On what he attributes the drop-off in faceoff success to:
“Well, when they score goals on you, then you dwell on it. Tonight [had] two faceoff goals. Kopi’s usually so good on his backhand there, and the first goal they score, he loses a draw, and Robby and Drew both don’t have coverage. It’s an easy play to cover. And then the biggest part of killing penalties – I’ve always said that – is goalie and faceoff, and Jaret loses it clean. What’s it attributed to? You’ve got to ask the guys. You don’t coach faceoffs. Those guys are veteran guys who know who they’re playing against…Every time we play Nashville, it’s a huge stat, always. I mean, they’ve got three guys that are veteran guys, and they’re big guys and they’re strong guys, and…obviously they do a better job at it when we play them than we do [against them].”
On Nashville’s style of play:
“You’ve got to work to the inside against them to get anything offensively…They’re strong guys, and they’re really good defenders. Shea plays so much that at home he’s getting at home against Kopitar every time, and that’s what they did tonight. And then they put Blum and Ellis back in, and it gives them mobility. When you just do it on a straight matchup thing, they’re clearly better as a…seven man [defensive] unit. They were clearly better [with] seven than we were [with] six.”
On whether Drew Doughty is “pressing”:
“No, I just don’t think he’s good enough early in games. That’s not pressing. We expect a lot out of him. He and his partner are on the ice for too many goals against.”
On whether Friday’s recovery day comes at the right time:
“I don’t think so. It’s good to give ‘em a break. It’s what every team wants. Get a day off, it helps some guys that are banged up a little bit.”
On what makes Nashville difficult to score against:
“Well, their last four games – shootout win, shootout win, 6-1 win, 3-0 win. You know what? [If] you don’t give up much, and you’ve got great goaltending, it gives [you] a chance to win.”
Pathetic.
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:45 pm
@MK Ultra, For now.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:59 pm
@MK Ultra, maybe we can practice mind control on all our opponents eh mk ………. just might work ….. we suck ….. we cannot beat the kings …. repeat
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I don’t know if he has the answers.
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 10:01 pm
@LVKINGS88, Sure he does;
“You don’t coach faceoffs.”
And it’s all uphill from there.
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Did a little research on the d-men and how many goals have been scored against the Kings when they are on the ice.
DD – 17
Scuds – 16
A-mart – 7
DD2 – 6
VV – 4
MG – 2
The “horrible defensively” (according to some of you) Jake Muzzin – 1
We do need to take in account DD and Scuds see much more ice time than the other d-men, but in the abscence of MG and WM, our best d-men need to start playing like our best d-men.
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:12 pm
@BC14, That’s awesome. That factoid and his excellent +/- prove that Muzzie, at least, is getting the job done.
1) Norris?
2) Are you sure of those figures?
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:16 pm
@Duncanz,
1. No
2. Have a look for yourself. http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20132LAKDADALL&sort=teamGoalsAgainst&viewName=plusMinus
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luc20rules Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:22 pm
@CB14, Don’t confuse the facts with actual facts. We all saw Muzzin get beat badly by Bonino that goal counted as a -100 right? Muzzin, Martinez, Voynov, Drewiske, and yes even Doughty are still young D-men. In the NHL it takes time to be as good/great as you will be. It also hurts big time that the on ice coach, strategist, and Rock Solid Dman know as Willie Mitchell has been out all year. I see play improve greatly by all D-men on the roster with his return. As for scoring I believe the Kings often scored with good D whether it be with the break out pass or just frustrating the other teams O into mistakes or riskier plays.
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
@luc20rules, I think all the d-men except our top pair have played pretty food so far. VV especially has been great. I hope WM solves all our problems, but I don’t think he will.
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:47 pm
@CB14, Or maybe our offense can help out our dmen like last season……..maybe???
DLB Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:24 pm
@CB14, Muzzin is being sheltered from ordinary minutes, tough comp, and nearly all defensive zone draws by the work of Scuderi and Doughty. That is because Muzzin hasn’t earned Sutter’s trust. He is more sheltered than any Kings’ D man has been in the last four seasons.
The top pair was bad tonight, but they’re not usually this off. They are banged up and logging too many minutes.
But don’t take Muzzin being on the ice for only one goal against as any proof he’s fine defensively, when he has a massively different task given to him.
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
@DLB, I know. I’m not saying that Muzzin has been error free, because he hasn’t, just that some people on here would make you believe that the Kings are losing because of Muzzin’s defensive errors. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Muzzin’s only bad defensive play that actually hurt the Kings was the Bonino one which Luc20rules mentioned above. It should also be noted that Bonino managed to fake out a Conn Smythe winning goalie in the process too, so mabye that goal had more to do with a great offensive play rather than a horrible defensive play on Muzzin’s part.
I disagree with you on our top pair. They’ve looked horrible to me all season long. Yes WM and MG being out has put more pressure on them, and alot more ice time, but they shouldn’t be THIS bad. Their chemistry looks horrible out there, they remind me of DD and JJ playing together. That shouldn’t happen when these guys have played together for as long as they have.
WM coming back will help this team, but he’s not going to all of a sudden make the errors DD and Scuds have made go away.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:43 pm
@DLB, couldnt agree more dlb …. as quickie likes to say …. stats are for bird watchers ….. muzzin is terrible out there in my opinion …. again , its not just defensive coverage – its breakouts ….. hes too inexperienced to know how to break out of the zone the way the stanley cup winning kings did last playoffs …. so he actually effects our offense as well because of this same with drewiske ………… im not blaming them because they are too young and inexperienced …. it takes time obviously …. but the kings are not rebiuilding …. so this is why its such a huge problem because we are trying to win another stanley cup in the next 5 years at least ………….. so weve got no time for their learning curve – especially in a shortened season ….. do something deano
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mr_higgns Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 3:33 am
@phil sykes, Yo Phil….it’s not “knowing” how to break out of the zone — it’s playing the system they use to break out — and they’ve done it well enough. Perhaps the forwards they’re giving it to are struggling to muster offense with it? Team funk – Stanley’s hangover — but as suggested WM back would help but if you think it’s going to turn this ship around – think again…Patience…
dMan Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 10:20 pm
@CB14, just looking at the goals against is part of the picture, add their TOI into the mix too.
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luc20rules Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:11 pm
@CB14, I’m hoping that with Mitchell back he and Voynov will get more minutes as well, as AMart-DD2. With 5 or so fewer minutes each DD & Scuds will not be over extended and play better. I know for sure Mitchell will improve our PK and he will not be shy about reminding Dmen or Forwards what their responsibilities are. I particularly think the Centers have not played that well defensively so far. Its still early I want to see if there is improvement by game 12. That the end of the 1st Qtr of the season.
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JD Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 1:03 am
@CB14, DD and Scuds are playing way to minutes because Muzzin and DD2 suck
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Michael J. Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 8:27 am
@CB14,
I knew the goals “agaynst” had to be bad for those two, but had no idea that it was that bad.
Thanks for the research.
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kopitar playing like a third liner all season …. what will richards look like in 2 or 3 years , if he looks like this now
also on a side note , its only a matter of time before faust takes starting job from hiller – but ive noticed he seems to have those same illegal shoulder pads garth snow had circa 2003 – where they jet upwards …….. just an observation …… id like a surprise goalie inspection please nhl ……. thank you
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:08 pm
@phil sykes, I’m not worried about Kopi, but I am worried about Richards. Hasn’t shown much this season besides sticking up for his temmmates, which is nice, but we need alot more out of him.
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linny Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:15 pm
@CB14, sorry…can’t remember where I saw it but another blog said Richards is having the hardest time rounding into form so far
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luc20rules Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:28 pm
@phil sykes, Kopi is gutting it out thru a knee injury. I believe he is still skating with a brace, and the 17 days he wasn’t able to skate probably left him out of NHL skating condition. He will recover. As for Richards don’t know, but its not age he is only 27 well will be 28 on Feb 11. I think the lockout was so long that some players lost hope that there would be a season and stopped training and eating right. We didn’t have the battery of conditioning tests so really we don’t know about that, even if the Kings did they wouldn’t release the results. I just hope that its not too late when the Kings play like they did to win the Stanley Cup. Still not pressing the panic button.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:33 pm
@luc20rules, lol , yeeah , i know all about kopis knee injury , its just people got sick of me saying we are screwed because of it , so ive finally stopped talking about , oops here i go again …. ill shut up now
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:58 pm
@phil sykes, @Neilin’ Neil to the courtesy phone!
Kings forwards just needs to help out the D men more in the defensive zone. They are not collapsing tight enough…..too many players getting free pass in the goal mouth.
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
**too many of the opposition is getting a free pass in the slot area**
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Our 3rd line of King – Stoll – Lewis has a combined total of 1 point on the season.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
@CB14, i know he kills penalties and is a defensive player , but im absolutely sick of lewis …. too many games played as king and hes scored like 5 goals it seems like
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:25 pm
@phil sykes, I think it’s time to play Anthony stewart in place of Lewis. He might provide much needed grit the kings lacks this early in the season.
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vinny Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:08 pm
@rogiesbackup, how so many are against Lewis is beyond me. Sure he doesn’t score, but he’s getting better and better each season, and it seems that its going unnoticed. I mean for instance has nobody noticed his much improved puck possession? Take the other night for example against the sucks..gets a pass, skates in on a defenseman, gets around the stick check, takes a bump, meanwhile, a backchecker bumps him, and he still managed to push the puck through to a speeding voynov who goes backhand on hiller, and gets stopped. Awesome play, and he’s constantly able to control the puck in tight situations like that this season..I swear he’s getting better, and its ridiculous to suggest trading him/sitting him
Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
@BC14, It must be an anomaly … 9 anomalies!
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:16 pm
@Duncanz, vinny at some point u have to produce ….. hes played a ton of games in his kings career , but simply cannot contribute offensively in any way ………. i know hes a defenive player , but at some point u have contribute something offensively , and he never does , and yes not the only one lol lol ….how the hell did we win the stanley cup again lol lol
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
@phil sykes, The next game he’ll be right in his element, just you watch.
Spelling issues aside (which is to be expected there) he’s already achieved sainthood in Missouri, you know!
when your top D pair (dd & scuds) is on the ice for most of your GA, is not a good sign. We also need production from a hell lot of guys in our lineup.
Come on step it up
GKG
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Actually this looks exactly like the team last year. Has difficulty scoring goals and any team that looked at least half way decent beat the Kings in the first half of the season. Hope this team follows that trend.
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:11 pm
@rogiesbackup, Only problem is this seasons only 48 games, not 82. We can’t wait until game 62 to turn it on like we did last season. I hope the Kings realize this.
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Robyn Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:18 pm
@CB14, So by your math, they should turn it around by game 28 and start winning, right?
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:33 pm
@Robyn, Actually yeeeeeaaah. I wouldn’t be surprise. Listen, this is a “meat and potatoes” kind of team. They’ll never blow you away with pretty passing and highlight goals they just beat you by pure will and grit. Those attributes take time unfortunately. Hope it clicks in soon!!!!
CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:43 pm
@Robyn, One can hope.
luc20rules Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:30 pm
@CB14, But think how dominate we will be next season turning it on at game 14! LOL
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:43 pm
@luc20rules,
Robyn Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:13 pm
@rogiesbackup, it does play into my theory that the Kings are taking it easy waiting for everyone to wear themselves out before they strike… Too bad it’s such a roller coaster for the fans
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
@Robyn, I hope that’s what they’re doing but I’m sure it’s just a timing thing. As far as being a “roller coaster for fans” that’s just how sports is no matter if they won the cup or not. Win some/loose some.
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hi yall …. we got plastered ….kopitar invisible all season ….. and someone please explain to me why sutter loves frasier so much … richardson is a much better player , creates offense sometimes with his tenacity on the puck , and eventhough he dosent score alot , he scores a helluva lot more than frasier who is just a waste of space in my opinion ….richardson is getting royally screwed , and the team is worse off because of it …. frasier does nothing every single game
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CB14 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
@phil sykes, Sutter, along with DL and TM prefer size and strength over speed and skill.(Not saying Richardson has skill, but he does have speed.) I thought Fraser was real solid last season, but he hasn’t shown anything this season.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:18 pm
@CB14, frasier is actually pretty small ….. just saying …… and yes i know what they like you dont have to school me, iv only watched every game for the last 34 years , but frasier brings nothing and is not very big
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:36 pm
@phil sykes, He was willing to throw down against the 6′ 7″ Hal Gil this evening!!
Canuck75 Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 9:42 am
@phil sykes, I am with you Phil. I don’t get what DS’s obsession is with Fraser. If he is looking for a big body that can hit, this isn’t the guy. He doesn’t do too much out there in my opinion. I would like to see Richardson get a chance. It isn’t like Fraser, Penner, Nolan, or King are doing anything. If it was my team, I would start cycling the bottom six in the press box until I started to see some sense of urgency from this group. Zero energy from what are suppose to be your energy lines.
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Looks like I picked a good night to work. Just some dvr clean up when I I get home. :/
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Robyn Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
@KC23, Hopefully the next game will be one worth saving… Even our 1 regulation win against CBJ wasn’t worth saving.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
@KC23, looks like i picked the wrong night to stop sniffing glue – lloyd bridges
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:37 pm
@phil sykes, Hahahaha!!! Loved that movie!!
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Chip Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 10:37 pm
@rogiesbackup,
Yeah, I figured that you went to Faber College.
puck73 Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
@phil sykes, Outstanding Phil ! That was a Hall of fame blast !
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Easy to explain…not hungry after last season…its human nature…
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rogiesbackup Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:37 pm
@neil, At least not yet!
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Start acting like stanley cup champs..not chumps.(it hurts to say) DD is acting like that guy on KAYAK.com commercial.
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im so depressed …. i need to go watch buffalo 66 on an endless loop all night to make me feel better
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:50 pm
@phil sykes, Superb! Has Mike Ricci’s sister in it.
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#hockey is not back
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:36 pm
@*, i had no idea barry bonds was a kings fan
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Kings only EIGHT points away from first place in Pac Division considering. This team can chip away at it. Let me remind you guys, Minnesota was a beast early part of the year…..blossomed too early.
Think Positive!!!!
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:53 pm
@rogiesbackbrace, That’s 8 pts out, 9 games into the season.
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Tim Thomas going to the Isles if he returns. LOL
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we can beat detroit …. their defense is atrocious , and goaltending average ….. dosent mean we will , but there should be an opportunity to score a few , even with our anemic offense , but can our defense hold up – could be some more tap in empty netters like our 3rd goal against tonight with quick out 3 feet above the crease for the rebound /deflection ……. boy i wish we could get some of those freebies ……….. again i love quick so dont start badmouthing me …… just saying , knowing his style – better pick up the guys in front of the net ………. quick is used to having players who know how to pick up people that arent the main shooter , something we are sturggling mightily with , with all these injuries
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It’s time now for DL to make a move . Zero scoring from your third line … Compare every other teams third line and they will I’m sure have at least a combined total if 10 not 1 point. Also need to bolster the D with a vet.
We heard from DL and Lucky before the season that they have free reign to spend or dowhat they need to repeat… Now is the time to pull the trigger!
Igilnia for Penner, Lewis and King.
Be bold DL!
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:30 pm
@Blub, now theres a take blub …… nice to hear from you , i dont know if thats the answer or not regarding iginla ………… but i like your boldness , im not a fan of lombardis ultra conservative ways , but hey we won a cup so at least i like him better than i used to ………. definately need a vet dman for sure , thats obvious ……………………. iginla ? … why not , im ready for a change ….. if our team revolves solely around kopis health , which is what i believe , then i believe we wont ever score consistently until his knee heals , because right now hes playing tentatively and u can see how it effects the whole team , if thats the case , then i guess we need iginla …. add a scorer anyway u can …. this hockey is so boring to watch ….. id rather have the young setugucchi though ….. sorry duncanz …. lol lol … had to say it …. yep i have ocd big time …. woohoo
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Duncanz Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:42 pm
@phil sykes, As was mentioned here the other night, I don’t know if we need one Gucci, let alone a whole set o’ them!
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pathetic effort tonite. how many point blank shots did nashville get on quick? 1o out of their 14? how many scoring opps did kings get? maybe 3. pathetic.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:41 pm
@freezerflatten, get used to it …. were back to terry murray hockey ….. man right when i was starting to believe darryl sutter was a genius
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freezerflatten Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
@phil sykes, it started off with a poor game against chicago and went downhill ever since.
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if we dont make the playoffs the whole league is gonna be laughing at us saying were the same ole kings …. just lucky one hit wonders …. what a shame
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zulov Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 12:13 am
@phil sykes, Yep – this sure feels like Kings hockey right now… Still can’t believe what happened last season…
Was it real???? This sure feels real….
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Everyone bought Sutter diversion and switching the subject.Thisis not defence why Kings are losing games. It could be better but Whisky and Mazzin are not 100% ready for NHL, that is why DD plays insane minutes. It was also not accident that last year Scud played less minutes than this year – he can’t handle it.
The problem is offence and the core players do not play well starting from Kopitar, Brown, Richards, Penner, Stoll. EVERYONE except Voynov playing worse this year than in palyoffs – this is a fact! Sutter returned back to “shot mentality”. Last game is good example why you do not win many games with this. This is idiotic. Quick is disaster with .889 save % and he is #31 out of 40 goltenders! Bernier is even worse. This is it.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
@Alberto, Losing two top stay-at-home defensemen causes everyone to change his game. It starts with the defensive adjustments and ripples outward. Players need to adjust to their roles and, perhaps, stop waiting for Mitchell to come back and save the day.
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crashin'da net Reply:
February 8th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
@Alberto, that’s just great man….game over man….game friggin over man…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY
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