcer and please,please,etc, Penner shows us why he was a SC champion. Oh and Stolly slap shots hit the back of the net, not the back boards.
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Come out of the gate STRONG. Press the attack. No ‘feeling them out!’
No stupid penalties! No retaliations! No chasing guys around trying for payback if things get rough.(I’m talkin to YOU, Doughty.) Make them take retaliation penalties.
Win faceoffs.
Ice water in your veins.
Shoot into Luongo’s skates, get rebounds. (At least that was the suggestion on NHL Network analysis.)
Slime the green men (if only).
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hockeysureshot Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
@bbb7, Doughty is so important for the Kings to have a shot. Bring it on! Nothing like playoff time. If Clifford and Lewis can replicate what they did last year vs. SJ we might be in good shape.
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Kings x Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@hockeysureshot, If doughty is so important then he better stop playing like drewiske
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WITHOUT taking penalties; Slap the Sedin sisters around like the redheaded step children they are.
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Read somewhere Luongo is scared of bears. Growl a lot in front of the net.
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goldielocks Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
@Mars (formerly Mars,
And Doughty is scared of birds …
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Duncanz Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
@goldielocks, Hawks v Bruins = nightmare matchup for that pair …
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vinny Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:30 am
@Duncanz, haha nice
I have an answer from time warner cable for so california blackout. I just paid 10 days for variety channels And I was told I can watch the game on 332 the cost is $19 for 30 days but hey allowed me to buy onlt 10 days (that under $7) please call and confirm for yourself.But I think I found a way to watch in HD. Better than the radio!! GKG
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I posted this in previous topic but it may be helpful for out off LA area Kings fans wanting to watch the tomorrows game.
In regards to the Kings games on NBC SN (formerly Versus) I have a good news: The game is on alternate NBC SN channel 604a in HD instead of 603 where they miss the beginning part of the west games until east games OTs are over.Tomorrow they will black out on alternate NBC SN channel 604a in La and surrounding areas because it is also on channel 13.
Hopefully for Game 4 it will also be on this alternate Channel. That game of course will not be blacked out because it will be the only broadcast locally.
The last SJ game on channel 13 from DirecTV was not in HD. Did anyone notice it? I know that DirecTV channel 13 is HD capable but it looked like that bay area Comcast did not allow HD video feed. I don’t want to sound spoiled since I watched hockey on small black and white sets but now on big screens it is difficult to watch in SD. The DirecTV guide does not list our games on 13 fo tomorrow yet .
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Coming into this season, I thought we’d finally be the team that the experts favored in a playoff series. How long until we get THAT team?
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
@Tony in Denver, Have to win a cup for the media to give us any respect. Only then will it happen. Of course i like being the underdog. All the pressure is on the Canucks and the Kings can just go out there and play there game.
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Osaka Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
@Tony in Denver, Detroit is the underdog in their series.
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You think Kevin Dallman will come back to Manchester?
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ex-nhler-kevin-dallman-family-reportedly-expelled-kazakhstan-221339603.html;_ylt=AqZBPtXfMbTWsZvBm5dT0157vLYF
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:02 am
@Osaka, Thanks, although, believe it or not, someone else posted this today also.
I guess he is the 2nd player this year to have had his career undermined by an errant spouse.
I mean, who would play hockey and then get married, anyway?
Ludicrous!
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Haven’t read all the threads today so don’t know if someone beat me to this …
Congratulations are in order to a man some refer to as ‘The Most Intuitive Man in the World’, Edmonton Oilers GM, Steve Tambellini, who just single-handedly won the NHL Draft Lottery for like the 3rd time in recent memory!
I mean there must be some skill in it ’cause no one on god’s green astroturf could possibly be so lucky!
I mean I’ve been buying lottery tickets (have to make a weekly run to the border) for something like 62 years, and I have not even had a sausage!
I mean, I mean, I mean, this just aint fair!
Everyone else should go to the League and request politely that their $5 gets refunded.
Personally, I think I will revert to ‘Quick Picks’ since the name alone sounds heaps luckier than my regular selection of, 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 ever were!
* Please gamble responsibly, my friends..
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jess Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 2:22 am
@Duncanz,
Hey louie, -meet you behind the dumpster in my lime colored track suit with rose tinted glasses, bring a paper brown bag…
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 2:44 am
@jess, Your posts always have the best psychedelics!
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I love that all the pressure is on Van. Low expectations gives the Kings motivation and the opportunity to play loose. Not only did all 3 “analysts” on NHL Tonight pick Van, but none of them had it going more than 6 games. Kelly Chase had Van in 5!
Both teams have virtually identical records in their final 21 games (since the trade deadline). Both teams split the season series 2-2. And Quick not only has the ability to steal games, but maybe the entire series. Vancouver could get caught looking right past LA and find themselves the victim of the first round’s biggest upsets. This is the Kings series to hijack.
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Luongo meltdown. He can’t handle LA.I love LA (we love it……..
“Over his career he’s built the reputation of a player who has a great regular season, but crumbles in the playoffs.”
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/04/22/despite-recent-meltdown-luongo-finalist-for-vezina/
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Doughnuts Doughty BETTER step up his game, and earn his 7mil/year contract. Otherwise, I’m ALL FOR shipping his Overrated Canadian rear to Winnipeg in exchange for Bogosian and E. Kane… Doubt Winnipeg is that foolish tho.
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We’ve got a good chance at an upset. Since Sutter has taken over we have been a great team. Forwards just have to mind their defensive responsibilities. AND stay out of the box! We can beat them with 5 on the ice.
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Rich, I know you may have deadlines and such, but I constantly reed speeeling errors and grammmatical imperfections with almost every post.
Love yer enthusiasm and yor stories, but please re-read your posts and even use the spell checker. Hire someone on fiverr fer cryin out loud.
Yer 1st commnet on this post expresses my feelings.
Don’t take offense, I’m not perfekt either…just beeeeing real.
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JD Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:56 am
@vegas13, Wat r u talkn abot
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Entering the Playoff season there always seems to be a surprise offensive dynamo who scores a bunch of goals in the playoffs, after only scoring a few in the regular season. One that scores like 3-7 goals in 82 games and then scores like 7 in say 20 Playoff games. My vote for such player is Trevor Lewis. He always takes a beating on the blog and he is one whipping boy, among others. However I can see him being our version of the 2006 Oilers Fernando Pisani. The guy you don’t expect to score a lot, but somehow or other lights it up on the biggest stage of all. Trevor Lewis is my candidate for Unsung Hero of these Playoffs. Now I could be wrong but just maybe this will happen.
Who would all of you choose to be Unsung Hero?
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Robb Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 1:22 am
@Jeff_R, Dustin Brown is gonna be a hero, I feel it
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Jeff_R Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 1:23 am
@Robb, I wouldn’t call Dustin an Unsung hero as we all expect him to score, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was a hero.
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Robb Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 1:36 am
@Jeff_R, ST, two words then: Slava Voynov
old man Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:50 am
@Robb, George Nolan
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 1:57 am
@Jeff_R, Thanks for asking (although you shouldn’t've).
Far and away, and without fear of contradiction for the most dynamically offensive unsung anti-hero would be late-night depth blogger, Jeffer_Rewis.
Jeffer gets 3-7 posts right (ask Brad Richie for the exact no.) over an 82 game season – and is not likely to fare much better in the playoffs.
He always takes a beating on the blog and he is (no.) one whipping boy, among other @Leak Fiercests.
Therefore I can see him being our version of the 2010 blogger, Antonio Wieneri. The guy you don’t expect to score a lot and somehow or other he just goes to prove you right, the biggest stooge of all.
@Jeffer_Rewis is my candidate for the biggest stooge of all for these playoffs. Now, I couldn’t be wrong unless just maybe I am. Now who would everyone choose to be MY unsung hero? (clue: I just told you)
(sorry Jeff …” truly “)
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vplaza Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 5:17 am
@Jeff_R,
Just like Clifford last year?
I vote for Pancakes.
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Osaka Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 6:47 am
@Jeff_R, Lewis or Stoll.
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YooperSkip 24 Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:47 am
@Jeff_R, Martinez
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Is it time yet?
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Robb Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 1:34 am
@Lake Forest, Nope 16 hours, 55 minutes, and 30 seconds left… til puck drop
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 2:00 am
@Lake Forest,
The time is not now …
Go back to bed!
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I’m just glad they don’t have Samuelson. He really killed us two years ago in the playoffs
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 2:01 am
@Ashykon, I hope we don’t end up with FLA in the Finals …
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Ashykon Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 2:14 am
@Duncanz, lol that would be a good fml for the kings.
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 2:18 am
@Ashykon, …you know who MS plays for now, right?
Ashykon Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
@Duncanz, Florida. Pretty sure he’s injured though
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It comes to this– The Kings have something to prove, the Canucks have everything to lose. It can be done. GKG!
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If you don’t believe why be a fan. I saw the Hurricanes make 2 improbable runs to the Stanley Cup Finals the past 10 years. In both cases they were the heavy underdogs. The team pulled together under the coaching and strength of goalie Cam Ward. Have a good feeling about J Quick and D Sutter leading this team. Head high boys and girls. You have to believe and fight each game. That is what the Playoffs are about. I see a 1993 type run this year. We are under the radar and that is a good place to be. Go Kings Go!
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Does anybody know if NHL Game Center will provide archive versions of the playoffs this year? I don’t have NBC sports and have watched those games on Game Center a few hours after they air live. I’ve found conflicting info about whether the any playoff games will be available on Game Center or not. Maybe I’ll just have to go all old school with Nick Nickson and Darryl Evans instead.
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This is a huge series for this team and this franchise. We’ve gotten a taste of the playoffs over the past 2 seasons but inexperience and injury derailed our chances of going forward.
with Carter back in the lineup, the Kins need to tae that next step and advance. I think they can based on their overall talent and when they are on their game, I don’t care who you are, the Kings can skate with anyone in the league and beat anyone in the league.
There are so many keys to this series..obviously JQ needs to be on top of his game…I think secondary scoring and special teams will be the deciding factors.
If they’re going to clamp down on Kopi’s line, then Richards needs to be the stud player we brought him here to be. Same with carter.
As far as special teams, the Kings need to stay out of the box period. We have excellent penalty killers, but the Canucks skill players are going to score if you give them the opportunities. The stupid penalties that seem to have become prevelent over the past few games need to be eliminated immediately.
The last thing is if the Kings have a lead going into the 3rd, they have to shut down the Canucks. We can’t be allowing teams to come back and tie games and force OT. We have no luck in the OT so that’s a recipe for disaster. I’ve notice way too many times this season where the Kings couldn’t hold the lead in the 3rd…They didn’t lose in regulation with a lead going into the 3rd, but it’s only a matter of time before that comes back to bite you in the arse.
Since DS has been here, a lot of good things have happened with the Kings..this is not one of them. Too many blown leads for my taste. That doesn’t mean going into a shell, but don’t do anything stupid giving teams odd man rushes or PP’s..and JQ needs to have big 3rd periods in this series.
GO KINGS!!!!!!
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13 hours.
Rich is there any possibility that they could move the start time up say 7 or 8 hrs?
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Let’s cut to the chase . . . Quick has to outgoaltend Luongo and/or Schneider and we have to score on the power play. That gives us some hope . . . otherwise, it will tough sledding. Wish we were playing the St Louis Blues
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Gustavo Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 6:59 am
@rt16,
I don’t want the Blues. Two primary defensive styles of hockey make for games more boring than dancing with my own sister.
I want our team to beat the best in high fashion. Vancouver now is the best according to the standings. If we don’t beat them or play them in a manner that demonstrates we belong among the elite, then we simply do not deserve to move on.
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red49er Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:48 am
@Gustavo, Boring? No ur sister is hot, and to be honest, she doesn’t play much defense. as for the Kings, I just want to beat whoever is in front of us until the they are all vanquished and Brownie raises the cup.
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4. OFFICIATING
Will the refs swallow their whistles in traditional playoff mode and allow physicality like last years Boston /Vancouver series or will they try to control the game by protecting D. Sedin concussed noggin like they do with S. Crosby?
Will it be balanced in it’s horrendous missed calls? Do I need to remind anyone of how pathetically incompetent R. Clowe made the entire NHL ref crew look with his stick last week?
Will the refs target Green, Stoll, Clifford, Fraser, King and Nolan for their upfront physical game style while allowing the mega diving, cheap shots, slashes and goalie interference so typical of Lapierre, Burrows, Kessler, Alberts and both Sedins?
Unfortunately, officiating of late has left a lot to be desired. And not just against the Kings. I look forward one day to see video replay replacing Toronto’s bias and incompetence. It is simply embarrassing for a professional sport official to not be given the tools to correct his/her mistakes where it really counts. Right on the spot.
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Michael J. Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:17 am
@Gustavo,
5. Kings’ playing their game.
As long as the Kings do not get caught running around in their own zone they should fare better than they have either of the past two years.
Stick with your game plan boys and you will be on to the second round.
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12 MORE HOURS!!
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C’mon Kings. I put a lot of chips on the table transferring support from Philly to LA, repeatedly waking up my wife until 1:30 ET in the morning with Game Center alerts. I’ve witnessed an 8th place team go deep. Perhaps the biggest key to that run was a confident coach. Not necessarily a good coach…but a coach who’s confident in his squad and conveys it. Vancouver’s looking past you, use it. You don’t have to be the best, just better.
See you all at Staples Center for Game 6 to clinch.
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So nervous right now..cant sleep…need a win. Just play hard boys and stick to your game and we’ll have a great shot of taking game 1.
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All the pressure is on Vancouver to meet everyone’s expectations, right? I like the odds.
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Shakes Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:55 am
@Gustavo,
for a team that constantly gets called out for choking (i mean they did make the Finals) and being soft (whether true or not), i think that’s a big issue. If we can weather the first 10minutes of the game and steal one of two games, it will immediately set-off panic in Canucks land. The reality is the storylines for the press are going to be more about what the Canucks do or don’t-do, rather than the Kings. While we can complain about not getting respect, i think it enables us to not get caught up in random nonsense which Canadian teams will have to deal with. I mean think about it, if we get to Game 4 and it’s a 2-2- series, and then have a 3 game lay-off, all the talking headds will explode making up nonsense to talk about regarding the Canucks. That can only be a good thing for us.
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Shakes Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:55 am
@Shakes, 3 game layo0ff = 3 day layoff
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nykingfan Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 7:58 am
@Gustavo,
There’s enough pressure on the Kings as well. It’s not our first time to the dance. This is our 3rd year in a row..we need to advance as a franchise.
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Gustavo Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 9:20 am
@nykingfan,
Only the Kings fan base, managements and players are pressuring the Kings to win. The rest of the entire hockey world is pointing to Vancouver as if saying:
“Win this first round, or we’ll mock the living crap out of you”
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nykingfan Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 9:32 am
@Gustavo,
that’s true!
Well nobody, and I mean nobody is giving the Kings an ice cubes chance in you know where to win. All I’ve heard is that Vancouver is to strong and to deep to lose. Yet they’ve been favored to win the Stanley Cup for a couple of years now. If memory serves me right that hasn’t happened yet. This should be the reason this team and us loyal fans use as optimism. This Kings team is constantly disrespected, and I understand why sometimes because of the history, but I’m as a longtime King fan not doubting one bit they can pull this off. Vancouver doesn’t scare me, in my opinion they’re way overrated which makes them vulnerable. How satisfying will it be, for the Kings to prove everyone wrong?????
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pr0cess Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 8:13 am
@P90X, its going be a team of divers backed by Canadian refs, the NHL knows Canada hasn’t won the cup in what 17 years? Kings need to play our game and stay away from the BS
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I am like a crack addict with Kings Insider the last few days!! I cant stop checking in and looking for new info from Rich.
C’mon Rich!!
Give me another fix here on game day morning!
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Lake Forest Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 8:30 am
@Lead Feet, first one is free, the rest you need to pay for a subscription
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If the Kings control and neutralize the two “sisters”, Klesla, Booth,Burrows and Malhotra tonight and put big bodies in front of Luongo then they will okay tonight. Go Kings Go tonight!
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“If the power-play-goal gap ends up being heavily in Vancouver’s favor, the Canucks will likely win the series easily.”
-so, since theoretically the King’s PK and canuck’s PP are about even, what your saying is our playoff lives depend on Kompon’s power-play coaching. ugh….
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Rich Hammond Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 8:58 am
Or maybe the players who actually do things (or don’t do things) on the ice.
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nykingfan Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 9:34 am
@Rich Hammond,
nah!
since when is it ever the player’s fault? lol
Kompon instructs them to fan on open nets
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Duncanz Reply:
April 11th, 2012 at 10:11 am
@nykingfan, The alternative reality of the casual Kings fan..
Kings have got this series. Kings win first 2 in Vancouver, break our hearts with losing a 3rd period lead in game 3 at home. Win game 4 in regulation to get the whole NHL talking, lose game 5 in Vancouver. Bring home the 3-2 lead and polish them of in overtime in game 6 at Staples Center. We will be bringing back the thunder that we need in our building …Go Kings
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