Kings 1 – Tampa Bay 3.

Hey, one positive of last night was that, broken down by periods, we won one. I think the team, if the playoffs are out, needs to approach every period as a game within itself. It helps keep everyone in the game if the score of the GAME is ignored in favor of playing every minute as though it matters.

I don’t think there’s always a place for this mentality, but when a team is struggling in hockey maybe its the best approach to take.

I mean, last night Quick came in and played really well.  No goals in 2 periods.

Our defenders didn’t cost us any goals, though they did make some errors.

OVer periods 2 and 3, we actually won the game.

I think our last 2 losses are hallmarks of a young team and if anyone is panicking its Murray.

F the playoffs and just try to get better incrementally.

Set the lines in the most balanced way you can, and let the guys go for 5 or 7 games. Let them be upset with themselves for the mistakes. Create lines where the skills complement each other…

Let them be uspet with themselves if they make mistakes.

Let them be uspet with themselves if they make mistakes.

But, make Matt Greene write

“I will not skate the puck out of the zone by myself and ruin the game for my teamates who are working their asses off”

1,000 times.

Settling the dust from the WJC’s

After a fun and controversial couple weeks of talking and watching the World Junior Championships from Ottawa its time to let the dust settle and think back with a more rational, and maybe less biased, view.

I’d first like to tab a player I like a lot but who I haven’t heard much about – Radko Gudaj.  My ‘looks’ at him were few, but when I was able to see this kid compete I was highly impressed.  He was blocking shots, playing tough, and making the smart play most of the time.  I don’t know where he’s currently ranked for the upcoming draft, but I think he seems like a good utilitarian defenseman who could be a “franchise asset” to a club for a long time.  I would imagine that a comparison to Karlis Skrastins, currently with Florida, would be a fair one.  Who knows, maybe he’s not on anyone’s radar, but I’ll be watching to see where he goes in June.

Time For A Quick Fix…

Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar appear set to be reunited.  According to Rich Hammond’s interview with Anze Kopitar the two have not skated together on the same line since Anze first came to Los Angeles over 2 years ago.  I’m hoping that these two possession players can form some chemistry, but I’d prefer to see them paired alongside a player like Dustin Brown with an impetus for him to shoot.  The Kings are stuck in the goal-scoring dulldroms and are 5th from bottom of the league in Goals For-Average with a 2.42:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/stats/byteam?cat=oppteamstats&sort=443

They lead only Minnesota, Nashville, Tampa, and the Isles, in descending order.  

I think the Kings have an opportunity to win every game but its frustrating to watch a team that NEVER seems to be able to manufacture a goal when it needs one.  I can understand struggling at 5 on 5, but the Kings have spurned many late-game power-plays and even some fairly long 5 on 3’s.  

I’m praying that if the scoring continues to go missing that players like Frolov and Kopitar won’t be ejected from L.A. to go score goals elsewhere – just as I’m hoping that Murray’s misuse of Brian Boyle won’t lead him out of L.A. before he gets the chance to succeed.  Lauri Tukonen never got that chance and was dealt for Clune, who I have yet to see play, but was not the most sought after asset in hockey.

We’ll see what happens but it would be a shame to waste the strong play in net by both Jon Quick and Eric “bergie” Ersberg.  Both netminders have played their part in keeping the puck out of L.A.’s net, but haven’t seen many pucks going the other way and into the ol’ onion bag across the ice.  

I dare say the Kings are impotent.

Great Western Forum vs. Staples Center

Where are you going, where have you been?

The Forum is no longer great.  The Great Western naming rights bought in 1988 expired in 2003 and the company that named it has ceased to be.  

Kings Quacked…

The Kings got pinned to the floor by the Ducks last night in a VERY boring affair that ended 1-3.  Eric “Bergie” Ersberg got the start to successfully work his way back after suffering a mid December groin-strain.  The Kings in front of Bergie, however, appeared to be the ones with the “Balls” problem.  Of course they’re being lead by the balls on offense by coach Terry Murray who doesn’t have the Ducks team in purple that he truly desires.

Game Blog – Canada/Sweden

warning;  the host is very biased against…uh, you’ll know.

In a few hours we’ll know who are champions.

Will it be Sweden, will it be Canada.  

I’m no fool, so I’ve got money on Canada.  How could they not have brought the dough to pay for the final, too?  hee hee.

Just Kidding, I didn’t place a bet.  But I’m thinking…

Coach’s contribution…

I’m posting the bulk of a comment by coach here because he’s alerted me to a tournament I’m not familiar with:

Im not sure if you know yet, but your US u-17 team won bronze today against Canada-West in the World under 17 hockey challenge.

Death in the OHA…

Reportedly, Don Sanderson of the OHA Whitby Dunlops has died as a result of complications sustained in a fight during a game on December 12th, 2008.  I’m at a loss for words, in a sense, regarding this tragedy.  I’ve cheered on Marty McSorley and still find myself drawn to crowing for my favorite teams goon when I’m watching an NHL game, but I would hope that Hockey’s leaders will finally take a view to eradicating intentional violence from the game.  The fact that this happened in a league outside of the NHL shows that a “culture of violence” has no place in the sport.  Lives and careers are more important than “Market Value.”  Let’s leave the fighting and killing to the military and the thugs of the world.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Headlines-After-tragedy-fight-debate-reac?urn=nhl,132089

Note:  I’ve since learned that the OHA is a league that ejects players from the game for fighting.  I don’t know if it changes anything, but it must be considered by both factions in the “fighting” debate.  To the ‘anti-fighting” crowd I think it shows that harsher penalties for fighting don’t mean there won’t be fighting – which would appease the ‘pro-fighting’ guys a bit.  But, for the ‘pro-fighting’ crowd the fact that there are harsher penalties and yet a death still occurred indicates that harsher penalties won’t change much of anything.

Of course there are those that compare the dangers of fighting in hockey to the dangers of driving a car, but they obviously don’t have much education because the potential for danger while driving does not come paired with the freedom to ram into drivers you don’t like.

Russians Tired-Out…

There are valiant efforts and there are cryin’ shames.  And, its a cryin’ shame that Russia iced the puck with just a dozen or so ticks of the clock left in regulation; or, that they couldn’t get it past Subban(?) with just over 10 seconds to go – twice. 

But fatigue plays a factor in these cometitions and for some reason the IIHF wants tired teams playing for the second night in a row.  I’m not saying it would have made a difference in the game because I don’t have to, everybody knows it.  But you also create your own luck and Canada believed it could happen until the end, and you have to hand it to them for that.  They also did what they do best – they dump the puck in and chase it down with frenzy.  I again have to defer to this article:

http://deanbrownblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/ducks-are-right-kind-of-dirty.html.

Canada Vs Russia – 2:2 at the end of the 1st

*writer’s note:  I’m watching on my DVR, so I’m not necessarily live…

Is John Tavares playing in this game?

The real star of Canada is Dustin Tokarski.  Where would they be without this little spark plug?  Some great play by Ennis, Subban, Kane, and Cormier. 

Della Rovere continues to disgrace the Canadian team and it’s a wonder how he’s getting away with it.  The game is working into the Canadian game-plan of flooding the game with penalties.  The Russians need to continue to come together as a team, rather than a group of individuals and after some shaky decision making early are looking solid.