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Coaching Change Happens, and Craig Button Goes King Bashing Again…

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

It finally happened. My last post at this blog, over a month ago, called for a change behind the Kings’ bench. While a small handful of wins – most of them due to Jon Quick’s stellar play, may have put off the inevitable for a short amount of time, the Kings’ entered this week dead last in the NHL in goals for and riding a 4 game losing streak. On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kings’ executives were planning to fire head coach Terry Murray this week.  Reading this, I half expected Murray to be given at least the first two games of the team’s road trip to right the ship. Instead, it happened fast and General Manager Dean Lombardi flew to Boston to relieve Murray of his head coaching duties.  Assistant coach John Stevens will serve as interim head coach, but there is much speculation that Stevens may also be dismissed once a permanent replacement is found.

Stevens employs the same system as Terry Murray, but will provide a fresh voice. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted earlier that he spoke via text with a Kings’ player that wished to remain anonymous saying “I think it had to happen. We were dead.” That should dispel the idea that the players hadn’t tuned Murray out, something that’s been a point of contention among bloggers and reporters covering the team. Among the alleged frontrunners for the Kings’ coaching job are former Flames and Sharks coach Daryl Sutter and former Kings’ player and current Penguins Assistant Coach Tony Granato. The leash on Stevens should be very short, and his tenure will kick off with the toughest of tests, a matchup with the defending Cup champs in Boston. We’ll learn a lot about this team on the upcoming road trip. Lombardi reportedly had a meeting with all the players this afternoon in which he blasted the team for their effort of late. Lombardi didn’t want to fire Murray but felt his hand forced by the team’s disappointing play. Which brings us to another uncomfortable topic…

Lombardi is embarking on a search for the Kings’ 3rd head coach under his tenure. With the investment ownership has made in the team, the expectation is to win now. For as much as Lombardi has done building the Kings into a winner, if a deep playoff run isn’t made this spring, Lombardi’s job could be next.

Nobody in the hockey media was harder on Lombardi today than NHL Network “On the Fly” Analyst Craig Button. Button, a former GM of the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames; bashed the Kings in the NHL Network’s Pacific Division Preview in September, and he made good on the opportunity to bash the Kings again tonight. Button blasted the Kings’ team, claiming they were working plenty hard but simply aren’t good enough to be contenders. He lambasted Dean Lombardi, questioning his leadership ability in the front office, and blaming him for the team’s struggles for “..putting together all these guys who can’t score”. Button bordered on scornful anger, and if nothing else, came off as extremely unprofessional in his delivery. “All these guys who can’t score” includes a top 6 who have all had a MINIMUM of one 30+ goal season in their career. It’s evident that Button hasn’t spent much time watching the Kings this season either. One other facet worth mentioning here: Button never has anything derogatory to say about San Jose. His lips have been firmly attached to their collective anuses for as long as he’s been an NHL Network Analyst. That he refuses to give the Kings any credit whatsoever is of no surprise.

I have another theory about Mr. Button. The hockey world knows Dean Lombardi’s seat is getting hot. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a make or break year for everyone on the Kings’ coaching staff and in the front office. I think it’s a distinct possibility that Button is panicked at the idea that a coaching change will make the Kings’ better…because if they do improve it will mean his rants about the infallibility of San Jose will be wrong, AND, perhaps more importantly there will not be an opening for the GM job in Los Angeles next summer. I believe Button covet’s Lombardi’s job, and covets the opportunity to work with one of the most talent laden rosters in the Western Conference, if not the entire NHL. Button’s rants are borne out of pure jealousy.

Guess what, Craig. You can kiss my hairy white ass. Consensus among most of the hockey media is that the Kings’ lineup is far too talented to be struggling as they have been. Only person who didn’t call them a Cup contender, or at the very least a West contender was you, Mr. Button. Feel free to keep poking your Dean Lombardi voodoo doll, hoping the team will fail so you might get a shot at an office in El Segundo come summer. Will you be man enough to eat crow if the Kings turn this season around, win the Pacific Division, make a deep playoff run or gasp…win the Stanley Cup? The team is just 3 points out of the division lead right now. All it takes is one spark to turn the tides. Are you willing to admit you were wrong? I doubt it. Your remarks reveal your agenda, plain as day. Fuck you, Mr Button.

I hope John Stevens replays the clip of Button’s rant on “NHL On the Fly” for the team in the locker room tomorrow, and every day thereafter. I hope it pisses them off the same way it pissed me and the rest of Kings’ nation off tonight…

It’s time to make Craig Button eat his words.

GO KINGS!

-JS

 

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Why the Terry Murray Era Needs to End in Los Angeles.

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
Terry Murray

It's time for the Kings to replace Head Coach Terry Murray.

Dump and chase. Cycle, cycle, cycle. Shot mentality. Compete. Heavy board play. These are all Staples of Kings’ coach Terry Murray’s vocabulary. On the bright side, Murray has taken the Kings’ to the playoffs the past two seasons. But his four seasons as head coach have been marked by long stretches of inconsistent, underachieving play.

This past Summer, the Kings went out and acquired Mike Richards and Simon Gagne. On paper this team should be Pacific Division favorites and a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup. As of right now, the Kings have lost 5 straight games and have played perhaps 4 good periods in that stretch. It would be fair to say that the only two players who’ve showed up in every game they’ve played have been Anze Kopitar (on pace for a 104 point season) and Jonathan Quick. The rest of the roster has had moments where they’ve looked outstanding, but for the most part, looks far too comfortable. Unmotivated, with not nearly enough hustle.

Tonight, the Kings played in San Jose, a team that as usual has gotten enough verbal fellatio from hockey media to dry out Peter North. They haven’t been impressive much this season. Guess what? The Kings played well…for all of about 25 minutes. Sharks coach Todd McLellan made in game adjustments to counter the Kings strong play, and Murray sat smug faced on the bench and watched the team surrender 4 straight goals. It was reminiscent of game 3 of last season’s playoff series – Murray unable to keep up with in-game adjustments and the Kings losing as a result.

Is it a reach to say the Kings are playing like they’re trying to get their coach fired at this point?

I give Terry Murray credit, he has contributed a lot to the development of some of the younger guys. He instilled a defense first system that gives the team a chance to win most nights. He’s led the team to two straight playoff appearances. But, let’s look at the now. When you look at the Kings, do you see the man behind the bench that can lead them to glory? After much deliberation, I think, the answer to this question for me is decidedly NO.

It is the job of a head coach to get the most out of the players on his roster. GM Dean Lombardi has provided Murray with one of the most talented rosters in the entire NHL. He has depth at forward to rival any team in the league, a defense corps that most coaches would kill for, and perhaps the best goaltending tandem in the NHL. On paper, this team should not just be good, they should be dominant. They have, other than a handful of games, not been anywhere near that. Murray seems to be simply unable to get the best out of his players on a consistent basis. I’ve run out of excuses for him, and I’ve yet to see anyone provide any good statement of defense for him.

Simply put, it’s time for Murray to go. The Kings need a wakeup call right now, something to jolt the players into action. Murray isn’t capable of giving them that jolt. This is a team with Stanley Cup talent playing like a lottery pick club. This is unacceptable. The fans know it. The players have to know it (which is why I question whether or not this is a deliberate attempt to get Murray fired). Dean Lombardi has to know it. It’s time to make a change.

C’mon Dean. Each additional loss makes it that much more work to a punch a postseason ticket in the ultra competitive West. It’s time for the Terry Murray era to end in LA.

GO KINGS!

-JS

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Sending the Wrong Message?

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

The NJ Devils Celebrate a 2nd Period goal. (Photo:AP)

The Kings had won 4 straight games. Their solid play in all 3 zones had been punctuated by Jonathan Quick’s record setting 3 straight shutout games, 188:10 seconds without allowing a goal. Quick, much like the start of last season, has been the Kings’ best player through the first 8 games and has been in goal for each of the Kings 5 wins, with a shootout loss in New Jersey the lone blemish on his record. With a .81 goals against average and a .972 save %, it would be more than fair to say that Quick has been the NHL’s top netminder through his first six starts.

Enter Kings’ Head Coach Terry Murray, who said prior to the start of the season he would ride the hot hand in goal rather then penciling in a rotation for his two goaltenders. In fairness when the other half of your tandem is 2006 first round pick Jonathan Bernier, a guy who could probably start for 2/3 of the teams in the NHL; this is a pretty smart philosophy to keep as it creates an optimal, competitive environment in which the guy playing has to earn his games. Ideally this pushes both guys to be at their best, and so far this seems to have helped to elevate Quick’s game to a level among the NHL’s elite. Why then, did Terry Murray stray from his “ride the hot hand” philosophy by starting Bernier at home against the Devils on Tuesday? Bernier was average at best in his lone start of the season, a 4-2 loss against the Buffalo Sabres in Berlin; and there’s no hand in the league, much less in the Kings’ organization hotter than Quick. Murray’s reasoning for the change was well documented by Rich Hammond. His thought process was, with 3 games in 4 nights starting Thursday, and 15 of 17 games against the Western Conference, he wanted to make sure to get Bernier some playing time, as he will most certainly be needed during that stretch. Murray eludes to the fact that if not Tuesday, Bernier perhaps doesn’t play until December. So, it’s Bernier vs. the Devils on Tuesday, that’s that.

What happens next? The Kings absolutely stunk up the joint. Uncharacteristically bad turnovers that led to goals-against, and an inability to mount much offensive zone pressure. While Devils’ goalie Johan Hedberg was indeed very good, the number of high-octane scoring chances the Kings had against him was minimal. It might be worth noting that the breaks did not go the Kings’ way most of the game either: The Devils had a first period goal disallowed because Devils’ defender Henrik Tallinder was in the crease behind Bernier, and Dainus Zubrus’ first goal in the second period should have been disallowed: Bernier had possession of the puck and Zubrus ran him over like a Mack truck jarring the puck loose and into the net. If the first one was interference (and I’ll say for the record it was perhaps marginal but was the correct call as Tallinder did make incidental contact with Bernier), the second one DEFINITELY was. In a one goal game, I’d have been absolutely livid about that call. Once that goal was on the board it was all Devils. A rare but costly turnover by Anze Kopitar led to a one-timer by Patrik Elias that made it 2-0. Minutes later another turnover led to Zubrus’ 2nd goal of the night, a slapper from the right circle that was definitely stoppable to make it 3-0 New Jersey. The rest of the game the Kings made Hedberg look like the second coming of Patrick Roy. Game, set, match.

 

Let me make clear one point: The play of Jonathan Bernier wasn’t the reason the Kings’ lost this game. The first NJ goal shouldn’t have counted in the first place, the second one would’ve been tough for anybody to stop. The third goal was the only one of the bunch I’d call soft: Zubrus takes a slapshot with a long windup and shoots from the circle, giving Bernier time to come out and challenge (he didn’t). Any shot from that range without a screen or a deflection, save the absolutely perfect off the bar and in type shot, should not go in. Zubrus’ shot fell within none of the above parameters.

The team in front of Bernier played their worst game of the young season thus far on Tuesday, and while Bernier himself isn’t directly responsible for that, let me provide some food for thought.

What kind of message is Terry Murray sending to his team by sitting the man who has been it’s best player all season? What are you telling the guys in the room by saying you’re giving Quick the night off because 15 of 17 upcoming games are in-conference? Would you sit your best player in an important game? Me neither.

Quick’s streak is as important to the other guys in the room, if not more important than it is to Quick himself. It’s a testament not only to outstanding goaltending but excellent team defense – something Terry Murray’s system prides itself on. The longer that streak continues, the more it says not only about Quick, but about the team in front of him. Sitting Quick Tuesday night might have left enough wiggle room in players’ minds (we’re not defending Quicker’s streak tonight, so…) to allow the type of lackadaisical effort we saw from the Kings in this loss. You end up feeling bad for Bernier because, while he wasn’t outstanding by any means, he also wasn’t playing behind an inspired team, not his fault.

I’m not attempting to strike up the “Fire Terry Murray!” crowd yet, but I do question his decision to sit Jonathan Quick Tuesday night. While I think Murray is a fine coach, certainly capable of helping the Kings win the Cup, for one night at least he seemed to be out of touch with the psychological effects that a seemingly harmless personnel decision can have on the entire team.

Of course, nobody will ever know if the result would’ve been any different had Quick led the team onto the ice Tuesday night, but it’s something to think about.

Kings will be in Dallas Thursday night, with Quick in net.

GO KINGS!

-JS

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Standin’ On Top of the World

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

Kings celebrate Ryan Smyth's 2nd period goal in last night's 4-1 win over Nashville. It was Smyth's 1,000th NHL game.

Yeah, I know, it’s a Van Hagar reference. The goal is to be able to use a Queen reference sometime in June, and the way things have gone through 13 games, that would be a plausible prediction to make.

The haters can hate, and those who haven’t been paying attention will look at the NHL’s standing and claim it as some sort of mistake, some sort of farce. Let them. The simple fact of the matter is this: Right here, right now, the Los Angeles Kings are the best team in the National Hockey League. Believe it, Kings’ fans. We’ve been waiting a long time for this. Two weeks from now, the Kings’ may merely be leading the Pacific and holding a #2 or #3 seed in the West, but at the present moment, there is no team better.

So what’s contributing to the Kings success? Maybe the more pertinent question would be “what isn’t?”.

First and foremost has been the defense. I will admit to being a little biased, but I can’t remember seeing a more dominant, suffocating defensive unit in the post-lockout NHL. Opposing offensive juggernauts are kept the permimeter, their scoring chances limited. The backcheck has helped to eliminate opponents’ speed entering the zone. And when they find their chances, they’re left to face yet another formidable challenge: The Kings’ goaltenders.

If you had to name 3 goalies who have been dominant thus far this season, the obvious answers would be Tim Thomas of Boston, Jaro Halak of St. Louis, and the Kings’ Jon Quick. Quick is 8-1 with a 1.62 goals against average and a save percentage of .942 (94.2% for those following at home). He has been first star of the game 5 times in 9 starts this season, including a home shutout of Tampa this past Thursday. When it’s Quick’s night off, the bad guys have to face Jonathan Bernier – considered by many to be the best goalie playing outside the NHL prior to this season. Bernier has recovered nicely from an early case of the jitters and has looked solid. Like I said prior to the season starting, the Kings’ have one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in the entire league right now.

Then there’s the balanced scoring. Heading into this season, most cited the Kings’ primary concern as secondary scoring. Those concerns have been answered – loudly. The Kings’ second line has, not even arguably been their best all season – with Jaret Stoll, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams accounting for 35 points (15G, 20A) thus far. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar on the top line have 6 and 4 goals respectively. The third “shutdown” line has contributed as well with Ponikarovsky, Handzus and Simmonds potting 2,2, and 3 goals respectively. 5 on 5 goal scoring has not been the issue – the Kings have both improved in 5 on 5 goals for AND against. All this without a goal from Drew Doughty or Jack Johnson yet.

While the Kings’ penalty kill has been nothing short of awesome (defense and goaltending will do that – they’re PERFECT at home through 6 games), the power play is still a bit behind the curve. Based on what we saw last season, they will get going sooner than later.

Then there’s the stuff not on paper. This is a TEAM, a tight knit group that cares about one another’s well being. They want to win for one another, they fight for one another, and they look to be enjoying every moment of it. The last two games have been case in point:

Thursday against Tampa, one of their notorious goons, Steve Downie, attempted a charge on Drew Doughty during the last half of the 3rd period (it was retaliation for a clean hit by Doughty a shift earlier). Downie, who had run away from Kyle Clifford 3 times prior in the game is the worst kind of gutless player there is – has a propensity for dives and cheap shots, but isn’t man enough to answer the bell when called on the carpet for it. He is alongside Matt Cooke in this category leaguewide, just a gutless, cheap shot, no talent bitch (of course, the Tampa fans are the only ones who don’t see it that way – no surprise). Thursday night, Willie Mitchell made him answer, rushing to the aid of his star defense partner- fresh off recovery from a concussion. Downie, in predictable fashion, didn’t throw a punch until Mitchell was restrained and then cried a river to the officials when Mitchell returned the favor. The message had been sent: If you f**k with one of us, you f**k with all of us.

Saturday the team wore mullet wigs to the morning skate and in the pre-game warmup to honor teammate Ryan Smyth’s 1,000th NHL game. Perhaps a small gesture, but it shows the tight-knit nature of this team. During the game itself, the Kings looked to be trying to get Smyth a goal on his milestone night early on, and it paid off when Smyth tallied to make it 3-0 Kings in the second period.

We’ve had some pretty good Kings’ teams in the past, but I can’t ever recall a group that played more cohesive than this one does. When Mitchell left the game in the second period, the defensive corps rallied and didn’t miss a beat. Drew Doughty and Davis Drewiske morphed themselves into masters of the shot block. I don’t know if I’ve EVER seen Drewiske play a game like that before – he was carrying the puck up ice like Drew and Jack, shooting the puck and effortlessly breaking up attempted passes. Kid is really coming into his own.

As a result of all of the above and more, the Kings are 6-0 at home. Their last two wins have come against teams that have historically owned the Kings at home. That this is changing shows that these are not your mother’s LA Kings. Not by a long shit. These are the 2010-11 Los Angeles Kings – and right now – the NHL’s best.

It might be early to start planning the Cup parade in downtown LA, but let there be no doubt: This team is for REAL.

GO KINGS!

-JS

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Quick Backstops Kings to Win In Dallas

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Jon Quick played so hot in Dallas, he had to cool himself off! (Roland Martinez/Getty)

The Kings looked like a team playing it’s second game in as many nights for long stretches of the game in Dallas tonight, all except for one guy: Jon Quick. Kings’ coach Terry Murray’s plan to play Jonathan Bernier once a week and keep Quick well rested has thus far paid dividends – Quick has played very solid this season and is sitting at 6-1. Perhaps the most telling stat: Quick has been the first star in 4 of those games. Tonight was no exception – a good number of Quick’s saves were of the breathtaking, acrobatic variety. When he didn’t need to be acrobatic, he was positionally solid and focused. Oh, while I’m at it on those 6 wins, they’re also currently best in the NHL. In a season where many expected Quick to concede the starting job to Jonathan Bernier, he is instead establishing himself as one of the league’s elite goalies.

The Kings’ most dominant effort up front tonight came from the third line, the so-called “shutdown” line of Alexei Ponikarovsky, Wayne Simmonds and Michal Handzus. Ponikarovsky broke a 1-1 tie in the second period on a putback of a Simmonds shot from a steep angle. Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen made the initial save but the rebound was ripe for the picking and Ponikarovsky shoveled it in on the backhand. 9 seconds later, Simmonds would score after Handzus cleanly won the center ice faceoff back to Jack Johnson, who fed a breaking Simmonds. Simmonds went hard to the net with the puck and beat Lehtonen before running the net off it’s pegs. After a brief review it was determined that the puck entered the net before it came off it’s moorings, and it was 3-1 Kings, just like that.

It was at this point in the game that Quick did his best work to keep Dallas off the scoreboard, as he had a 14 save 2nd period. In the third period the Kings would get a shorthanded goal from Willie Mitchell of all people, who banked it off the skate of Dallas defender Phillip Larsen. The Stars would pull Lehtonen in favor of Andrew Raycroft. Dallas would make it 4-2 on a perfectly placed wraparound shot – upstairs over Quick – from former King Brandon Segal to make it 4-2. The Stars would pull Raycroft for the extra skater, but Justin Williams scored an empty netter – his second goal in as many nights – to seal the deal. Not that Dallas was going to beat Quick anyway.

The win puts the Kings first overall in the Pacific Division, first overall in the Western Conference, and first overall in the National Hockey League. I realize it’s only late October, but it’s nice to see this team coming together and winning. The good news is, they’re doing it without arguably the league’s best young defenseman, AND not all cylinders are firing yet. Kopitar hasn’t turned on the “score at will” switch yet. None of the puck-movers on the blue line have a goal yet, and aside from 5 on 3 situations, the power play hasn’t gotten near the level we know they’re capable of. The rest of the NHL should be on notice – this is one hell of a Kings’ team.

The bad news: Wayne Simmonds left the game with a lower body injury in the third period after just a shift. The extent of the injury isn’t known yet. One would expect he’d be evaluated in LA tomorrow and more info sh0uld then be available.

The Kings have a home game against New Jersey on Saturday, then don’t play again until the following Thursday – that time should allow Drew Doughty – and hopefully Simmonds and Scott Parse as well – to get healthy and return to the lineup.

Anyone else looking forward to booing Ilya Kovalchuk on Saturday. I guess that all depends on whether or not he’s a healthy scratch again. New Jersey is a mess right now, and I guarantee you everyone in that Kings’ locker room, everyone in the front office, and even the janitor who cleans the toilets at Staples Center would love to see the Kings absolutely hammer the Devils as a “Hey Ilya, how’s New Jersey again?” sort of message. He’s stuck there for 15 years, and an interview with former teammate Bobby Holik on Hockey Night in Canada Radio this week revealed that Kovalchuk might not be the best teammate and may be a big part of the team’s troubles. One thing is for sure, the entire Kings’ organization and at least the majority of the fans are glad Dean Lombardi didn’t risk blowing up the core to give Kovalchuk the money he wanted.

Saturday night at Staples should be interesting indeed. As well as the Kovalcircus coming to town, it’s Mattias Norstrom night, and the Kings’ will honor the former captain with a ceremony before the game. On hand will be former Kings including Ian Lapperiere, Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake. Should’ve told Blake to stay home and suck a nugget pouch. Matty is one of the class guys and one of THE warriors in Kings’ history, and it’s awesome to see the organization honoring him like this.

Kings and Devils – Norstrom Night – Saturday at Staples. See you there.

GO KINGS!

-JS

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Kings Come From Behind to Win In Minny

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
Kings Celebrate

The Kings' congratulate Jon Quick after he stopped Minnesota's Antti Miettinen to preserve a 3-2 shootout win. (Photo - AP)

The Comeback Kids. 8 games into the 2010-11 season, it’s already an appropriate nickname for this Kings’ team – and tonight, as much as ever. The Kings dug themselves a hole early as Minnesota scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the game. But the Kings battled back, remained composed, and got a power play goal late in the period, to cut the Wild’s lead in half.

The second period contained some controversy as well. Dustin Brown made a hit in open ice on the Wild’s Antti Miettinen that the on ice officials ruled a dangerous hit to the head. Brown was assessed a five minute major and an automatic game misconduct. Having seen the hit on replay, Brown appeared to make shoulder to shoulder contact with Miettinen. It was stated by Versus’ TV analysts Keith Jones and Eddie Olczyk and reiterated by Brown in his postgame interview with Rich Hammond – Brown is a tenacious hitter and had he hit Miettinen in the head, he probably would’ve left the ice on a stretcher. The play will be reviewed automatically by the league, and Brown should be safe from suspension, although as inconsistent as the league has been this year (i.e. not reviewing the Erik Cole hit on Doughty), you never know.

Already without Drew Doughty – who was placed on IR retroactive to 10/21 earlier today (more on that later), and without Captain Brown the rest of the game, the Kings dictated much of the remaining tempo of the game. They kept the Wild’s league leading power play off the board tonight, and scored 2 power play goals of their own, including an Anze Kopitar 5 on 3 goal that knotted the game with under a minute remaining in the second period.

The third period and OT went scoreless. The shootout round offered up what we’ve come to expect from Anze Kopitar. Kopi is just plain slick when it comes to the shootout, and tonight was no exception – he coasted in and went forehand-backhand and beat Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom between the pads. As usual, he made it look effortless. Minnesota’s Mikko Koivu evened the shootout at one with a hard backhand that went off the cuff of Quick’s glove and in. Jack Johnson was stopped by Backstrom and Minnesota’s Matt Cullen beat Quick low stick side to give the Wild a 2-1 edge after two rounds. The Kings’ Jaret Stoll responded with a bullet that beat Backstrom, followed by a glove stop by Quick on Marek Zidlicky to take the shootout into sudden death frames. Justin Williams was stopped by Backstrom and Brent Burns shot wide to bring on a 5th round. Michal Handzus caught Backstrom committed to the pokecheck and buried it past him to give the Kings’ the lead, then Jon Quick made a great left pad save on Miettinen to clinch the win. Comeback complete.

The victory put the Kings alone atop the Pacific Division and sent Quick’s record in road shootout games to 8-1 all time.

So, the Kings head to Chicago for a Wednesday game between two of the West’s premiere teams. Kings had hoped to get Doughty back, but with his being placed on IR today, the earliest he might be available is Thursday in Dallas if he can be cleared in time. My suspicion is that Doughty will return Saturday at home against New Jersey.

In the meantime, Jake Muzzin has been recalled and will join the Kings in Chicago.

Expect to see Quick in Chicago and Bernier in Dallas this week, unless Murray decides Dallas is more important as a division foe.

6-2 and alone in the first looks good, even if it’s early.

Go Kings!

JS

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Kings Win – On and Off the Ice

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

What a wacky hockey game. Neither team was great defensively, weird bounces were commonplace (if I had to guess, the ice in Denver wasn’t so good). Kings broke their streak of Power Plays without a goal by scoring not one but two power play goals. Alexei Ponikarovsky scored his first goal as a King. The Kings’ hero of the night was Brad Richardson, who scored his first career hat trick against his former team tonight  - including the shorthanded game-winner. Great game for Richardson tonight. The guy is pure effort, brings it every night.

In the third period, Wayne Simmonds was assessed a five minute major and game misconduct for butt-ending Colorado’s T.J. Galiardi. None of the replays shown on TV conclusively showed a butt-end (looked like a love tap with the elbow) and there’s speculation amongst Kings’ fans that it might have been a sell job by Galiardi. Without a good camera angle, the jury’s still out. If Simmer actually did butt-end Galiardi in the nether regions, shame on him as it was unnecessary. If he didn’t, someone should give Galiardi an Oscar as he even had all 4 on ice officials – none of whom had good line of sight on the play – buying into it. We’ll see what happens. The league I’m sure will take a look at it, since butt-ending is some pretty dangerous stuff. Hopefully some better video angles will pop up on the web so we fans have a better idea of what actually transpired there.

The best news of the night though, came from off the ice. The Kings held a hashtag battle on Twitter tonight with the Avs’ fans. For every #GoKings or #GoAvs hastag that was tweeted during the game, the teams would donate $1 to their respective charities. The Kings had chosen Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as their recipient. According to the Kings’ official release:

Hashtag Battle:

Final score:
#GoKings: 29,374
#GoAvs: 13,876

The Kings were also the #1 trending topic WORLD WIDE for the majority of tonight’s game. That bested UFC, which had two fights tonight/all their fighters, and bigger than Kanye West and his short film “Runaway,” which debuted worldwide at 6 p.m., the same start time as our game.

The Kings added close to 1,000 Twitter followers during the battle

Currently, I’m waiting for Kanye West to bust into my screen with an “I’ma let you finish, but #runaway is one of the best hashtags of ALL time!”

I know I was tweeting a TON during the game, as were most of my King fan buddies. It went for a great cause and goes to show what an amazing group we Kings fans are. I’m extremely proud of Kings’ fans as a whole tonight.

More good news came today in the return of Matt Greene to the lineup. His activation meant Jake Muzzin getting sent to Manchester. I’m not sure I’m on board with this decision. Peter Harrold has always been questionable defensively, and tonight was no exception. I’d have kept Muzzin up.

Sending Muzzin down means, in turn that the Kings did NOT put Drew Doughty on Injured Reserve, which would keep him out of the lineup until minimum Thursday. There’s speculation that Dewey could return to the lineup Wednesday in Chicago. Can’t happen soon enough as Jack Johnson hasn’t responded to the pressure of being THE guy on the Kings’ blueline very well so far. I like Jack a lot, but he looks nothing like the guy we saw post-Olympics last season, although he IS a +2 right now, so perhaps I’m being too critical.

Next up for the Kings will be the Minnesota Wild on Monday. The game is on national TV (Versus), good exposure for the Kings. Minnesota is in rebuild mode but they’re not to be taken lightly as  a 6-2 drubbing of Vancouver last week shows. Would be great to see the offense work like it did tonight, but the team as a whole perform better defensively.

Kings win, Ducks and Stars lose. Money was raised for charity. All in all, a good night.

GO KINGS!

-JS

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Catching Up…

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

My absence here is lame, and I need to make an effort to keep up with everything that’s happening in the Kings’ Universe! Since I’ve not posted in 11 days, I’ve got some catching up to do!

Game Results:

Kings have gone 3-1 since my last post. A victory over Atlanta in the home opener, and again at home vs. Vancouver a week ago. Jon Quick was first star in both those games.

Two days ago, the Kings beat Carolina 4-3 with Jonathan Bernier in goal – who had a shaky first two periods but was huge in the 3rd to hold on to the single goal victory. Andrei Loktionov’s first career NHL goal was the game winner. Most important event of the game turned out to be a hit by Carolina’s Erik Cole on Drew Doughty. More on that later.

Last night in Phoenix, the Kings played like complete crap for 30 minutes, and then better (but still just OK) for 30. It was still enough to be in the game against the Coyotes, who needed an empty netter to win 4-2. Wayne Simmonds scored both King goals, his first two of the season, and Brayden Schenn got his first NHL point. Though I don’t like the idea of Simmer on the 4th line, he and Schenn had some nice chemistry going. If the Kings play just OK the first 30 minutes, they walk out of the near empty (6706 seats sold – hello Winnipeg!) JobIng.com Arena in Glendale with at least a point.

So, the Kings are 4-2-0 headed into the weekend. Next game will be at Colorado Saturday at 6PM Pacific.

Player News:

The biggest Kings’ news of the week had to do with Drew Doughty being out injured after his collision with Erik Cole in the Carolina game Wednesday. While I don’t think Cole was headhunting, I do think the hit was intentionally late and dangerous, and the league’s decision not to suspend Cole was not the correct one. Doughty is out at least until next Thursday with an “upper body injury” that is believed to be a concussion. Doughty’s injury is key for the Kings. Peter Harrold played adequately on Thursday but he’s no replacement for Doughty. His presence, not only as a defender but as a puck mover from the back end, was sorely missed in Phoenix Thursday night. We can only hope that Drew gets back on the ice HEALTHY as soon as possible, and that Erik Cole gets his.

Matt Greene is cleared to play and will be in the Kings’ lineup, probably in the next game or two. It’ll be a welcome addition, but Doughty’s injury forces Greene into the top 4 when he’s best suited as a #5 guy. Greene’s heart and leadership will be a boost for the team though, without question.

Scott Parse is cleared for normal hockey activity but Terry Murray says he needs more time to be ready to get into a game.

Erik Ersberg has reached agreement with an unnamed KHL team, and has been waived by the Kings. Once Eazy clears waivers, the Kings can get his contract off the books, since technically signing in the KHL while he is under contract in LA is a breach of that contract. Wish Eazy-E the best of luck in Russia – he’s a great guy, with a great attitude who was simply the odd man out with Bernier’s promotion. In the wake of this, Martin Jones has been recalled by Manchester from Ontario of the ECHL.

Other News:

If you’re part of the twitter-verse, tomorrow night’s Kings-Colorado game will feature a hashtag battle  – with the Kings donating to charity every time #GoKings appears in a tweet. It’s for a good cause, Hockey Fights Cancer and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. DO IT! More info can be found here.

That about catches me up for now. Thanks as always for reading!

GO KINGS!

JS

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Cheer Up, Kings’ Fans

Monday, October 11th, 2010

While last night’s loss in Calgary was depressing, there’s one thing that will put a smile on all our faces: The Ducks are BY FAR the worst team in hockey right now. They’ve been outscored 13-2, and outshot 145-72 in three games. Anaheim is going absolutely nowhere, and Andreas Lilja – a mediocre defenseman at best, isn’t going to change that. At some point this season, the Ducks may get desperate for defense and trade one of their big gunners for a backliner. That, or they’ll simply blow the team up and stop lying to themselves about not needing to rebuild completely. Watching Anaheim struggle is almost as good as watching the Kings succeed. They’re headed for a lottery pick this season.

Kings coach Terry Murray, as expected has made some moves in regards to the lines. Rookie Andrei Loktionov, a natural center will play left wing on the top line tomorrow night, while Ryan Smyth will join Stoll and Williams on line 2. The 4th line will consist of Brad Richardson on LW along with Brayden Schenn and Kevin Westgarth. Sounds like Clifford’s days could be numbered.

Home opener is tomorrow night at Staples. See you there.

GO KINGS!

-JS

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Kings Lose In Calgary (Again)

Monday, October 11th, 2010

Poor performance, really only 20 minutes of good hockey in this game. Critical mistakes led to both goals. Bernier was pretty good except on the game winner, but both he, Terry Murray and Davis Drewiske – who screened him on the play, say that it was tipped so who knows.

It’s just 2 games in, but Kings’ nation is already starting to panic about 5 on 5 scoring. I sense line changes coming.

The big question is, if it doesn’t improve (and realistically there’s reason to think it will), how long does Dean wait to make a deal?

Kings have now lost 10 straight in Calgary.

Up next is the home opener vs. Atlanta. Hopefully the Kings bounce back as tonight’s game was an extremely disappointing performance against a team that on paper is far inferior.

Go Kings

JS

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