On his assessment of the young defensemen:
“I thought they were solid. You know what? It’s not about singling guys out. There were no big mistakes, right? So you don’t have to single guys out…If you limit them to only that many shots, that means that as a group – not just as a defense – that we played well enough to win.”
On whether he expected Voynov to be logging the heavy minutes that he currently is:
“We have to play them. It’s got nothing to do with ‘expecting’ what the start of the season was. We lost Mitchell and Greene and Martinez, three guys that were…top-six guys. There are only three more. You know what? They’ve got to play more, and it’s a little bit of ‘as they go,’ right? See how it goes. But Slava’s been really good. You look at it minutes-wise, and how he’s got to play against players, and what he gives us, power-play…We’ve tried to get him into some penalty killing stuff, so give him credit. He’s the youngest guy on our defense. When you think about how young they are, that’s a kid that’s really stepping up.”
On who will start in goal at Chicago on Sunday:
“Jeez, I haven’t thought about it. Quite honest, I didn’t know who it was yesterday. It’s a good situation. I said we were going to ride a hot goalie, but at the same time, our schedule’s got to demand that Jonathan and Jonathan both play well for us.”
On whether ‘Jonathan’ will start on Sunday:
“It’s ‘Joe Bernier’ and ‘Quicker’. Joe. Quick.”
On whether he’s been pleased with any particular line’s chemistry:
“There’s very few ‘line chemistries’ in the NHL. It’s usually two guys and then somebody else. Every team is like that. It’s not ours. There are guys that play together – Kopitar-Brown, Stoll-Lewis, pretty much. We split Richards-Carter up to get more out of our center ice men. So you know what, there are a bunch of young guys up there too, and they’re trying to find their way, and we’re trying to show them the way. We’ve got some older guys that still haven’t scored a goal this year. We’re actually a quarter of a way into our season, so they’re on a pace that’s not really ‘career averages’. We’ve got to keep working with them.”
On Clifford’s shot:
“The best decision is to shoot, two-on-one. He shot the puck.”
On the ‘best line’ being whichever line Clifford has been on:
“He didn’t play much tonight. He was on two or three lines. We just need his energy. We need his physical presence. If you look at it, he’s…had not even a shot a game, and we’ve been talking to him about shooting pucks more instead of looking off…If you shoot the puck, sometimes good things happen.”
On whether the decision to shoot rather than pass is a depiction of Clifford’s maturity and confidence:
“It’s a little bit of both. I don’t think it’s ‘maturity’. It’s having the offensive ability to know when to do it and when not to do it.”
Gotta love DS. He’s gonna start “Jonathan.” Brilliant!
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jess Reply:
February 15th, 2013 at 11:49 pm
@DesertKing,
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Osaka Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 1:21 am
@jess, Bernier
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Bill M. Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:51 am
@DesertKing, Which is fine. I’m comfortable with “Johnathan” in net…
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:49 am
@DesertKing, Or “Joe,” whoever he is.
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Sutter, I have been sleeping better since you became coach. It’s no different tonight.
Thanks for everything Jon. Night.
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ya see…DS not giving it away…this guy gets it…Who Starts in net? “Geez, I haven’t even thought about it”…Got to love it
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His comments on Clifford are sort of a mystery…to me, Clifford has affected the game more than any other player
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Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:40 am
@g smith86, Well offensively, I agree. On the goal that Ellerby assisted on in STL, it was Clifford who set the play up. He got the check in on the guy which cleared Ellerby to take the puck down the ice and pass it to Carter who threaded it through Elliot’s 5 hole (again).
Defensively, VMFV has really affected the game (in a positive way) more than anyone else. He takes bodies, he’s got crisp passes, got his head up and he’s reading the play well. Not enough credit for either of them but coaches don’t often sing the praises of their players.
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puck73 Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 9:32 am
@Robyn, As a guy who played competitively for 31 years in leagues all over the place, gotta say I really enjoy reading some of your posts. Good analysis on hockey.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:50 am
@Robyn, So far, I still think Voynov and Clifford have been the most consistent players…and of course, it follows that they both played before the NHL season started.
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Wow DS sounds like he took too many of his meds tonight. I really like how he gives credit to the incredible play of VV. No sweat for you if VV goes down right? *face hoof*
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tomb Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:36 am
@MmmmYummy, best trade last year was unloading Jack Johnson to make room for Voynov. Also got Jeff Carter out of the deal.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:51 am
@tomb, It seemed to be quite a turning point, and frankly, VV and JC playing pretty well now too.
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DS quotes always take the cake. I really enjoyed watching Anze celebrate in Slovania again during 2nd intermission. Life sure has its moments of goodness.
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Ok, I’ll comment again:
What is this STUPID SONG they are playing during the 3 stars!! HOOORRRENDOUS!!!
DO NOT PLAY THAT EVER AGAIN!!
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Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:44 am
@Devilmachine, The Harlem Shake, maybe? I wasn’t paying attention when they did the 3 stars what song was playing
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:52 am
@Robyn, It had “Kings-specific” lyrics…and it wasn’t…good….
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Great game tonight although a bit boring.Had JB on my side of the rink two times tonight,he looks very calm even though he didn’t see much in the way of shots. I wasn’t able to see the goal that Columbus scored tonight because it was on the other end of the rink but I think Columbus should have had a penalty called before that in their own end.Two game win streak whoohoo,lets make it three in a row.
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Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:46 am
@LVKINGS88, There was a total BS lack of call on the Columbus end. I didn’t get to see it very well because it was waaaaaay at the other side of the rink (I was sitting behind JB) but I saw enough that one of the CBJs was laying on a guy in a black sweater. The ref was looking right at them (or I thought he was, maybe I’m wrong) then just let it go. I was like HELLO! Then CBJ came back, someone pushed one of our guys into JB, then CBJ scored.
Overall, I thought JB did well. But as you said, he didn’t see much action tonight.
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LVKINGS88 Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:49 am
@Robyn, I didn’t see the push or the goal but the play you mentioned in the CBJ end was a penalty.
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Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:53 am
@LVKINGS88, Hm, really? I didn’t notice a whistle. This was late in the third period, about a minute before CB scored their goal.
Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:56 am
@LVKINGS88, Speaking of JB, though, the last 60 seconds of the game he really kept composure. He didn’t panic, didn’t try to over play the puck and was able to track the puck often enough to make saves where necessary. Good D really helped him out, though.
Kopi Bryant Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 8:34 am
@LVKINGS88, I sit on the Kings shoot twice end and it was Brown who was pinned down by a Columbus defender for what it seemed to be at least 10 seconds while a zebra was looking right at it. Ridiculous non call.
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:54 am
@LVKINGS88, Yeah, that was a really evil-bad non-call, and the ref was staring right at it. I think they should send a letter off to the league about it. Totally unacceptable.
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OMG, everyone is actually only talking about hockey and the LA Kings tonight! it is so, so, so, wonderful………
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Duncanz Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 1:29 am
@DessertKing, Normal service will be returned as soon as possible and the blog will revert to the theme that the Illuminati intended for it to be all along – Ducks hockey!!
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Osaka Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 1:32 am
@Duncanz, Where’s the Dr.?
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Duncanz Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 1:43 am
@0 sake, You mean HST … or ….. ?
Huh, you know I think gameday might act like a clove of garlic in this case of this entity.
Still trying to get a bead but will ask next time we receive the benefit of a housecall.
Not to get too far away from LAK hockey to keep the denizens stable, but how’re things over in TLOTRS?
Check out the schedule in March, both goalies will be seeing action.
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master of the flying blogotene is in da house !
kings play any other team … its a loss …. wasnt impressed as columbus is absoultely terrible ….. i think we were pretty fortunate to win .. makes up for the detroit game in my mind ….. i mean not that we were outplayed – we usually outplay our opponents overall … but its the same old crap – no finishers or finishing …. we are lucky richards scored the fluke goal and columbus did their best brown kopi impersonation on the 2 on oh …. because bernier was prematurely swimming …. plus columbus hit a post
and i thought ellerby looked bad , and it appears to be effecting doughty , because now doughty is running around ala jack johnson because he dosent trust ellerby – and well he shouldnt – its just my opinion that id rather see drewiske moved up to the top 4 and ellerby down to the bottom pairing
i trust drewiske much much more as a stay at home type than ellerby – and im sure doughty would too
i really dont understand all the apparent giddyness about this win in most of the posts
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Duncanz Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:12 am
@phil sykes, +1
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phil sykes Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:44 am
@Duncanz, attention mike richards …. you are pretty flogging bad …….. just because you make one nice play in the defensive zone highlighted by jim fox – that i caught live by the way and didnt need highlighted – but just because you do one decent thing per game does not entitle you to your status or salary
what is going on with this guy … yea kopis invisible , but at least i know why kopi is invisible every game (knee) – but you mr. richards have no excuse ….. if you are supposed to be a 1b centermen as advertised when traded for , shouldnt u do something offensively any given night ……… yea we won a cup …… so im ecstatic ……. but boy does lombardi look like he got hosed on this trade …… ive said it before …… if richards looks like this now … whats he going to look like in 2 or 3 years when he hits his 30s ? …… scary ……….. i mean unless we just turn him into a third line center for the rest of his career , then hell do fine at that …….. but he certainly isnt the 1b guy lombardi advertised
and lastly mr richards ………. when u score a goal … dont apoolgize for it with your slumped shoulders and want to give it back mentality – “im sorry columbus , i didnt deserve that and u didnt deserve that” …… its hard enough for you to score goals obviously , or even get 1 shot on goal per game apparently – so dont apologize for it when u actually do score – i mean jeeeesh , can we kings fans get something for the money were giving you …………. like understanding the fact columbus took 2 really bad penalties to give us a free 5 on 3 … so u make them pay – and u dont apologize for it no matter how it goes in …….. because up until columbus commited those 2 bad penalties , the jackets were very much in the game
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kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:56 am
@phil sykes,
1 decent thing per game X 48 games = Large Contract.
You annoy the crap out of me. It’s all mental masturbation with you talking like you have a clue. You couldn’t wipe Mike Richards butt, yet here you are pontificating about the short comings of a guy who’s cheese is more talented than you’ll ever be.
Cop on to yourself!!!
kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:46 am
@phil sykes,
A win is a win is a win. What the hell more do you want? You’re not one of our newly acquired pretentious aficionados are you? I don’t know what team you are looking at, but this team is bad ass and I have no doubt about its coach or where they’ll end up at the end of the year.
I know our record doesn’t show it, but apart from Preds, Hawks and Quacks, we’ve owned the teams we’ve played. It’s only going to get better as the season wears on. Trust me.
In Sutter I trust!!
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phil sykes Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 3:05 am
@kissmyblarneystones, i dont want to wipe mike richards’ butt , but obviously you do – so wipe away
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kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 3:17 am
@phil sykes,
Your posts summon images of a lager lout perched in a terraced stand in Hartlepool.
phil sykes Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 3:29 am
@kissmyblarneystones, and that would be a good thing , right ? ……. thanks for the compliment
and yea – sutters a stud
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Duncanz Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 8:44 am
@phil sykes, Tell him it’s better than being an ale addled animal on the bank at Burton Albion!
kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:43 pm
@Duncanz,
Or a skanger from Tallaght.
Russ Dynda Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 9:11 am
@kissmyblarneystones, I’m sitting here with a wide grin. Seems like you were being nice to me, considering your comments to Phil. I feel grateful.
“In Sutter I trust???” I wonder how many people in Calgary feel that way.
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kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:06 am
@Russ Dynda,
In three years with them, they went from missing the playoffs to Winning the division with a trip to the SCF. If anything, I’d think they’d be upset about his departure.
Russ Dynda Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 12:23 pm
@Russ Dynda, The year they won the division they got knocked out in the first round. Since then it’s been downhill, fed by his stint as GM and his hiring his brother as coach. I don’t think that in Calgary they are reciting “In Sutter we trust.”
kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:46 pm
@Russ Dynda,
Hold that thought, you’re exactly where I want you.
goldielocks Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 6:35 am
@phil sykes,
Agree with the Kings down played. If they bring that kind of game to Chicago, they are going to lose. But it’s kind of their tendancy if the opponent doesn’t pick up they play slow or go along I should say. Plus it was the game after roadie. They always play bad after the road trip. But I was also not happy with this one. I’m over with hitting the hot goal tender or win is win crap. The hockey is the game of momentum. You’ve got to keep it flows win or lose. Tonight they lost some of their momentum, coming from the near complete game against the Blues.
However I don’t agree with how Ellerby played. It’s just 3 games in since he got here, and he is doing way bettert than I expected. I think he’s going to be better fit for the western conference hockey than eastern crappy defense style.
And regarding Mike Richards, I see he’s getting there position-wise. Not enoguh yet but at least he’s now in good positon to receive the pass or make a pass or shoot the puck. So It’s true he failed to condition himself coming into the season, and that’s no excuse for the professional athlete. And I know he’s mad at himself right now. You’ll see him play better next game and then even better in another one.
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Real 7 Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 6:39 am
@goldielocks, yeah, the top guys need to step it up NOW!
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goldielocks Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 6:46 am
@Real 7,
Yup. I think that’s exactly what Sutter was doing. From the way he moved Cliffy around, I can see he’s searching the complementary players for our top guys.
Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 8:19 am
@goldielocks, Agreed, 100%. Ellerby is actually doing really well. He’s checking guys, he’s communicating well w/ Doughty and he’s carrying his load in the D end. He may have a few bobbles from time to time but name one player that never makes a mistake, never makes a bad pass or anything. I think he’s got really good chemistry with DD and I think they’re a good pairing. It seems Doughty likes being in this position of more responsibility and it’s reflecting in his game (that is to say, he’s doing better).
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phil sykes Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
@Robyn, completely disagree
Russ Dynda Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 9:23 am
@phil sykes, I totally agree with you about the misplaced enthusiasm here. Our inability to consistently finish cost us the Detroit game in spite of a great effort. Then we went into St. Louis and overpowered a team that was in complete disarray at the time–it was their 5th straight loss. Now we come home and outplay, but barely beat, the worst team in our conference. I’m pleased to see our play improving, but the reality is that our performance has to stand up to the test of several games in tougher circumstances to what we’ve been facing.
That said, I think you’re giving Richards a bad rap. I don’t know how anyone could expect Richards to be offensively productive on the line with Nolan and King. Neither of them can finish or pass with any effectiveness so, in effect, you’ve taken one of your top offensive players (Richards plays point on the #1 power play unit, so Sutter must think so) and made him an “energy line” center. I suspect that if this alignment stays that way, Richards will score about half of what he usually scores and everyone will be screaming at him for being lazy and non-productive.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
@Russ Dynda, he hasnt done anything offensively in well over a year – since his concussion …….. what are u talking about ? …. its not this recent 3 game ago switch to a new line
hes been terrible for a long long time
enough is enough
ive given him well over a year – but now im sick of it
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tomb Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 11:39 am
@phil sykes, a win is a win. I am giddy about wins.
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luc20rules Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 1:23 pm
@phil sykes, Don’t mistake defensive hockey with bad hockey. Columbus maybe had 3 chances to score. St Louis & Detroit about the same. The Kings are owning the puck with the forecheck.
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Sutter your really trying to do something that isn’t possible. Get those experienced guys a goal this year.
This league has changed and maybe they won’t score.
Maybe they should remain on line 4 or pressbox. Have you ever thought someone has made a mistake in re-singing them.
Move onto the youth movement and stop playing favorites or players you would like them to do better.
That mindset is costing us hockey wins………
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Gustavo Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 7:53 am
@harty,
Pssstt, hey….we won two in a row. And played well enough to win 3 in a row.
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LOL! It’s like a bad episode of the Twilight Zone around here.
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goldielocks Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 6:41 am
@Dominick,
Haha … perfectly said.
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Gustavo Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 8:00 am
@Dominick,
That show had smart people writing the scrips. This blog….meehhh, not so much.
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Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 8:16 am
@Gustavo, That’s cuz we all think we know hockey like we’re experts. Shocking, I know, but this blog is visited by lay people.
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tornado12 Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 9:12 am
@Gustavo, Hey I resemble that remark!
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we played ok last nite a win is a win 2 pts…………..we still need scoring and with the d injuries we have some decisions to make …richards will be ok he has the tools to be better and he will.
gagne on the other hand is pathetic…were paying him to score goals..he has 0…..put him on waivers .
we have 2 guys in manchester to fill that spot…toffoli and that guy from ontario they just called up to manchester colton yellowhorn………….toffoli has 20 and yellowhorn has 36..we need some playmakers on the top six.
lets be proactive not reactive for once……………we shopuld beat that team lastnite 6-1..no finish
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Robyn Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 8:15 am
@kingfisher, Yellow is good but not nearly ready for NHL play. I think Toffoli might be able to do it but I think DL or DS would prefer to see him go through a full camp before trusting him on the ice at the pro level. I think the Pearson kid MIGHT be ready (statistically he’s #2 in skill behind Toffoli) but probably another year or two in the minors to really hone the skills he has and he’ll definitely be ready.
As for Gagne, he is getting better and same with Mike Richards. Gags was out there throwing his body around all night, making plays with the puck and driving hard to the net. This is definitely not the time to bench our vets in favor of a rookie from the minors who needs to learn the system and perform like a pro.
It’s funny, we expect a lot out of our “top forwards” but we also expect a lot out of every other player. DD, MR, JC are all expected to score goals nightly along with our top 2 lines but they can’t all score goals every single game. I hope that Kopi and Brownie can put some on net soon, though. Maybe against Chi-town their dry spell will end.
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puck73 Reply:
February 16th, 2013 at 9:40 am
@Robyn, Beautifully stated.
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On a positive note, I thought that with each game, Gagne has improved. It would be nice to see him start scoring.
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@Mark, He is getting more physical as well. He rubbed out JJ to set up a high grade scoring chance. His cycling and possession has improved as well. I like the lines right now. Penner played great last night and was noticeably moving his feet much better. I felt he was one of the stars of the game last night…hear that Harty
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“If you limit them to only that many shots, that means that as a group – not just as a defense – that we played well enough to win.”
Not just that, but the quality of the shots they did give up was far better, from our standpoint, than some of the earlier games–such as Chicago, IIRC.
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