The Kings have now gone four consecutive games without a power-play goal. The fact that they won three of those games is no consolation, because eventually a lack of power-play success will come back to bite a team in a playoff series. The Kings went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game 1 against St. Louis, and recorded eight shots on goal in 10 minutes of power-play time. That’s a statistic that the Kings need to see improve. the Blues weren’t particularly aggressive on the penalty kill, but they were well-positioned and displayed a great ability to block point shots. Drew Doughty and Darryl Sutter talked about the needed area of improvement in Game 2.
DOUGHTY: “We had good O-zone time, but our main focus on the power play is to get more shots to the net. We’re getting some wristers through, but I think we need to be getting a lot more shots than we have been. Our power play has been struggling. I think we’ve got to create a lot more scoring opportunities with screens in front.’’
SUTTER: “We have to be more about shooting the puck hard at the net, for sure. With the time we spent in the offensive zone in the last game, without getting shots, you have to be able to take the shot. We’re playing against the best defensive team in the league, so you know their penalty-killing is going to be just as much about that, in terms of lanes and blocking shots. A lot of times, what you think is not a high-quality shot, you better be taking it, because it might be the one you’re going to get.’’
What I say is net have to be covered with screens and shoot just shoot if you shoot and keep shooting chances are at least one will go in.
You want to win Don’t You?
(cutting edge)
Rocky Rocky Rocky, please men and boys someone step up tonight, Go Kings Go!
Good luck, LA fans are in it, will be screaming for ya!!!!!!!!!!!!
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
@Gail Web, So, one should shoot the puck when there is no shooting lane to shoot through?
No offense meant by this, but, no, that will never work on this or any other planet. Shooting just to shoot when there is no shooting lane to shoot through is a recipe for failure.
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SDGolfer Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
@mrbrett7, Some people will never understand that concept.
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Weasel Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
@SDGolfer,
I had season tickets during the bad years. I can remember one game were the Kings were particularly inept and every starting shouting “Shoot” Shoot!” — So, Joe Corvo rewards them by winding up for a big slap shot – which hits the winger’s skates deflects past him for a 1 on none breakaway goal against. I can’t remember who we were playing or who was in goal that night (too traumatized from the Adma Deadmarsh is ‘day to day’ reports from those days).
Gail Web Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
@mrbrett7, should they just stand there and look pretty? If you do not go in front of the net and if you do not shoot then you do not get goals, have to set up screen too least not forget. This is what is wrong too much thinking and not enought shooting.
None taken
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David R Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@Gail Web, shooting lanes are there when they shoot, its just that if Doughty is shooting, he winds up so long, all the lanes close. Instead of just shoot, they should be saying shoot fast. I like Doughty, dont get me wrong, but his wind up is so long that my fat butt could skate over in time to block it.
mrbrett7 Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
@Gail Web, No Gail…the problem on the PP is not the amount of shots. The problem on the PP is the lack of players moving without the puck to open areas, thus CREATING shooting lanes.
EJ Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
@mrbrett7, shoot wide if you have to, but send it. Could get deflected; could get a big bounce off the lively boards there in St. Louis.
One other thing: Doughty takes so much time, trying to identify a lane to shoot; Martinez and Voynov manage to send it without hesitation.
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Weasel Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
@EJ,
Doughty has been brilliant in the playoffs thus far. I don’t think your comment is valid. He may benefit from shooting more quickly, but his role is more of a QB type than either VV or AM.
Doc Allen Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
@mrbrett7, I totally agree with you on your below reply. It is all about MOVEMENT on the PP. Our guys stand around and play keep away with the puck on the outside. It drives me crazy. Any team can defend against that and they do. Back to the coaching. I know these guys are pros but are they working on movement and creating chances therefore? I don’t see it and we are 0 for 19 I believe. That has to change for us to go deep. It not just a matter of “law of averages”. Far from it. If they get several inside shots and don’t score OK but blue line shots with big windups rarely go in. I know that we have had a few and they are crowd pleasers but our percentage is abysmal.
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no question this is true and important tonight. hope doughty practices what he preaches too! i think that’s what they will see from the blues as well . . .
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Interesting fact. Whenever I read what non kings fans and writers say about us they always say they love our puck movement on the pp and that we control it very well etc
I thought we hated our pp lol
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Duncanz Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
@Subby,
Kings PP time is nothing more than rest time for our PKers before the shorthanded business begins!!
XD
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DesertKing Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
@Duncanz,
Yep, mandatory NHLPA union break. Says so in the contract.
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I don’t believe this so much. Didn’t affect Boston last year.
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TheAcaciaStrain Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
@RedBear, very very true
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Bob Bobson Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
@RedBear, Last year Boston was an exception to the rule.
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Blues can make the choice to block shots all they want, but they keep dropping like flies in front of their own net with knee and ankle injuries.
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Kenny44 Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
@jess, And it could get worse for them, in that regard, if the Kings take the natural countermeasure.
There’s a few ways to block point shots on the PK – standing with legs together and stick mirroring point man’s stick; flopping all the way to the ice to stop the low point shot; and dropping to one knee, like the Blues have been doing. It’s easiest to get the puck by the first one with just a stick handle and quick wrister (although big windup slap shots are still easy to block). You can fake the shot and move around or even by the flopper. When the shot blocker goes down on one knee, he’s trying to cover more area while staying somewhat mobile. The natural countermeasure to that is to start shooting high and hard. Those ankle and knee bruises will turn into something else, if the Blues are brave/crazy enough to stay with that tactic.
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I would like to see them go back to Richards at the point with Doughty and Kop, Brown and Carter down low on the first unit. That way you have Alec and Mitchell (who is the most consistant on hitting the net from the point) on the second unit.
But I agree I don’t see this as a panic button issue with the way they have played shorthanded and 5-5.
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Kenny44 Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
@Peter, Voynov has been very good on the PP, and he’s our best back door Dman. The only one who senses the timing on that consistently.
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Peter Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
@Kenny44, Very good point. My thought on him was ice time being real high for a 1st year playoff guy, but your right he has been really good on the PP.
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Weasel Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
@Kenny44,
He is good at sniffing out shots, but his defensive play is not strong yet. Good enough for the PP I suppose, but all in all I’m actually more impressed with Martinez’s more rounded game even though he seems destined to be a third pairing guy (on this team anyway) since he doesn’t have as much overall talent.
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Kenny44 Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
@Weasel, I agree: AMart currently more well-rounded; Voynov better in the O-zone, better skater, and better moving the puck when he’s unmolested. I also think that Voynov’s higher skill level and his desire to improve will allow for great progress in the D zone. He’s still very young.
I’m going to stop short of the usual by saying let’s blame Kompon. I’m starting out with a new theme. Let’s blame DS. He is the head coach. I’ve said this before, the King’s lack lateral cross ice movement from the low wings thru the slot or variations there of. Low, tight one timers! It’s so easy to see on TV. Not sure why the staff can’t pick up on this? If I am wrong here, please tell me so. I won’t get upset…
LGK!!!
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
@waterndirt, I don’t blame any coaches, but, you’re correct in what they are lacking. In order to score, you must get the goaltender’s feet moving. Only way to do this is for lateral cross ice passes.
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Shot mentality… ok I said it…
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TheAcaciaStrain Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
@fuzzerson, ewww hahaha
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I loved the way we were able to gain the offensive zone on our PP in Game 1. If we can keep doing that, I’m not particularly worried. The more time spent in their zone, the better. If they’re going to continue to rack up penalty minutes, we’ve got to wear them down. Blocked shots can, at times, produce breakaways, so I don’t want to see us firing away simply for the sake of shooting the puck. If there’s a reasonable chance to put the puck on net, that’s another thing.
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Kman Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
@Ron Reynolds,
Well said. This game and series has soooooo much to do with PUCK POSSESSION. Kings have showed a lot of poise in the playoffs so far. Need to support the puck out of the zone, cycle as much as they can, clear the net, clear the zone and continue to keep the power play set-up whether they score or not.
Pretty standard, simple hockey winning things but very true for continued success.
Probably another intense attack from Blues in period 1 tonight. Stay on it boys !!
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I agree with Rich, the Blues PK was way more passive than any playoff team’s I’ve seen in a while, thus allowing the Kings to retain possession, but all OUTSIDE. That said, the trick is to find a way to force them out of position or catch them mid-adjustment by moving constantly and even flooding one side of the ice. A passive, collapsing PK LOVES a static PP, so dont give that to them!
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Maybe Doughty should increase his backswing to be like Tiger Woods’ when he’s on the tee looking to knock one out atout 375 yards. That’ll work
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“A lot of times, what you think is not a high-quality shot, you better be taking it, because it might be the one going in.”
If you watch the video, what he said was “A lot of times, what you think is not a high-quality shot, you better be taking it, because it might be the only one your going to get.”
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vindogla Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@vindogla, *you’re
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Rich Hammond Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Thanks…recording was unclear.
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What do Blues rank as far as PK during the season?
Like us they (goals) could be very hard to come by.
We need to improve yes, but it’s still going to be tough.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
@Lake Forest,
7th. Vancouver 6th.
St. Louis PP was worse than ours however. So all in all, we were better than them in both PK and PP.
In other words, the pressure is on THEM!!!
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Can’t wait to share video of the ‘Taxi Squad’ from practice on Wednesday. With 11 more players on the ice, I’ll be curious to see how they run it. I imagine they will split things up quite a bit. Either two practices or maybe some players on the bench. Not sure.
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Get JMFJ on the point! (ducks for cover)
Fire Kompon!
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cycle the PP guys thru the middle. guys gotta move, esp’ly if they keep aggressively challenging the man with the puck like they have been.
get more tips/deflections from the slot. Don’t have to actually shoot from the slot (ala Carter), just keep tipping it. If t desn;t go in, we should guys there picking up the trash.
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What I see is that the Kings are the only team left in the playoffs who don’t have set plays down low. They still are only looking for point shots to get throug and hope it goes in or a rebound. At some point, they have to try and get some plays designed for the slot or the wings in the dots, try for some cross seem plays for the wings. It’s pretty much been the same all year. If they can win without a good PP, that’s fine, but if they want to step it up, they need to make these changes.
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I remember 2 years ago in the series against the Canucks, Kings would score on every single PP they were on practically…didn’t they set the record that year for consecutive PP goals in the playoffs or something like that? Whatever it was all I know was they were beasts when they were on the PP. Now if that you mix that in with the team now, Kings would be running everyone down on the way to the cup. i hope they find a way to start getting goals on the man advantage tonight and progress from that because short handed goals and relying on Quickie every game will eventually run its time. GKG!!
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It would seem logical that on the PP the goalie MUST be screened. And, if necessary, sometimes 2 screeners would be effective. Also, some coach has to help Doughty on his windup over his head which clearly signals he is getting ready to shoot. He might as well send them an engraved invitation.
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All most time for tipoff!!Play the game in their end,keep back checking and skate like the wind!No unneccesary penalties!!Blues might start getting frustrated tonight and go to rough stuff and cheap shots,so we need to stay alert.GO KINGS,GO!!!
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