It’s a crystal-clear day outside as the Kings prep for their first road game of the season.
Here’s a look outside the team hotel…you can see Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) in the distance. The Kings have their morning skate in a bit…we’ll have notes throughout the day. Don’t forget today’s game starts at 6 p.m. PT…airing on Fox Sports West, KTLK AM 1150 and along the Kings Radio Network.
No Munter’s unit?
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aKinginVancouver Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:09 am
@Chip, There will be some angry insiders today
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:24 am
@Chip, Sure there is! On the building front and center.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:41 am
@Chip,
Do they know about Rich’s AC Jones?
Betcha not…
Don’t jinx us.
There is still time.
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If it was not for Coors Field in the background, it looks like a parking lot adjacent to Staples Center in LA. Let’s get that first win of the season tonight! GKG!!!
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you need a better camera, riches photos were much clearer, and i wonder if you are trying to be the same in your reporting as homage to the man or if you just stealing his style?
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TeamJMFJ Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 8:56 am
@pr0cess, whats wrong with taking a picture out the window? I always enjoyed these shots myself…
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pr0cess Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:00 am
@TeamJMFJ, No i also like them, But the quality of the shot isnt all that great as what the old hammer would give us
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LA_1968 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:11 am
@pr0cess, But I’ll take the pic. Thanks. Boots on the ground is what we need and we got them.
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Maybe Rich is “LAKings.com”? Nah….on second thought…this snapshot
Is not the same high quality professional photography we expected from Rich….nice to get this morning update though..
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pr0cess Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:01 am
@TeamJMFJ, This^^^ exactly what i said
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TeamJMFJ Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 6:56 pm
@pr0cess, you beat me to it!
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Can’t wait for the the full Bob & Foxxy version of Kings hockey. For me, this is the real season opener
.
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Sebastian Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:06 am
@Pili, Absolutely, its not Kings hockey without those guys, and you bet they will be showing off their new jewelry.
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i hate to be the grammar police but you made a blatant error at the end there…
“…KTLK AM 1150 and along the – STANLEY CUP CHAMPION – Kings Radio Network.”
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Have to work tonight so I won’t be able to see our team get their first win. GKG-AGAIN!!
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yetiman_oc Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:13 am
@DesertKing, don’t you have a dvr?
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DesertKing Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:01 am
@yetiman_oc,
Yep, but I like it live!
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Took a good long look at the last game. Clifford and his line mates really looked ready to play. Those that didn’t seem ready to play imho:
Doughty
Scudes
Greene
Martinez
Quick
Brown
Richards
Stoll
I despite the bad stats for Carter, Williams and Penner that line looked pretty good. Carter and Penner especially looked ready.
Brown just isn’t the same player on the RW as he is from LW and it showed. Richards looked slow and un-engaged and Gagne stuggled largely as a result of Brown and Richard’s ineffectivness.
Both Scudes and Greene looked slow and un-ready for the season. Doughty looked like he did when he came back from his hold out and Scudes wasn’t sharp enough to cover for Doughty’s lack of effectivness with the puck.
Voynov was aggressive, but Martinez just isn’t Mitchell and didn’t have a good feel for Voynov’s aggressiveness. Martinez was also agreessive and Voynov also didn’t have a good feel for when Martinez would jump up.
I hang this one largely on the coach’s line combinations. Especially defensely. Voynov with Martinez was a bad idea. Breaking up the Richards line was a bad idea. Putting Brown on RW was a bad idea.
If I had to choose the lines and do that game all over again:
Brown Stoll Willams
Penner Richards Carter
Problem is the 3rd line. Do you put either Gagne or King on their off wing? I would try Gagne on the off wing because he’s got the speed and the skill to pull it off and Lewis is a natural center.
The 4th line look good, especially Clifford. Clifford looked in mid-season form.
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puck73 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:33 am
@KC23, Gotta disagree with you on Dwight King. That guy was not ready to play! He was soft, and played on the perimiter on Saturday. If he wants to stay on the big club, he will have to go to the net, and the boards like Nolan and Clifford did, or its back to Manchester for that guy.
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vinny Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:21 am
@puck73, good post i agree, he didnt look like he’d been playing this whole time in manchester..but there was a lot of ..rust i guess, and im not too worried about any of em
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tornado12 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:58 am
@KC23, Solid post! I agree you have to keep together as much as possible the lines from the end of their run! Seems like a no brainer to me.
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With Greener out, and Muzzin in, and the callup of Bodnarchuk, prospects are coming into play.
This is a good article on the Kings farm system and prospect depth here in case some missed it during the lockout:
November 4th, 2012: http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/80709/los-angeles-kings-use-draft-and-free-agency-to-restock-prospect-depth/
I had forgotten that Muzzin was on the Cup Run practice squad aka “Black Aces”. Can’t wait to see him tonight.
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Kopitar comes back, so hopefully that will set the first two lines back to DB – AK – JW and DP – MR – JC. As unprepared as most of those guys were against Chicago, you have to believe that Sutter will light the right fires and they will be ready against the Avs.
The D is a bit worrisome, but DL knows how to build for depth. Can’t wait for the game tonight!
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tornado12 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:03 am
@aKinginVancouver, I would like to see the d pairings as follows
Doughty/Scuderi
Drewiske/voynov
Muzzin/Martinez
When Mitchell comes back slot with voynov and play either Muzzin or drewiske with Martinez, whoever is playing better at the time
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Did Stewart clear waviers?
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Stuart Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:27 am
@KC23, I’ve heard he did.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:29 am
@KC23, Yes.
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KC23 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:36 am
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), That may come in handy down the line. Nolan looked sharp though. Weird to me how Nolan looks better playing in the NHL than he does in the AHL. Watched a number of Monarchs games with Nolan and he looked very average.
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LA_1968 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:38 am
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), I wonder if he’s actually going to Manchester. With the new CBA there are no more re-entry waivers so that’s good.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:07 am
@LA_1968, It’s great to not have to worry about re-entry waivers.
NHL Network just reported Greener out 6-8 weeks with surgury on his disc this week…
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LA_1968 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:46 am
@lakingbob(chi), Hey friend! Good to see you again. That time frame on Greener sounds about right. I’m sure Greene is having fond memories of the 6 day training camp now.
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IN King Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:47 am
@lakingbob(chi),
I was just going to post the same thing. Here’s the link from TSN.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=414161
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fuzzerson Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:14 am
@lakingbob(chi), I hope the surgery doesnt effect his mobility when he comes back.
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IN King Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:20 am
@fuzzerson,
Oh man,goodness knows he can’t afford to lose anymore of that!
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Which hotel do they Kings stay at in Denver? Anyone know?
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yetiman_oc Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:30 am
@Mickey Keenan, that looks like the ritz carlton
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Hi @ all!
First i have to say i’m from Germany
and so i’m Sorry for my bad english!
During the Lockout i wasn’t reading here,
so for me today was the first time to realize that
Rich is gone and why.
Let me say for a kingsfan who try to follow
his team
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PolarBear Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:19 am
@PolarBear,
sorry again…(stupid phone!!!!!)
I will miss Rich!!!
So I hope the Kings find someone else, who
run this site his own way, but with the same
Love and Passion!
For tonight i hope the Team find a way
to replace Mitchell and Green… but thats hard!
Any Updates about d-pairing and 2nd Line LW???
GO KINGS GO!
from Germany
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Why do so many insiders keep making excuses for Gagne’s poor play?
He was ineffective last season before and after his concussion. He was ineffective last game. I think it had nothing to do with his linemates. He simply has not shown ANY of the traits that convinced DL to bring him here. Everything Gagne has done in his career to earn our respect, was done to benefit other teams.
I worry that the fine line between “veteran presence” and “practice pylon uselessness” is being skirted to close for comfort with Gagne, just like it was with Hunter and Moreau last season.
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vplaza Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 11:22 am
@GUSTAVO,
Actually, before his injury, he wasn’t as bad as you make it sound. He had a four game scoring streak early in the year and finished with 17 points in 34 games played.
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KC23 Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 11:29 am
@GUSTAVO, Didn’t look that bad to me. I thought Brown playing on Kopitar’s right wing was the weak link in that early line combination last year. Playoffs don’t really count, just 2 games off a long long layoff.
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Thanks for the update today
Go Kings Go!
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