-The Kings are 10-3-0 in their last 13 games, outscoring their opponents 46-28. In four games this week, they scored 19 goals against Nashville, St. Louis, Dallas and Calgary.
-The Kings have won seven of their last eight at Staples Center and are 8-2-1 overall at home.
-The Kings’ +4.6 SOG differential is second-best in the league. Only Boston’s 4.9 (32.0 SOG for / 27.1 SOG against) is better.
-The Kings have appeared in 17 consecutive games without heading to overtime. This is the longest one-season non-OT stretch since the team went 22 games without heading to overtime in 2002-03. The team also appeared in 17 consecutive games without heading to OT between 3/17/07 and 10/14/07, spread over parts of two seasons.
-The Kings won 32 of 69 faceoffs (46%). Mike Cammalleri won 16 of 24 faceoffs for Calgary. No other player took more than 20 faceoffs (Jarret Stoll; 8-for-20).
-Jeff Carter has goals in four straight games (6-0=6) and 13 goals in the last 13 games.
-Slava Voynov recorded his second three-assist game of the week. He has 10 points (2-8=10) in the last eight games.
-Jake Muzzin has three goals in the last three games, six points (4-2=6) in the last seven games, and is tied with Justin Schultz of Edmonton in rookie defensive goal scoring with five goals. He is a plus-7 in the last four games.
-Dustin Penner extended his career-high assist streak to five games (0-5=5).
-Trevor Lewis recorded his career-high fourth goal tonight.
-Colin Fraser recorded a game-high six shots on goal and had a goal, an assist, a plus-2 rating and won six of eight faceoffs in 11:00 of ice time.
The Kings are not practicing on Sunday.
Lewis has been quite the sniper. Great to see him do the work and get the goal…….
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goldielocks Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 12:55 am
@Lake Forest,
All he has to do is not to lean in. If he does that, hell score more goals this season.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:00 am
@goldielocks, I think he leaned slightly into his top shelf goal tonight but I can’t remember. Funny how Lewie needs to remember to lean back, but guys like Kopi and Carts are able to lean in and still get the goal. Just interesting in the different way the skill sets require different techniques to achieve the same result (i.e.: goal)
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goldielocks Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:12 am
@shiny,
I think Lewis doesn’t have those sweet soft hands Carts and Kopi have. His stats from last season tell that that much (goals/SOG is one of the worst in the team). When he is leaning away or moving away from the net, he can’t get alot on the puck but ironically his shot is alot better in that way. Tonight’s goal was not that different either. He wasn’t moving toward the net but moving kind of sideways to take the shot.
luc20rules Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 11:09 am
@goldielocks, While I definately agree TL is not in the Kopi or Carter level. He will be a 20 goal scorer in the NHL. You can see his progression. He has learned to use his speed more effectively and where to go, shoot, and when. Look back at the Col game he was breaking in left of the goalie. Valarmov started to move to counter TL’s speed and angle him off. TL read the goalies movement stick position and went 5 hole. His other 3 goals have been top shelf. The thing about Lewis is he is improving every year and is just now starting to feel comfortable in his role and position. Remember he has been shuffled around alot especially under TM. Stability under DS has lead to growth for Lewis.
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Muzzin is going to be special. Met him at the player signing yesterday and he’s a really nice guy. Very proud of him and his success thus far.
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goldielocks Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:14 am
@Noah,
Wanna buy Muzilla figure from me?
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Noah Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:32 am
@goldielocks, I’m good. Thanks for offering. You enjoy that.
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goldielocks Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:35 am
@Noah,
You sure? It’s a limited edition though …
Kings x Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 3:21 am
@Noah, agreed. Two years in MAN really paying off
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Colin Fraser, pretty good contribution, right?
Keep this up and there’s an unsung hero award for you at the end of the season, at the very least!
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 12:58 am
@Duncanz, Quite honest, he was doing exactly what we asked of him. You know what? You can’t really ask for more than what he did tonight, right? So we just gotta keep working with him to get him to be more consistent, right?
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Mars Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:06 am
@shiny, is that you DS?
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:10 am
@Mars, Noooooooo never. I have no idea what you’re talking about
KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:04 am
@Duncanz, I think Fraser is probably playing some of his best hockey in his career.
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Wow way to go Fraz man. Won 75% of his faceoffs, didn’t take any penalties and if he’d been the one to fight instead of Cliffy, he woulda had a Gordie Howe.
Solid team effort all around tonight. A good 40 minutes. Thankfully the Flames suck or they would’ve capitalized more on defensive breakdowns by the Kings in the first.
@JonRosen, thanks for all you do on this blog. Much appreciated!
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Mars Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:05 am
@shiny, Serious Fras is a beast. 11 mins. 6 shots, goal, assist and 6/8 faceoffs, 11 Min? WOW!
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:11 am
@Mars, I know! Color me impressed, even if no one else is LOL
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I know that young defensemen still make mistakes, but thats to be expected when there under 25. That being said, to see the Kings all finally in game shape, and scoring goals again is awesome. Voynov sees the ice so well, its amazing. And Muzzin? He is finally experiencing The NHL at 24, and although he makes some mistakes, his upside is huge! Its that obvious.
I think the thing I liked the most tonite was how the Kings responded in the 3rd period with not only physical play, but very obvious retaliation rough stuff for Jackmans blatant attempt to injure a player without the puck. That was Raffi Torres and Matt Cooke personified. I hope Shannahan sends that dick a message and susupends his ass for that Darius Kasparitus special.
Anyway, good to see the Kings scoring goals, and showing they can create and finish. Hopefully they can sweep Calgary Monday Night.
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goldielocks Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 1:26 am
@puck73,
I think Martin Hanzal’s hit on Jamie Ben gets at least 3 games but not sure about Jackman.
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Kings x Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 3:22 am
@puck73, MR is getting better but he isn’t nearly there.
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KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:07 am
@Kings x, Agreed. MR is hanging on Carter’s coat tails imho.
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Nykingfan Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:02 am
@puck73,
Good take
Muzzin’s poise in the offensive zone is special. He doesn’t get rattled with the puck on his stick and makes smart plays n the PP
Jerkoff..I mean Jackman is a douche. The hit was intent to injure but he won’t get a game. I’m not even sure he’ll get a fine.
As ridiculous as it sounds, the league takes into account how severe the injury is..
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luc20rules Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 11:19 am
@puck73, Couldn’t agree more. Will we be trading a prospect at the deadline April 3rd my guess is DD2 since he is the health scratch to make room when Greene and Mitchell are back? Truthfully, I would like to keep them all for depth, but don’t think any of them would clear waivers.
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The sky is falling! Let’s throw caution to the wind and foolishly gut this team to get someone like Shane Doan! DL’s plan sucks! DD sucks! Quick sucks! Penner sucks! Richard sucks! Brown sucks! When Green and Mitchell get here they’ll suck too but then we can trade at least 2 of the young D guys who aren’t currently in Manchester and are expendable. No wait! Lets trade Mitchell and Green and at least 1 goalie because the Kings are only allowed 1 good goalie at a time! Kings suck!
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 8:23 am
@Dominick, Goalie controversy! Who starts in net tomorrow night? Ooooh goalie controversy! JK
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DesertKing Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 8:44 am
@Dominick,
WE SUCK!!
(I feel so much better)
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:35 am
@Defrimnuck, Can’t believe anyone would spit out this vitriole.
What’s wrong with Kings fans?!
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DesertKing Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:45 am
@Duncanz,
We suck!
The players suck!
Management sucks!
The bloggers suck!
@Dominick has created a new paradigm shift, whereas “suck” was a negative, he has converted it to a positive, lifting it to new heights and exrapolating upon the original “DD sucks” to create a “suckitivity” of positivism embracing “suckiness” and showing that in order to be considered “good”, you have to “suck.” We will thereofr en o longer be able to refer to the Ducks as the “Sucks” or the Canucks as the “Casucks” as we would then be praising them. So sayeth @Dominick, so sayeth the blog.
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Michael J. Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:08 am
@DesertKing,
Neither the players nor the management sucks. Bloggers???
luc20rules Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 11:24 am
@Dominick, LOL, I remember we had a good laugh at those wanting Doan at the Dodger game. Or anyone UFA for that matter we won the Stanley Cup and have prospects overflowing in Manchester. Looking around the NHL it seems like DL was the only one that thought the CBA may be done without rollbacks. Truthfully the Ducks signing Getzlaf for 8.25 mil/yr still act like they are unaware the Cap will likely be 64 Mil.
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I have to give a thumbs up to Patrick O’Neal. Last night after the game, during the post-game show, there were a couple of fans (I don’t thnk they were Kings fans, just idiot bandwaggoners who found some old Kings jersey’s in their dad’s closets) causing problems and throwing the ‘bird” while they were broadcastng. The director told them to stop and they didn’t. Patrick nicely told them to stop, and they didn’t. Patrick then levelled the boom and had security remove them, but in a very professional way. He got a loud cheer and chant from the crowd, gave us a smile, put on a Hrudey headband and went right back to doing the show. He really does like the Kings fans and always treats us well so thank you to Patrick for helping keep our Kings events classy and removing the riff-raff who try to make us look bad.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 8:59 am
@DesertKing, What I take away from your story is this: He may not have great hockey knowledge and he may not be the best interviewer on TV, but he’s on classy guy. Is that right?
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DesertKing Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:00 am
@shiny,
You nailed it.
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KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:11 am
@shiny, Bingo. O’Neal is pretty cool and I think he’s gotten better, but has a ways to go. That Moriarty guy though, that guy is just wrong for the job. It’s painful to watch his interviews. You can see it on the players faces when he acts like we just won the Cup with every question.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:39 am
@DessertKing, Patrick O’Neal knows hockey fans!
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Hmmm reading Sutter’s comments about Richardson…it seems like he may be going in..who’s spot does he take?
I expect DD2 back in the lineup in lace of Ellerby. he didn’t look good at all in any zone. Seemed like Sutter was pissed at that question.
We scored 6 last night but the player who impressed me the most got his usual no goals.. Doughty
At this point I could honestly say if he went thru the entire season with no goals, his grade would be a solid A
This kid has absolutely no weakness in his game. He’s the best d’man with or without the puck on his stick. His intelligence on the ice is incredible.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s not another defenseman in the league I would put ahead of Doughty.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:28 am
@Nykingfan, Unfortunately DD’s +/- rating took a big hit early in the season because everyone else around him sucked so badly. But I agree, with or without the puck, the kid is on fire. His TOI is currently hovering somewhere around 25 minutes on average and he’s been doing so well keeping his head up, reading plays, etc.
Re: Ellerby, it sounds like Sutter is pissed (to me, this is just my interpretation) because the media likes to pick on one guy and call him out, so to speak. Sutter will not let the media pick apart his team and he will defend each one of them. He did the same with Doughty when DD’s +/- rating was like -10. This is how I interpreted what he said, but I could very well be wrong.
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California Royalty Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:36 am
@Nykingfan, Yeah in the past week or so, he’s gone from -12 to -2. Pretty impressive. The game was on Hockey Night In Canada last night, and they were showing his ice time in each situation. He plays the most 5 on 5. Gets PK time, but not a lot of PP time. I like him on the PP, so hopefully he can get some more time on it. His numbers will only go up if he does.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:42 am
@California Royalty, No offense to DD, but I think Sutter plays guys on PP who he’s more confident will score (like VV or Muzzin but not DD or Martinez). DD is better on PK because he makes smart plays, like leveling Beachemin to control the gap situation at his own blueline
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Nykingfan Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:49 am
@shiny,
No question Muzzin’s hot but if you told me we’re in game 7 of Stanley cup, tie score with 2 min left and on the PP
I can guarantee you it’ll be DD on the ice for probably the entire 2 min….
shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:16 am
@Nykingfan, It’s hard to say if DD would be on the ice for a PP. It would really depend on who’s got the hot performance at the time, IMO. That also would bring up the question of do you pull the goalie? If you get the extra attacker, there’s a chance that you could win it in reg. But there’s a chance the other team manages to clear the puck and put it in the back of your net to win it in reg. I would hate to be the coach in that situation. Too many variables.
puck73 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:48 am
@Nykingfan, I agree with basically everything you said about Doughty. At 23, their isnt a defenseman his age that can touch him. Quietly, he has 10 assists and his minus rating is starting to come down. I still think Willie Mitchell is the best D Man on this team, and should he come back, the effect that it will have on our team will be HUGE. This team wont be making quite as many errors when he comes back because he will eat up some of the most crucial minutes of the game.
As for Ellerby? Yah, he has really struggled the last couple of games. I know the kid is doing the best he can, and if anyone can turn him around I am convinced John Stevens would be the guy that could do it. That being said, he will have to get it together soon or he will in fact be riding a little pine. Plus, we know Drewiske can fill in and do the job ok.
As for Richardson? Yah, I wouldnt be surprised to see him play at some point either. I mean, look, this guy busts his ass on every shift and in practice as well. Plus, the players and coaches love Ritchie. And, we already know this guy can go in on the 3rd or 4th line and not embarrass himself at all. I was very glad to see him contribute so much to The Kings playoff run, he played a solid part in that.
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Nykingfan Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:51 am
@puck73,
I love Ritchie’s hustle and versatility, but which forward do you sit?
I can’t think of a guy on offensive who deserves to take a seat.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:13 am
@Nykingfan, Maybe Kinger? I know I know, he’s been busting his ass but at some point, you may just have to choose which guy you perceive has the slightest “weakness” and put Richardson in. He’s a good player and he deserves to play in the game.
KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:14 am
@Nykingfan, Trust me. Ottawa’s Karrlson is better than DD. I went to make a comparison once and look at Karrlson’s last 20 goals. The kid is in another class … at least before Cooke practically chopped off his foot with his skate.
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Nykingfan Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:20 am
@KC23,
We’ll agree to disagree on that one.
He’s the best offensive d’man in the league..hands down, but he doesn’t have the all around game that DD has.
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Belexes Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:44 am
@Nykingfan,
Karrlson is a one dimensional player that gets exposed continuously on D. I would take VV on my team over him, let alone Doughty.
YoBro Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 2:19 pm
@KC23, Since the Norris has now become the “D-man scoring leader” award, why don’t they create a new award for Best defensive defenseman? They have the Selke for best defensive forward, so why not? Some players hang their hat on that, and it would be appropriate to recognize them. jmho.
Go Kings
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It will be interesting on how the KINGS approach Monday’s game.
They will have just played a team they embarrassed 2 days ago, who will
be giving their best to try and redeem themselves.
It’s important for them to focus on winning this game,
because after this, the KINGS play 6 games in 11 nights against phoenix(3), s j(2), and dallas.
On Tuesday,the cryotes will have had 2 days off at home before playing the KINGS, who will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights.
That will be a tough game to win, given the circumstances.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:50 am
@trytodethroneus, Sutter discussed the mentality that the team will take: it won’t be a game about revenge or anything, it’s just another game basically.
Tuesday they have that back to back in Phoenix, which will be a difficult game. Coyotes hate the Kings and play very well at home. Sharks are, at best, a team that fluctuates a lot in its standings (lose a few, win a bunch followed by lose a few, win a few more, etc. Gosh it must be hell to be a Sharks fans) so I’m not sure how they’ll do against the Sharks. Hopefully well enough to start a new win streak. Sharks beat the Preds and Canucks at the beginning of the month but have lost their last 2 games against Calgary and the Blues. Here’s hoping Avs beat them tonight and destroy their confidence.
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trytodethroneus Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 9:58 am
@shiny,
Agreed, but this game tomorrow is critical, because it’s one of those
“games in hand” the KINGS need to win.
I just hope they don’t let this one get away.
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puck73 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:01 am
@shiny, Hey man, do you go to any of the games at Staples Center?
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:12 am
@puck73, Yep. I wasn’t at last night’s but I was at the Blues game
KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:16 am
@shiny, The Sharks are pretty bad this year actually. They had a good start, but their record from game 8 on is horrid.
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Anyone catch the fat tard with the backwards baseball cap flippin off the cameras behind Pat and Anson last night on Kings Live? I admit that I enjoy a good middle finger gesture amongst friends but not on network TV. I might have excused it if was a cute girl but not some fat duche.
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KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:17 am
@Dominick, He got bounced and the crowd cheered when O’Neal took care of his fat arse.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:19 am
@Dominick, I like how a “cute girl” could get away with it in your mind. Someone, I think DK, posted about it earlier saying that there were a few douchey guys in the audience acting like a-holes before Patrick O’Neal booted their asses out of the audience
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puck73 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:34 am
@shiny, mikebrnstn@gmail.com Your my guest at a suite the next game I attend, as I attend several. You can sit with me and Pati, and usually other bloggers as well. email me, and lets get the ball rolling.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:36 am
@puck73, Thanks, that’s super nice of you
DesertKing Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:23 am
@Dominick,
We were standing right behind him. See my post above. Like I said earlier, I think he and his buddy were just bandwaggoners who found jerseys in their dad’s closets.
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It just makes the quality of our vulgar fans look low.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:37 am
@Dominick, Too bad every team has bad fans
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puck73 Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:39 am
@Dominick, Wow, that guy really irritated you. You know what though? I am not a big fan of FSW having that stand out there while their doing their post game show, never have been. I would rather they did the show prom the premier level on the outside balcony or something. To be honest, I want to concentrate on the show, and the player they are interviewing. I dont want to see John Q Public mugging for the camera and showing everyone, ‘ Look Ma, Im on TV. The fact is, we could care less about those people, and I dont need to see them ruining the show.
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shiny Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 10:46 am
@puck73, I think they do it so you that people watching at home can feel like they’re part of the crowd. And like last night, some of the fans get to meet the player and talk to him for a brief moment, which is cool
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I’m kidding. The guy was an idiot.
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Good to see JQ make the saves that he needed to make. Also glad to see the team not let the late 1st period goal affect them. Those can be deflating.
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